Confessions. Join in!

[Brian Kent]

I have some confessions that only other woodworkers may understand. You may want to get some off of your chest too.

Today I raised the grain on the walnut I was sanding - WITHOUT USING DISTILLED WATER! I used garage tap water instead.

Yesterday I measured once, cut once.

Sometimes if a cabinet isn't level, I wedge some wood underneath and hide it. (That's a confession of my shims).

Sometimes at the end of a painting project I thin down the last quart to make it stretch to the end. Then I stand back and realize I have to "repaint and thin no more!"

[John Harden]

Dude, most often I raise the grain on a small dent by spitting on it!!!

Here's a real one. I made a very nice set of Greene & Greene night tables for our master bedroom and let the wife talk me into installing METAL BALL BEARING EXTENSION SLIDES on the drawers because she likes them!!!!!!!!!:eek:

I still need to undue that horrendous mistake and still hide my head in shame.

[Brian Kent]

I hear you John. We all fail sometimes.

I lusted over 3 tools this week.

I ogled my Rockler flyer before casting it from my sight.



Brian


18.6 miles south of Fontucky via Superhighways.

P.S. I am amazed that Google Maps knows where "Fontucky" is.

[Myk Rian]

Today I raised the grain on the walnut I was sanding - WITHOUT USING DISTILLED WATER! I used garage tap water instead.
That's what I do. Haven't noticed any problems doing it.

[John Harden]

I hear you John. We all fail sometimes.

I lusted over 3 tools this week.

I ogled my Rockler flyer before casting it from my sight.



Brian


18.6 miles south of Fontucky via Superhighways.

P.S. I am amazed that Google Maps knows where "Fontucky" is.

Fontucky - Birthplace of Kaiser steel, Kaiser hospital and the Hells Angels!!

Heck, I lusted after a combo machine for two weeks and bought two Felder's yesterday, so don't feel too bad!!!!:)

[Jeff Willard]

"repaint and thin no more!"

Dude. That should get you banned. Srsly.:rolleyes:

[Kerry Wright]

My name is Kerry and I'm a woodworker.

........(Everyone says "Hello Kerry")..........

It has been two weeks since I last touched wood. :eek:
Lately I have found myself enjoying drawing plans, I have even started drawing plans for cabinets to organize my entire shop :confused::eek::cool:

I'm so ashamed:(

[Rod Sheridan]

My name is Kerry and I'm a woodworker.

........(Everyone says "Hello Kerry")..........

It has been two weeks since I last touched wood. :eek:
Lately I have found myself enjoying drawing plans, I have even started drawing plans for cabinets to organize my entire shop :confused::eek::cool:

I'm so ashamed:(

Good for you, good work starts with a good plan....Rod.

[Brian Kent]

Once, while installing new software I pushed the "I accept" button without actually reading the "Terms of Use" pages.

[Randall Clark]

Sometimes I use my nail gun when I should use screws. Once I didn't wait the recommended dry time before sanding the polyurethane. And I have been known to use partical board in places where it will not be seen--but not for anything that I will be keeping. I have routed without a mask. I have sprayed polyurethane without a filtered breathing mask. I just sit back and enjoy all the pretty colors . . .

[Larry Browning]

I have mixed trans-fast dye with tap water. Not good! But, I will probably do it again if I run out of distilled water. And then wish I hadn't

[Billy Chambless]

Once, while installing new software I pushed the "I accept" button without actually reading the "Terms of Use" pages.


I was a software developer long enough to know that most people click everything without readng anything.

[whit richardson]

I was a software developer long enough to know that most people click everything without readng anything.

Amen Brother!

[Brad Ridgway]

I am still a software developer and i click without reading....


If i'm that bad at something related to my profession, imagine my skills in the shop.

I have used a miter gauge in conjunction with the fence. I've backed into live non-terminated wires sticking out of the wall , i've tried to wheel a 5HP PM 66 on an HVAC cart down the ramp of atrailer by myself only to lose it at the end do to the top heavy motor (luckily it landed on my father in law's pancake compressor instead of on the concrete driveway (that porter cable plastic cover was just enough cushion!). I've gotten twice nailed by rotating 3/4 ply that got picked up and kicked back towards me during dadoing. I often neglect to put on a dust mask thinking, it'll be quick (hours later, i'm covered in dust). I've spun a brand new forrest blade with my thumb to eye for run out only to see the blood oozing soon after. I've told myself on many occasions i can hold this stock down on the dril press table with my bare hand , no clamps on to realize that was a bad call... I still tend to sniff things to discover what they are (hint: ammonia and muriatic acid are really bad to do this with!!!). I often apply finished without gloves (BLO can't be that harmful right?)

Maybe i should give up this hobby before i lose a body part...

[Glen Butler]

I take the gaurds off all my tools because I like to see exactly how close I am to the whirring razer blades. I climb cut most of my routing because tear out is inevitable. On occasion I have cut backwards into the table saw.

[Chip Lindley]

Hello, my name is Chip, and I AM a Toolaholic! But this addiction is far less destructive than it's predecessor. I know where my investment in cast iron is! I have no clue where all those aluminum cans went....

I confess I still have *burnt orange* Formica kitchen countertops from my '84 Getting Sober remodel. Almond laminate, chocolate ceramic tile and orange counters were *THE THING* Back-in-the-Day!! I am seriously overdue for another remodel! This time, solid cherry RP cabinets, solid marble countertops and Travertine flooring!

While I am confessing, at about that same time, we had new carpet installed in the master bedroom. The installer had just left and I was reassembling a huge bookcase bed, before the wife got home from work.

I suddenly noticed a dark streak in the smoky blue-gray carpet between the bed and the closet doors. I tried spray cleaner and a rag! I even tried lacquer thinner on the streak. Nothing caused it to budge one bit. I called my wife at work, ranting, that we had received some 2nd rate carpet! By then it was too late in the day to call the carpet store and complain.

I hung up the phone in a fuming funk, and kicked the bare bedrails! I noticed the *streak* had moved!! Um...I must confess it was the shadow of the bedrails on the new carpet that had caused my huge upset and almost loss of sobriety! I'm glad I can laugh at my own stupidity! IF I didn't I would surely Cry!

[george wilson]

I tend to do many things the hard way !! I get away with it by many years of personal skill development,but neverthtless,I do things the hard way too often.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Must confess that some of the times that inlay gets added to a piece, its to cover a goof.

[Philip Johnson]

I am not even sure this is a sin but I never tell how much I pay for a tool and always pay half in cash and write a check for the rest so the wife doesn't know.

[Billy Chambless]

I am still a software developer and i click without reading....


I've tried explaining to users that when the computer puts up a dialog box, it's a desperate plea for help.

Anyway...

You know how when you hand-cut dovetails, you mark out the joint and chisel the waste out? The other day, I found out why they tell you to put an "X" or something on the waste part. Yep, chiseled out the tails instead of the spaces. :(

And confess a lack of faith. When the magazines tell me about "8 Must-Have Tools for Every Shop", I don't believe them.

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

I suddenly noticed a dark streak in the smoky blue-gray carpet between the bed and the closet doors. I tried spray cleaner and a rag! I even tried lacquer thinner on the streak. Nothing caused it to budge one bit. I called my wife at work, ranting, that we had received some 2nd rate carpet! By then it was too late in the day to call the carpet store and complain.

I hung up the phone in a fuming funk, and kicked the bare bedrails! I noticed the *streak* had moved!! Um...I must confess it was the shadow of the bedrails on the new carpet that had caused my huge upset and almost loss of sobriety!:D:D:D:D:D

[Mike Wilkins]

OK, I admit it. I still lust after one of those Felder tablesaws, even though I got a Laguna slider back in February. The Felder with power everything.
There. I said it. Now I feel better.

[Todd Carpenter]

I use steel wool on water base finishes - but only for the final rub.

I never use distilled water to thin or raise grain - sometimes I pull it from the dehumidifier, but that's as close as I get.

I use markers and wax to fix my "sand throughs".

I've gotten so good at the last one, I can use a broom to apply my finishes... 1000 to 1500 grit is my best friend...

When I run out of thinner or foam brushes - I fold up paper towels and apply my finishes - although this one works pretty well.

Okay - there - I feel better.

Now I'm off to eat cake for breakfast!

[Keith Christopher]

I often put bird seed on the back porch just to drive my cats nuts (they are indoor cats)

I haven't had my blade guard on my TS since I first put my dado blade in it.

All my chisels are dull and need a sharpening well except for my 1/8" one.

I have 9 projects in the hopper and am beginning to do another one.

I've been known to "deal with it later" when a cabinet is out of square.


I'm a bad bad woodworker.

[Mike Cruz]

I have been shamed into this confession... Apparently, I stole a BUNCH of tools.:rolleyes:

[Gene Howe]

Sometimes I do climb cuts with a router. Sometimes I don't.
Some of my lumber is stacked without stickers.
I used to wear flip flops in the shop. NO MORE!

[george wilson]

I never have used the guard on my table saw either.

I use my table saw more for a bench than for a saw.

My workbench is too crowded to use. Why do you think I make so many small things? Since I have to sometimes.clear off the table saw to use it as a saw,it is usually less cluttered than the bench is,so I can use it as a bench more easily.

I own things that are ending up OWNING ME. Like the 7' wingspan Fokker D-8 (yes,D-8) airplane model I paid $600.00 for YEARS ago in a fleamarket. I haven't the space overhead to hang it. I'm going to donate it to a museum because it is always in the way.

I also add salt to my Healthy Choice soup. That is not as big a sin as the picture they put on their label,which looks NOTHING LIKE the soup inside the can. How did tasty looking red soup turn out to be brown muck?

[Corey Wilcox]

My name is Corey.....and I hoard lumber. Green, rough sawn, knots, select, nails, kiln dried, domestic, exotic....it doesn't matter. I bring it all home and stuff it into every available space I have. I haven't parked in my garage in 5 years. My wife has to scrape her windshield every morning in the winter, but I can't help myself. I need help, but don't want it.....

I use tack cloths even when the instructions say not to.

And I wipe excess glue all over the underside of my assembly table. :o

[george wilson]

I know a Latvian woodworker named Albert. He is THE WORST packrat anyone EVER saw. He has a nice single car garage he COULD work in. That garage is piled clear up to the rafters,no exaggeration,up to the rafters with worthless,worthless,worthless CRAP!!!

I don't know how many pieces of blue 2" foam sheet,packing from appliances,I think,he has in that garage. At least he might be thinking of using it as insulation,but the visible portion of the rest is just plain worthless. It is keeping him from having a decent workspace. AND THIS IS WHAT HE DOES FOR A LIVING!!!

His workshop consists of a small,glassed in back porch that can't be more than 8' X 12'. And it,too,is piled full of crap. I haven't been in this little porch,but as it is glass,you can see it from the outside. I have no idea WHERE he puts the large pieces of furniture he does restoration work on. And,the guy is a real good craftsman!! He is not one of those Master's degree techs I have spoken of elsewhere. He can hardly speak English,and has forgotten his Latvian. He came to the USA as a displaced war refugee at age 7. He doesn't know his real age. The Gov't. had to assign an age to him. I think losing everything in the war messed his head up,so he hoards everything.


His shop at his job used to be piled up too. He must have had 6' of horsehair mattresses piled on top of his table saw. This sort of thing is why they used to come over and use my machines.

[David Christopher]

I am still a software developer and i click without reading....


If i'm that bad at something related to my profession, imagine my skills in the shop.

I have used a miter gauge in conjunction with the fence. I've backed into live non-terminated wires sticking out of the wall , i've tried to wheel a 5HP PM 66 on an HVAC cart down the ramp of atrailer by myself only to lose it at the end do to the top heavy motor (luckily it landed on my father in law's pancake compressor instead of on the concrete driveway (that porter cable plastic cover was just enough cushion!). I've gotten twice nailed by rotating 3/4 ply that got picked up and kicked back towards me during dadoing. I often neglect to put on a dust mask thinking, it'll be quick (hours later, i'm covered in dust). I've spun a brand new forrest blade with my thumb to eye for run out only to see the blood oozing soon after. I've told myself on many occasions i can hold this stock down on the dril press table with my bare hand , no clamps on to realize that was a bad call... I still tend to sniff things to discover what they are (hint: ammonia and muriatic acid are really bad to do this with!!!). I often apply finished without gloves (BLO can't be that harmful right?)



Maybe i should give up this hobby before i lose a body part...


Brad, it sounds like you got all of you knowledge at my house

[Maurice Ungaro]

Hi guys. My name is Maurice, and I confess that I love to plan furniture in my head, buy the tools for it, and never really get around to making it.

My wife has been wanting a bedside table for some time (maybe 18 months...). Yesterday, she came back from a shopping excursion and proudly displayed to me the 12" x 12" plant stand from World Market that she bought for $40. It glares at me from her side of the bed everytime I pass by it. It mocks me and calls me a procrastinating loser of a woodworker.

What bugs me more is that I've already cut up a beautiful 8/4 plank of mahogany for the legs of two matching nightstands.

I know what I'll do....I'll make the nightstands and use that $40 piece of junk to make kindling....THAT'S WHAT I'LL DO! Bwa-ha-ha-ha!

[Billy Chambless]

My name is Corey.....and I hoard lumber. Green, rough sawn, knots, select, nails, kiln dried, domestic, exotic....it doesn't matter.

Wait... you mean there are people who DON'T do that?

Weird.

[Jim Rimmer]

I actually caught myself mentally designing/planning cut lists for a box I'm going to make DURING CHURCH today. I guess that's better than my usual nap.

[Brian Kent]

Jim, if they took everyone who fell asleep during sermons each week, and laid them end to end…
they would be much more comfortable.

Brian

[Michael Conner]

I once ironed my shirt with spray shelac instead of starch. Not on purpose mind you. The shelac was not where it should have been. I wonder how it got there:D

[jim hedgpeth]

I often fail to turn on my dust collector. I reach behind the blade to get the cut piece, even though I know I shouldn't.

And....:o ( ducking head in shame ) the majority of my projects are done in .... pine. ( Covering head in defensive manner ).

Jim

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi, my name is Rod and I sometimes spend more time and effort on the jig, than the project.

My workshop cabinets look nicer than some of the furniture I've made.

Regards, Rod.

[Zach England]

I periodically draw a line with a sharpie on my table saw top to indicate the cut line.

[george wilson]

I have engraved on the front part of my throat plate where the blade will cut. Of course,this only works with certain blade kerf widths. Works quite well. I recall back in the 50's,Craftsman had a gadget that was adjustable inlaid in the saw table to show where the saw would cut. They advertised it as a great feature,and it was.Why not?

[Joe Cunningham]

I've used BORG 2x4's as leg stock (doug fir studs).

Despite being a mostly hand-tool ww'er, I sometimes grab my circular saw and cut a piece of plywood for the back of a case.

Jim, I love working with pine and make no bones about. I'd say I'm about 50/50 with my projects being pine/hardwood.

[Zach England]

I have engraved on the front part of my throat plate where the blade will cut. Of course,this only works with certain blade kerf widths. Works quite well. I recall back in the 50's,Craftsman had a gadget that was adjustable inlaid in the saw table to show where the saw would cut. They advertised it as a great feature,and it was.Why not?
My Bosch benchtop saw had that, which is what got me used to seeing it by the time I upgraded. I believe Delta has it on some of their saws.

[Chaz Alexopoulos]

I paid too much for a used benchtop drill press. :(

I paid too little for a barely used jointer. :)

I once made an elaborate shadowbox out of wood recycled from an old entertainment center because it already had a good finish on it. :O

[Brian Kent]

I confess that I posted on Sawmill Creek between my church services. And I'm the pastor.

[Rick Potter]

Only two things mar my perfection.

1. I save scraps of particle board and mdf.

2. I have not ratted on a pastor who must know that Fontucky is more than 18 miles from Escondido. Shame on him.

Rick Potter

[Brian Kent]

Bless you, brother Rick.

[Jeff Mohr]

I must admit I, too, hoard every piece of wood I can find. Worst thing is after I make something I keep every scrap too....no matter how small! There is probably no way I'll ever use that 2 X 1/2 X 1/4 piece of walnut again but it on my shelf in case I find that phantom "someday"! :eek: