Thoughts on repairing mistakes

[Mark Singer]

We have all made mistakes and attempted to fix them on woodworking projects. Everytime I do, I know doing correctly initially would have saved a lot of time.
It is time consuming to repair mistakes. If we spend a bit more time planning and executing many mistakes can be avoided without additional time expended and the finished product will be better.
I think to a large extent it is attitude . If you are working thinking, "There are fillers,.... if I cut this wrong I can add a piece, ...if the joint doesn't fit well, I can use epoxy and sawdust to fill the gaps" This will certainly lead to making mistakes. If you buy a new car and drive it thinking " If I get a ding...I will get it fixed, no problem" "There are bodyshops" "I will just park anywhere at the market." You will get dings and once you get a few , the pride of ownership is gone, then you really won't care and many more will come. You see new cars , the wheels are scrapped from rubbing the curb....little dents all down the side. Parking while talking on the cell phone. In the same parking lot....a bit farther away...you see an older well cared for sports car. It might be 10 years old...but this guy took good care of it. He drove it thinking, "I never want this in the repair shop...It won't ever be the same...I will find an "end space" far away, so it will be secure" He still has the pride of ownership...probably the car never went to a car wash...he hand washed it!

When I am paring a mortise for a hinge, lets say, I like to visulize the bottom flat, in full contact with the metal. I think it helps to visulize it before the chisel touches the wood. If it is a joint, try to make it fit well as if there were no glue! Cut it tight and pare it , or plane it slowly to fit. Picture in your mind the mortise and tenon touching inn full contact, on all surfaces , except the bottom. The mental picture helps.
When you begin final sanding or planning of a cabinets parts, remove all the metal tools from the bench...they are the cause of potential dents and dings.
I like to work fast, and sometimes it gets me in trouble...sometimes I don't follow the thoughts I mentioned above....but knowing the time it takes to repair mistakes ,I should.

[Frank Pellow]

I do a pretty good job of planning things in advance and checking as I go, but I still make more mistakes than I would like. For me, the important things are:
recognize that you have made a mistake
take the time to do something over again if it is not too late
take the time to plan how to fix mistakes that can't be redone
try not to make the same mistake again

[Jim Becker]

I'm going to add that when you do go to fix a mistake, try to do it with wood rather than "fillers". By carefully matching grain direction, etc, slivers of wood can often be inserted in an almost invisible way. But if there is a major boo-boo, it's often best to replace the component...another reason to be sure you source extra material that matches right from the start. You can always use that extra wood later if it stays in the rack, but you cannot often get "more" later that is a good match for an original purchase. Finishing starts at material selection.

But the bottom line is that when you make or discover a mistake...step back and carefully think things through about the best way to recover...and then deal with it.

[Bob Smalser]

I like to work fast, and sometimes it gets me in trouble...sometimes I don't follow the thoughts I mentioned above....but knowing the time it takes to repair mistakes, I should.


Everybody makes mistakes....I don't care how experienced or careful you are... how many and how serious are the only real variances. No shortage of original Chippendale, Hepplewhite, et. al. pieces where if you look closely at the hidden underside of a rail or back you'll see that part originally faced the other way or was even made for something else.

To imply that high-end level work is mistake free is in error....

...the challenge is how good you are at fixing those mistakes....lotsa training value there that will one day save your bacon on profit and loss just like it did for Chippendale...and that's often what separates the good from the better.

I highly recommend aspiring cabinetmakers take on some conservation/restoration work so you get to fix a century or so of other's mistakes and botched repairs. It may give you a new appreciation for things like polyurethane, aliphatic glue, and gizmo joinery in "high-end" heirloom work.

http://pic3.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/2594265/75482901.jpg

[Ted Shrader]

We have all made mistakes and attempted to fix them on woodworking projects.
Mark -

True enough. But I would like to ammend that to read fixed. Sometimes mistakes lead to design changes which enhance the piece. i.e. adding other "mistakes" to the piece to match the one we just made. Other times it involves making a new component to replace the one we just ruined.

If we start out to be error free and make a mistake, should we scrap the whloe project and start over? Certainly not! But what is the best way to repair a mistake? Depends on the location and severity.

I was told long ago by a very wise man that, "You can tell how good a carpenter is by how well he covers his mistakes." I use that frame of mind when repairing slip-ups as yet another chance to excell.

Everytime I do, I know doing correctly initially would have saved a lot of time. Absolutely true! But there is a trade off between productivity and speed. Where the intersection of those two curves is depends on the piece.

Regards,
Ted

[everett lowell]

Mark,sometimes i work too fast, not because i like to, but because i think i get excited about the work and want to keep moving.I let my hands get ahead of my head and oops! I want to steal one of those street signs that say SLOW and hang it in my shop but i dont have the wall space.

[Karl Laustrup]

I usually find myself thinking too far ahead, instead of concentrating on the portion I'm working on. And then I have to fix the mistake. I don't remember what my uncle used to say to me until I have messed something up and have to fix it.

"Why is there never enough time to do the job right, but there is always time to do it over?" :confused:

One of lifes little mysteries!:)

Karl

[Christopher Pine]

I tend to dive into projects and I have to force myself to stop and think... I did this the other night with a very simple project of making some rolling pins.... Not much more simple turning project out there but I skipped a crucial step and long story short I had 3 rolling pin cylinders made from some very attractive wood I might add that the holes for the handles in the ends were off center.. arghhhhhh
So I had to rechuck them up with proper centering and they are ok but had to turn them smaller diameter....
SO you are right attitude has a lot to do with it! Also thinking clearly not getting cought up in the excitement and going off half cocked...


:)
Chris