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Thread: Anyone else suffer from 'woodworker's block'?

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    twomiles from the "peak of Ohio
    Posts
    12,120
    There are some days...where I tend to hide from both Mr. Gumption, and Mr. Motivation....usually right after a "bad" day in the shop ( Mondays...)

    Hmmm, shop time..or..honey-do list? Shoptime tends to win out...

  2. #17
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    N Illinois
    Posts
    4,602
    Most of us tend to avoid that part of a project that is not pleasing, I think. We do procrastinate and postpone coming up with a reason (excuse) for not continuing....At then when completed, only we know about the ONE part of the project that wasn't done right!!
    Jerry

  3. #18
    Yes and no.

    Yes after I finish a big project and then lack motivation to start the next project. Usually, the next project won't happen until four to six weeks have lapsed, unless it is something simple or urgent.If lumber is not there, the wait time could be a little longer, too.

    No once I start a project and I will keep on charging until its end. If I finished a lot of tails on day 1, I would take a break, but would resume the pins in a day or two. It is more efficient that way. Stalling during a project is rare and may happen not due to lack of motivation but to unforeseen work or travel.

    Simon
    Last edited by Simon MacGowen; 09-20-2017 at 11:55 AM.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Edmonton, Alberta
    Posts
    350
    I'm so glad to hear I'm not alone on this...I am always impressed by the people on here that create high quality pieces so fast and consistently, and have been trying to improve my completion speeds and rates for a few months now. Life still seems to get in the way though.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Location
    Clayton, WI
    Posts
    193
    Like everyone else, it seems to be mostly tied to a tricky task.

    But the latest one that I had was a 'disagreement' I had with my fiancee concerning a cabinet. I wanted to make the tops out of the same wood that I used for the box, but that meant purchasing some more lumber. She did not care, since I have ~1000 BF in storage, but none of the species I used. So I delayed, and delayed. And finally used up some that I had. Still don't like it, cause it doesn't match...

    Other than that, I will wait until I have a whole day, or most of the day, to tackle something difficult and I usually get through the blockage.

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Hutchinson, MN
    Posts
    600
    Here is one definition of writer's block, as seen by Tom Wolfe:

    "I now know what writer’s block is. It’s the fear you cannot do what you’ve announced to someone else you can do, or else the fear that it isn’t worth doing. That’s the rarer form.”

    I started a rocker a long time ago, maybe 20 years, and it languished for just this reason. I had no plans, no dimensions, just a picture to go by. I put it off, telling myself (because no one else cared) I didn't have the time. Now gainfully unemployed and with all my time all my own, I have no excuse not to finish it. I've been working on it the last couple weeks, along with other unfinished projects. Sometimes life just gets in the way.

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    Posts
    1,356
    One of the problems for folks like me, novice hobbyists, is that pretty much everything we do is the first time around-pieces, builds, etc.

    As Dan has said, breaking it down into small pieces works-but then, one has to be sure that a particular method is best for a particular step.

    The difficulty is that, for me the procrastination is a self-reinforcing behavior
    . While mulling over all the details, esp. design, i work out problems in my head. it is all about design/plan, right?

    The fact that what we do has so many ways to accomplish the same thing is a really cool thing about woodworking.

    However, an algorithm chart of all the design and execution choices would look like what I call "a plate of spaghetti";

    What usually happens in my head is: "OK-I created the edge (eg, via router table), let me think about the next step till next wkd, or next month......"

    Having multiple projects, shop cleaning, improvement, making jigs, etc means a lot of time may pass before a light bulb goes off, and a decision is made.

    Self-confidence in the craft would fix all this probably.
    David
    Confidence: That feeling you get before fully understanding a situation (Anonymous)

  8. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by David Ragan View Post
    Self-confidence in the craft would fix all this probably.
    For me, sometimes it is weather. I can't remember the last time I started a new project on a cold and rainy day. Sunny, warm or hot days are productive days for me, but then I can be distracted by outdoor chores ... because it is sunny!

    Another factor is availability of lumber. If everything is rough and needs to be dressed or I need to get my haul from a lumber yard instead of from my shed, the woodworker's block can happen. Stock preparation is the least enjoyable chore for me. Once it is done, the path is clear and straight. I can work whole day in the shop, even a couple of days in a row if it is a long weekend. Before I know it, the piece is ready for finishing.

    Confidence is rarely an issue for me because if the project requires new skills or new tools I am not familiar with, I will do my homework and practice them on scraps if necessary, or get an instruction until I am good at them. Then I will begin the project a nd finish it, usually within a week to a month, depending on the complexity and scale.

    A tricky process won't stall me. In fact, I can't stand seeing a build stuck halfway because a problem or difficult joinery is to be dealt with, and I will get it out of the way as soon as I can, sometimes by change of design or by taking a day off and working on it(!).

    Simon
    Last edited by Simon MacGowen; 09-20-2017 at 1:31 PM.

  9. #24
    Perfecting the art of fixing mistakes creatively always gives you an out.

  10. Cure for the Block

    Want a cure for woodworker's block? Woodworking with a purpose is a sure cure. There's plenty to go around. Go help Malcolm in paradise: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...ound-zero-USVI

    If you haven't seen Malcolm's posts, it will be a real eye opener. And with Maria just passing through, his adventure is still going on. There will be more to do.
    Fair winds and following seas,
    Jim Waldron

  11. #26
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Location
    St. Francis, Kansas
    Posts
    148
    Mr. Hasin, you aren't the only one w/this issue.😊 As a scroll sawyer, at times, I get into "repetitive" projects. I finally get to the point where I just quit, & start goin' thru my patterns to see what I haven't cut recently, & if one or two sets off the alarm, they get copied & put on wood & prepped for the saw.

    Lately, I've had it bad. I had a client come in the shop awhile back with 3 projects she wants done. She had pictures of every project stapled to each piece of paper she had measurements on, & even has a couple of them drawn out.😒 When she handed me these papers, her first words to me were "this is what I want, & as RUSTIC AS POSSIBLE!" Didn't tell me her name, nothin'. So when I introduced myself & my two shop mates Pete & Pee Wee, & asked her to sit down, she said she was fine. This lady was an old school marm at one time, so I knew Kinda what I was up against.

    I explained that I needed a little more information than this is what i want. I told her the rustic would be no problem. I asked how soon she wanted them, & she said there was no hurry. Then we got around to the budget. She looked at me & said "that's just it, I don't have a budget." Well, there's different ways to take that. I told her We'd work it out. So then I asked which project she wanted done first? The quilt ladder? log cabin? trash can "holder" she called it. The cabin & the ladder are both goin' to take A LOT of lathe work. She decided on the quilt ladder. She wants this ladder 12" - 15" wide. So i went to work on glue ups, & that was as far as i got for about a week.

    Yesterday & today, I finally decided i may well get started on it. So I spun out a couple rungs that would be 12" inside width, & 2 that would be 15" inside width. 1" rungs out of barn wood. I shut the lathe down, called a friend of mine. He come over, we discussed the width issue, & we come to the decision it wasn't going to be enough, In our minds. So I called my customer & asked her to come the shop.

    I showed the two lengths I'd spun out, & she said oh, you're right, that isn't going to work. More like 16", 18", or even 20". So now I have to start over with the rungs.

    Before she left, she wanted to know what we going to use for runners. I told her a piece of 3/4" barn wood. She wants this 7' tall. This friend of mine showed her the piece of lumber. Well, then she just couldn't get her mind around how we were going to make the runners out of that, as she put it. Well, John says we're going to rip 3 1/4" off each side of it, drill the rung holes in the center of that 12" apart. She was happy with that.

    Then she got to admiring the scroll work hangin' around in the shop, & turned around & looked at me & said you are a true craftsman & a perfectionist! It took me a little n
    bit to answer that one. I told her I consider myself a craftsman, a long ways from the best, but yes, a perfectionist, too. And then she asked me if I keep as much contact w/all my customers as I have her? I told her absolutely. A lot of guys don't, but when I get to a place in a project I've got other ideas, or question their plans, I stop & make a phone call. I want the customer to see what's happening, & the looks, measurements, my thoughts, etc. She told me again I was a perfectionist, but she liked the communication & thoughts. So now I'm at a stand still again, & more thinking is required. Damn it! Am I wrong to communicate w/the customer like that? Or am I over thinking the project? my apologies for the length.
    Sawdust703

  12. #27
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Location
    St. Francis, Kansas
    Posts
    148
    i agree. you're not alone. My latest has been a project the customer wants "as rustic as possible." It involves quite a bit of lathe work, & we've had to change measurements three times, & haven't even got a good start on the project.

    This might get set aside for awhile. I'll clean the dust off the Hawk, & do some scroll saw work. Give me time to think about this.
    Last edited by Brad Barnhart; 09-21-2017 at 7:11 AM.
    Sawdust703

  13. #28
    I think sometimes it's a good thing to stop and let things alone for a bit.
    There are days I wake up and realize everything I do is going to fight me tooth and nail anyway.
    I am going through similar "procrastination" right now.
    I've gathered all of the wood necessary for my next project, which is an acoustic guitar. I will start out with the neck. I've built several necks for electric guitars, and the process is very similar, excepting that the heel is much taller on the acoustic. But I can't bring myself to start.
    I think part of the problem is that the neck build requires no special tools or jigs, but the rest of the build, particularly the body, does, and I know that I don't have the cash to build the jigs I need to continue the build after I finish the neck. Once that is done, I'm at a standstill.
    That is a struggle just to start a build. I think Bill McNeil hit it on the head regarding finishing one.

  14. #29
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Newburgh, Indiana
    Posts
    918
    Sometimes, I just have to tell myself to just cut the board! It usually gets me off and running again.
    Life's too short to use old sandpaper.

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Charlotte, MI
    Posts
    1,523
    Yes, I absolutely suffer from this. There are times when it turns my stomach to even think about going into the shop because I leave so much of myself there when working. I sometimes take a sabbatical from the shop for a few months or more. I haven't been in my shop for almost a year at this point (writing the book totally exhausted me) but I'm just about ready to go again.
    Your endgrain is like your bellybutton. Yes, I know you have it. No, I don't want to see it.

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