If you could give one word of advice [Archive] - Sawmill Creek Woodworking Community

Bill Wyko

03-22-2009, 3:45 PM

So, if you could give one word of advice to someone that wants to do fine wood working, what would it be?

My one word of advice would be "Learn to love sanding:D"

Judy Kingery

03-22-2009, 3:47 PM

Mine would be the standard: 'measure twice, cut once,' being one upon occasion to have to do another cut!

Good one!

Jude

David DeCristoforo

03-22-2009, 3:48 PM

One word? How about "Don't"?

Paul Demetropoulos

03-22-2009, 3:58 PM

Make things

Dewey Torres

03-22-2009, 4:03 PM

"PATIENCE"

Patience (pā-shəns) is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast. Antonyms (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonyms) include hasty (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hasty) and impetuous (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/impetuous).

Andrew Joiner

03-22-2009, 4:24 PM

Don't worry about the fine part for now.

This might be the shortest thread with most posts in creek history.

David DeCristoforo

03-22-2009, 4:40 PM

"Run"
"Why?"
"Really?"
"Huh?"

You know I'm (kind of) kidding right? But if you wanted one word and only one I would extract it from your question. That word would be "work" because that is what woodworking is and what you need to do to get good enouugh to produce anything that could be called "fine".

Clint Schlosser

03-22-2009, 4:42 PM

Think

"10 character req"

Myk Rian

03-22-2009, 5:08 PM

Sharp (tools)

Brian Kent

03-22-2009, 5:35 PM

One word:

"Duck!"

Tony Bilello

03-22-2009, 5:40 PM

It will be the most used and most important tool you own. With it, you can make many jigs that will serve you well to make up for the tools you have not yet acquired.

Glenn Clabo

03-22-2009, 5:49 PM

loveit.....

Scott Brihn

03-22-2009, 6:08 PM

Discipline

Todd Hoppe

03-22-2009, 6:10 PM

safety ...

Wayne Delyea

03-22-2009, 6:13 PM

Start with small things and hone your skills in not only the construction but the finishing. From there you should gradually working your way up until you find your niche. :)

Neal Clayton

03-22-2009, 6:15 PM

So, if you could give one word of advice to someone that wants to do fine wood working, what would it be?

My one word of advice would be "Learn to love sanding:D"

learn sketchup. seriously.

i've built lots of things that i couldn't easily draw on paper. sketchup makes half the work trivial.

Jim Kountz

03-22-2009, 6:31 PM

Enjoy!!

***

mark page

03-22-2009, 6:36 PM

Make sure you have lots of psychiatric help on retainer!!!!:D:D:D

Clifford Mescher

03-22-2009, 6:48 PM

Start with small things and hone your skills in not only the construction but the finishing. From there you should gradually working your way up until you find your niche. :)
Agree, and only take on the projects that you can do with the tools that you have. Clifford.

Art Kelly

03-22-2009, 7:31 PM

Rest. I make few mistakes when rested; more when tired.

Art

gary Zimmel

03-22-2009, 7:53 PM

Passion.

You have to have a passion for what you are doing.

Tony Bilello

03-22-2009, 8:10 PM

Start with what you intend to do. I dont believe in working your way up. I just go for it. When you say 'fine woodworking', to me that implies furniture. Start with a simple but strong workbench. Simple, like in 4x4`legs, 2X4 frame and double layer of plywood for the top. No drawers at this time, just a shelf. Next project - a Table Saw Outfeed Table.
First real project - A hall table. It is a simple project. Glued up top, apron, a few stretchers, a small drawer with wooden drawer slides and 4 legs.

It's OK to build your worktable from pine but NOT your furniture. Use Red Oak. It is stable,inexpensive, machines well and is attractive without stain.

I guess I summed it up in more than 'a word'.....sorry.

Leigh Betsch

03-22-2009, 8:27 PM

Buyafewhadtoolssomerealygoodcherywoodandbuildsomet hingnicebutinexpensiveify.

John Schreiber

03-22-2009, 11:04 PM

"Create"90

Wade Lippman

03-22-2009, 11:54 PM

Don't even think cutting corners on safety.
You can use your hand to hold a 3" cut on a table saw 1000 times without a problem, but that 1001st...
Everything else is secondary.

Bill Wyko

03-23-2009, 12:17 AM

I would also have to say, Imagine. I do it all the time.:D

Ray Newman

03-23-2009, 12:38 AM

Beware of the siren's call of the lasts jigs, router table & other type of accessories, etc., that will miraculously & easily make the quadruple compound angle double tail dovetail that will leave your friends & neighbors in awe!!:D

A hundred bucks here & another hundred there, for much of this stuff will soon turn into serious money. Learn to do w/ shop fabricated jigs/fixtures -- it will help you hone your skill & save money.

Bill Wyko

03-23-2009, 1:16 AM

Another word of advice is "Organization" Organizing your shop will save you hours of frustration. It's one thing for it to be messy. It's another when a tool doesn't have a home. If you don't know where it goes come clean up time, it'll get lost in the vortex of the shop and be gone for ever.:cool: Trust me, it could be your table saw if nothing has a place. (Next thing you know, your saw is a storage table):mad:

Larry Edgerton

03-23-2009, 7:34 AM

One word? How about "Don't"?

Ditto. Much better ways to make a living.....

Stephen Edwards

03-23-2009, 7:44 AM

BuildaSquareBox

Brian Penning

03-23-2009, 7:46 AM

Sawstop!!!

Jeff Mohr

03-23-2009, 9:04 AM

Read and research everything...wood, tools, plans, how to's and then jump in safely.

Ted Calver

03-23-2009, 9:19 AM

Never look behind you! No seriously...there are monsters living in that stack of wood. They make you buy more tools and .....more wood. :)

Cody Colston

03-23-2009, 9:25 AM

Learn how to apply finish.

There's nothing worse than crafting a fine woodworking piece and then screwing it up with a poor finish...DAMHIKT.

Prashun Patel

03-23-2009, 10:00 AM

There's a million that come to mind. Most important:

95% of your saw time should spent with the plug off, on setting it up the cut for safety and accuracy. Only 5% should be spent with the blade in motion.

BTW, Bill, a scraper can save you a lot of sanding. It's simplicity and elegance makes it (for me) one of the most brilliant ww tools.

David Keller NC

03-23-2009, 10:07 AM

Hmm - One word? That's tough, because so many things go into it, but propbably the most important (and I don't think has been mentioned) is:

Vision - without a clear idea of what you want to accomplish, you're doing little more than making sawdust in a shop. Most successful hobbyists and professionals have this - whether it's specific to a particular area of woodworking (carving, for example), a particular style (art bowls), or a particular design philosophy (for example, Garret Hack produces pieces that are all form with little ornamentation).

This doesn't have to mean specialization, just a unifying idea of what part of "you" goes into the things that you produce.

Don Bullock

03-23-2009, 10:25 AM

"Enjoy!"

Hard to do one word when the program requires at least 10 characters.:D

Kevin Godshall

03-23-2009, 10:31 AM

My one word of advice would be:

Standards

Where you set your standards is where you will end up.

Standards in:
Materials
Craftsmanship
Plans and Projects
Joinery
Quality Control
Finishing (and on and on...)

James Adinaro

03-23-2009, 10:36 AM

focus

(I make more mistakes when I'm not in the right frame of mind)

timothy harwell

03-23-2009, 10:57 AM

router----

Danny Thompson

03-23-2009, 6:49 PM

One word: Jewelry

One phrase: Paint the fence!

James Walters

03-23-2009, 6:53 PM

I see, said the blind man, as he picked up his hammer and saw.

Whopps more then one word ha?

Brent Ring

03-23-2009, 6:58 PM

Enjoy! If you dont enjoy it , then why?

Chris Tsutsui

03-23-2009, 7:55 PM

My quick summary:

I would break it into three words:

Design - research/planning
Technique - practice/learning as apprentice
Craftsmanship - attention to detail and tools

Being strong in all three will generally result in fine woodworks.

Bill Blackburn

03-24-2009, 12:26 PM

Plan on spending way more than you ever imagined getting set up:(

and knowing before hand that you really love it enough to commit to everything said above.

I admit to not being in the second sentence and will be a wood hacker doing some small things and that will be that.:o

Rick Fisher

03-24-2009, 12:53 PM

Invest in a good broom and a big garbage can.

:D

Hank Knight

03-24-2009, 2:15 PM

"DO, or do not.
There is no try"

Yoda

Bill White

03-24-2009, 3:27 PM

STUDY!!!
Bill

Chris Gombola

03-24-2009, 10:49 PM

Design.

I'm learning that even the best technique and construction methods can't make up for a piece that just doesn't look quite right.

Stephen Edwards

03-24-2009, 11:41 PM

Design.

I'm learning that even the best technique and construction methods can't make up for a piece that just doesn't look quite right.

Well said.

Darius Ferlas

03-25-2009, 12:35 AM

If it one word then patience.
Other than that, I'd paraphrase something they used to repeat on TV at night during summer months:

The blade is spinning.
Do you know where you fingers are?

Joe Jensen

03-25-2009, 2:10 AM

Design is the differentiator

Tom Veatch

03-25-2009, 2:11 AM

Haven't read all the replies, but I'll +1 for Patience

Impatience has generated far more scrap, extra work, and lost time (at least for me) than lack of skill (which I also have in abundance -an abundant lack, that is).

Chuck Saunders

03-25-2009, 8:33 AM

Grease is the word (elbow that is)
buy quality tools when you need them, not when you want them but I guess that is covered under patience

john lawson

03-25-2009, 9:29 AM

The one word is "insurance".

I have heard that the number one prerequisite to being a successful woodworker is having a wife whose job is good enough to provide health insurance for the family.

Good luck

john

Don Morris

03-25-2009, 12:36 PM

The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.

Chip Lindley

03-25-2009, 1:34 PM

Your woodworking will become *finer* if you invest in the Fine Woodworking magazine archive DVD. You will probably never accumulate all the paper mags as I did, but all that information is still right at your fingertips. In my *newbie* phase, I gleaned MUCH from each issue of FFW! One question led to another, and all the basic techniques of power and hand tool use are quite well covered.

Having that information, you can move forward with your own interest in woodworking at your own pace! Your own expectations and demands upon yourself will very much determine to what level you succeed! IF at first you fall far short, do it better next time! Learn from your mistakes! Remember that, "Can't never did Nothin'!"

IMHO, woodworkers are like athletes or musicians: (1) Naturals/Prodigies, (2) Self Made, through study and practice, and (3) those who just Never Quite Get It!

Robert Chapman

03-25-2009, 3:43 PM

Read good magazines [Fine Woodworking], books on basic tools/techniques, forums like this one and others, catalogs, and anything else that will give you information that you don't have.