I’m about finidhed with a project that I pretty convinced that I’ll be using for firewood in the not so distant future.
I bit off a bit, well a lot, more than I could chew with my current set of woodworking skills. It all started when I got the notion that I could build a piece of furniture the old fashion way. So, I decided on a bookcase that I saw in fine woodworking, adjusted the dimensions for my use and went to town.
Hand cut tenons & mortices, grooves made with a plow plane, surfaces smoothed with hand planes, no sandpaper, it was going to be a beauty. The vision was beautiful. Unfortunately, I had never tried to do it all before. It might have been a good idea to practice those skills on some small projects first.
But, undaunted the work started. Needless to say things went wrong from the start. Parts were cut to thin, but I’d make it work. Motices were to wide, but I could fix it. Dovetails would lock pieces strechers to the frame, not when they don’t mate. Glued up panels, jointed & flattened turned into 1/2 ” plywood sheets in 5/8″ grooves.
What I mess! Ya get too cocky & Wham-O right between the eyes. I think I’ll work on smaller projects that will develop some skills.
Since I’m feeling like, “poor, poor pitiful me” right now, if anybody would like to share some of their horror stories of projects gone wrong. I’d love to hear them.
Replies
We've all been there. Mistakes are design opportunities. ;-)
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Amen to that.
We get to soon oldt und to late schmart
Your post brought a ruefull grin to my face! Several years ago I posted here asking if at the age of 64 it was too late to start woodworking. I received nothing but encouragement mostly along the lines of "just do it" Well, I did and the first several projects missed the tatget as much if not more that yours, one did end up as firewood - a dressing table for my lady (she now has the replacement I made and if I do say so it's pretty good). However, looking back I know that I kearned through all my mistakes and over ambition and now at 72 can make stuff that passes even my critical examination. So plug on and try to worry less about the outcome and more about the process.
Good answer.
that is called on the job training , you learned from it
Many years ago I spent months building a stereo cabinet / bookcase. I was a neophyte working on the project myself. I dadoed, rabbeted, built a face frame, assembled and painted the behemouth. I proudly put it into function.
My uncle came by and I showed him my masterpiece and he said "I see you used some 3/4" putty" ! Thanks a lot!!
I see you used some 3/4" putty .........
Laughing my arse off. I gotta remember that one!!!
Swartz,
Sounds like a great project, I wish you had some pictures.
My advice to you wouldn't be to go on to smaller projects, rather to just do the same project or even a more complex project. Be sure that you use the same quality of materials...if you cheap out or build smaller, you won't care as much.
Note that I am a professional remodeler/ custom carpenter and just about everything I do is new to me, therefore a bit more than I can chew. I just take my time and do my best; if it wasn't a challenge then it wouldn't be a very fun job.
Also note that for whatever reason, projects I do for myself turn out nowhere near as good as the ones I do for clients.
good luck
gk
Sometimes I feel that the best way to learn is to make mistakes. When I started bowl turning last year, I had read nothing on the subject, had no previous bowl turning experience (though some spindle turning experience), and only briefly watched an experienced craftsperson work on hollowing one. I knew the tools and what they were for, but didn't know too much about how to sharpen or use them properly. I claimed a couple lengths of Douglas fir which a neighbor had downed and chucked them on the lathe and started turning. On the first two, I turned through the bottom. The next few blew up. A couple are ugly. But with every bowl I learned something. Many of my defunct bowls sit on a shelf in my shop to remind me that I've learned from those mistakes. While Douglas fir is not the best turnery wood, it was free and green, which meant it turned easily and I didn't feel as bad when I messed up.
Chris @ flairwoodworks
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
It is call "Snake Bit", at least that is what one friend of mine called it. About ten years ago, I was doing a big walk-in wine cellar for a customer, and the refrigeration guy was just chasing one problem after another. He was plenty experienced, and qualified for more ambitious jobs, but sometimes everything just seems to crash down on you.
We got to talking, and it turns out that I was born in the house next to him, but didn't remember him because he was about ten years older, and we both moved apart by the time I was five. This is a small world.
Just remember you can learn more from a good mistake that you will from bumbling along accidentally getting things close, or just right enough that they don't fall apart in front of you.
You know that the best part of your post here is your humility. The fact that you know that you have to get it good enough to satisfy yourself. You would probably be a better business man if you didn't care, but the fact that you care will make you a better craftsman, so I and I am sure others will congratulate you for knowing who you need to please.
Now, go out and clean up the shop, and sharpen some tools, grab a brew, and think about the next ambitious project that you want to do. If you aren't striving to achieve more than you already know how to do, you are growing stagnant in your rut. I don't recall who said it, but a rut is just a grave which is open on the short ends, but there is still no way out or up.
I am sure everyone has sob stories like that.
I had a cherry dovetailed cradle I was ready to glue up. Test fit perfect. Add some Titebond and all hell breaks loose. All the joints are too tight, tails start snaping, glue is setting and I hammer it home.
Lets just say in the end I got real good at "repairing dovetails".
Tuition - Its not what you pay, its what you take with you that counts.
Swartz Wuest, I am laughing, but not at you, the first few lines of your post got to me. Do not burn it, I live with a lot of my design flaws as well as less than a woodworkers hand skills. Some of the guys and girls around here make it look like slight of hand. Thanks for the candid post. Your on the rite track with notion of smaller projects. Thomas Love.
The vision was beautiful. Unfortunately, I had never tried to do it all before. It might have been a good idea to practice those skills on some small projects first.
My advice would be, don't practice on your projects, no matter how small. That can be frustrating not to mention expensive. It wasn't too many years ago that I decided to learn how to use more hand tools in my work. I quickly realized that I now had a set of tools that I wasn't unfamiliar with. So I spent a lot of time just practicing - on scraps.
-Chuck
Ditto to that, Bruce.
Good for you. You pushed yourself. Don't be happy with your current skill set. Always try something new. Some people spend years of their hobby doing the same thing over and over or making shop projects that they won't be graded on. Your next mortises will be tighter. You know that. So will your next dovetails. Again, you know that. Go get 'em.
I'm 25% of the way through a couple of chairs that are so far beyond my level of skill that you'd question why I'm even trying. You'd say the same thing about my previous project. There were mistakes. I won't make them again. I know that if I were to try that project again they'd be wonderful and I'd be bored.
Matt
Swartz...... When I decided I needed a hobby b/4 I retired, one of the first woodworking books I bought was about how to fix your mistakes. I read it through not even knowing some (most) of the woodworking stuff I was reading about.
Through the years Iv'e referenced that book quite a bit. I tell people I leave my mark somewhere on every piece I make to give away. Maybe it can't be seen, but I Know it's there. A lot of things in life are not perfect & my woodworking is one of 'em. But it gives me pleasure giving it away & to see the recipients face then, even if I know it's not perfect.
That's why in 15 years Iv'e never accepted a $ for any woodworking. Maybe you should look into getting that book.
James
By all means start out with little projects. Make a picture frame, a bench, a plant stand, a pencil box and so forth. If it doesn't go well, you have very little invested in time and materials. It is less painful to start over, if you get to that point. And the gratification of a successful completion comes sooner.
I think you get more experience with smaller projects. For example, on a big job that takes months or years you apply finish once. In the same time frame you might be able to go through the finishing process and complete several smaller jobs.
Oh man, I bought that t-shirt. It happens to all of us. The good news is if you've got the brains to see your fookups, and the humility to admit 'em, you'll make less firewood the next time around. I've been piddling around at this forty + years and every once in a while I do a really dumbbell thing.
So cut the thing up and salvage what you can and put those pieces aside for some other project. Or just leave it there to remind yourself of all those mistakes. <g>
And move on to the next project.
My wife saw all the responses and read most. Her comment: I'm getting more sympathy from you guys over that project than I would if she passed away. But you sound like nice guys anyway.
Cracked me up
I'm with you, baby!
I'm into the 5th month of a cabinet that I designed for SWMBO. Curly Maple, no less. I've spent the last week agonizing over actually gluing the faceframes on. Practiced it dry, tried several techniques on mock ups that went to heck, fast. Finally thought I had it down solid and put glue to wood. Argggggh! Fear, hatred, damnation! Glue makes what acts noble and good when dry, slide around like a bad day on ice in Dad's Pontiac!
Then I spent a day repairing my latest mistake.
But, I'm learning, I'm learning.
I've avoided most of the worst disasters by mocking up and testing any new skill on similar but scrap wood before the actual event. This mostly works.
Don't despair, dude. This is one of those character building journeys. Make the darn thing over, using what you've learned.
Mike D
Well, her reaction isn't much off base. Not to be morbid, but there aint much hope for the dead. But there's hope for a woodworker who can see his/her mistakes, admit 'em, and move on. <g>
Big deal, so you made mistakes. Now you have learned from them. Practice your mortice and tenons on scrap until you are satisfied. Same thing for dovetails, etc.
Keep at it, the best make mistakes. If I took the time to write down all my mistakes I could fill a book the size of the local phone directory.
mike
"poor, poor pitiful me"
BUT... I'd bet you learned some lessons in life That you will NEVER forget! Made a few in my day! Keep it and ENJOY YOUR WORK!
As I see it.. A child falls down ALOT and then a Olimpic sprinter!
There are two (and only two) kinds of woodworkers.
If anyone tries to tell you they're in some other category, keep calm and get away from them. They're delusional. - lol
Swartz
Burn it, beat it with a baseball bat or just leave it, Any way you look at it you learned and most likely got better. I assume your fingers are all still in tact and from the sounds of it our wife hasn't left you for a more experienced wood worker.
So no harm no foul, I do wish you would post some picks so I can see if it looks like some of my early masterpieces.
There has to be a woodworking term for re-designing your project in the middle of it, to accommodate your mistakes.
I call mine perpetual design.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
"There has to be a woodworking term for re-designing your project in the middle of it, to accommodate your mistakes."
There are plenty stan. Here's a few:
cock up;
screw up;
calculatory anomaly;
dropped a bollock;
Oh, sh**;
the boss'll kill me;
There goes the f***ing profit;
It's all bodge-it and fix-it from now on.
That'll do for starters. The rest of the common descriptions are mostly unsuitable terms for use on a public forum. Slainte.Richard Jones Furniture
Stan -
It's called "Craftsmanship" - lol
Design Decisions.
Bruce"A man's got to know his limitations." Dirty Harry Calahan
I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. I remember when I was 4 or 5, learning to ride a bike for the first time without the training wheels. My dad had me in the alley, which in our neighborhood (northside) was raised up 4 steps from the lots where the 2 stories were. Well, I took off down the alley, with him running along side, and started peddling like a bat outa hell. About 2 1/2 seconds after I was just far enough away from my dad where he couldn't catch me, I vered to the right, straight down the stairs, and into the side of our neighbors garage. 6 or 7 stitches ( I don't exactly remember the count) in the forehead later, I learned to keep that danged bike going straight.
Woodworking's the same deal. Keep at it, and by no means, do not get discouraged. Everything has a learning curve. A few projects down the road, you'll look back on this one and laugh. Learn from it, and move on. Don't burn it either, it'll make a great shoe rack in the garage. I've got a few of those from the old days.
Jeff
Jeff,
OK, now I wanna hear about the first time on skates!?
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
ha ha ha
Bob,
Sorry, no bad stories there. I was a natural!!!!!!!
Bobby Hull was my hero, and I was the golden mini-jet!
Jeff
<G>
Hi Jeff,
Couldn't resist. How did is your son making out with the playoffs?
UNH is headed for Colorado to play Notre Dame this weekend I think. Go Cats!
Best Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob, Thanks for asking about Tony, my son.
His team made it to the Elite 8 for Illinois. They lost 4-2 in the quarterfinals to the team that finished 2nd in State, losing in overtime, 3-2.
We had our best defenseman out of the game due to a match penalty in previous game, and our best player, All-Stater Pat Houck (remember that name) seperated his shoulder in the 1st period. We gave em' a good game, though.
Season ending tallies, we ended up with a 5th ranking for the state of Illinois, and we were rated as one of the Top 20 teams in the country. Not bad at all.
Jeff
Houck?
Yeah, like in Paul? Played for the Northstars back in the 80s methinks.
Good on ya son, that's great! Hoping the Cats do well too.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
While I'm working on a project, I keep a notebook in which I record everything I did wrong on that project, from cutting wood wrong to misaligning hinges and leaving brush marks in a finish. I do this to learn from my mistakes the next time around, but my capacity to find new ways to screw something up is just too great: the items on the list may change, but the list itself doesn't seem to get any shorter. It became so discouraging that I now keep two lists; the second is of details I really got right. Not sure this second list helps with future projects, but it's my way of salvaging the remnants of self-confidence I'm left with after reading the first list.
Norman
I never keep track of my mistakes. I'd depress the h*ll out of myself.
I keep a notebook in which I record everything I did wrong
I used to do that but the woodshop got so full of notebooks that I couldn't get anything done! Right, wrong or indifferent.
So I switched and kept one for the things I did right. That turned out to be a no brainer!
:>)
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 3/28/2008 8:52 am ET by KiddervilleAcres
Edited 3/28/2008 8:53 am ET by KiddervilleAcres
So I switched and kept one for the things I did right. That turned out to be a no brainer
I did that and never remembered my mistakes!
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