Jared McMahon
07-26-2011, 10:17 PM
I just walked away from a glue-up right before opening the glue bottle. I had five laminations for a bass guitar neck reasonably smoothed and laid out and all my clamps at the ready. Sure there were a couple wobbles and small gaps, a few uneven spots in some of the pieces, but it's nothing I can't overcome with a ton of clamps and some creative shaping after the fact, right? Right?
Nope, sorry. "Good enough" doesn't cut it. It's easier to clamp the daylights out of it and work around blemishes than to go back to the straightedge and test for truth, than to go back to the sharpening station and take the little nick out of the bevel of my Stanley #7's iron, than to fight a little longer with that one piece of maple and its 6" stretch of wonky grain. But I would remember each of those shortcuts for the rest of the project, and my eyes would be drawn to every one of those blemishes and quirks anytime I saw the finished instrument. I have no deadline, no customer waiting, no business on the line. I'm making it for the joy of the process and the beauty and utility of the finished object.
So what am I rushing for? Well I can now say that I'm not rushing. I'm stepping away from the workbench for a bit before going back, resharpening my plane irons, and seeing where each piece of wood needs more TLC. And when the bass is done, it will be as gorgeous as my abilities can make it, without my impatience undercutting that.
Nope, sorry. "Good enough" doesn't cut it. It's easier to clamp the daylights out of it and work around blemishes than to go back to the straightedge and test for truth, than to go back to the sharpening station and take the little nick out of the bevel of my Stanley #7's iron, than to fight a little longer with that one piece of maple and its 6" stretch of wonky grain. But I would remember each of those shortcuts for the rest of the project, and my eyes would be drawn to every one of those blemishes and quirks anytime I saw the finished instrument. I have no deadline, no customer waiting, no business on the line. I'm making it for the joy of the process and the beauty and utility of the finished object.
So what am I rushing for? Well I can now say that I'm not rushing. I'm stepping away from the workbench for a bit before going back, resharpening my plane irons, and seeing where each piece of wood needs more TLC. And when the bass is done, it will be as gorgeous as my abilities can make it, without my impatience undercutting that.