Talk me out of giving up woodworking

[Dan Bundy]

Unfortunately, this isn't a late April Fool joke, just the latest oops in a series of many as I try to complete the WS 142 armoire. It may be my last project ever as woodworking is turning into a huge attack on my self-esteem and I'm not sure it's worth it any more.

Gluing the base together last night. Put the front rail in upside down and didn't notice it until the clamps came off today. AAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHH. Spent the afternoon making a new one, which of course will never match the other exactly.

I'm probably not the only one this ever happened to, but it feels like it. Thanks for letting me rant a little. DB

[Mark Singer]

Dan,

Saw along the joint , a little on the rail side. Just recut and use a floating or loose tenon...good thing is you won't do it again...

[Steve Clardy]

I always remember my mistakes like that. Especially when I do it again.
Don't give up. It happens to all of us.

[Bob Yarbrough]

Don't feel bad. My first "real" project after 30 years was supposed to be simple. But every piece of wood in the project has an angle involved plus trying to set up a table saw for the first time ever!!!! Few choice words floating out of the shop! Live and learn!! :D

[scott spencer]

Don't sweat it Dan....those mistakes just give you something to contribute for the next "What are your biggest mistakes" thread! :D It definitely happens to all of us....well, at least to me anyway! Good time to lean on your sense of humor. It's just wood....grows on trees ya know! ;)

Now take two hole plugs and post back in the morning. A little down time after "relaxing" in the shop never hurts either! "Chin up" ace!

[Lou Morrissette]

Dan,

Cheer up Bud, it happens to all of us in one form or another. Take a deep breath and finish it. It'll come out beautiful.

Lou

[Keith July]

The only people that don't make mistakes are the ones that dont' do any thing.
Tomorrow is a new day.
Good Luck and post a few pictures of the fix. I'll bet we will not be able to see the repair.
Keith

[Ray Bersch]

Dan,
When ever I get into a rut like this I step back and try to determine what caused the error. I have been a private pilot for 29 years and believe me I have had some times when nothing went right - seemded to be one screw up after another. So I have developed a motto that says,

"If what you are doing is not working, change what you are doing."

Now, indeed, giving up woodworking may be one way to change (and if you do, I want first dibs on your stuff), but let's try another way first. You said you did this last night - was it the end of a long day? Were you in a hurry to get to the glue up? Was there something else on your mind? Perhaps you had everything ready to go after a previous work session and the parts were just sitting there waiting for you to assemble so you just went at it cold turkey - whatever, if you think about it you will find a reason or, as in flying, several reasons, for the accident. But you have to be honest with yourself because most errors are the result of not watching the details - something none of us like to admit.<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p

If this is really a frustration for you, I suggest you develop a checklist for yourself to run before any major task. For the glue up you could say that you will dry fit every assembly, including placing the clamps, and then check the set up against the plans. I take extra precautions on cuts because I am working with a small saw and an oversight could result in an injury or firewood - so I rehearse every cut, every cut, except the ones that I have repeated many times and then I will make a mistake, so I go back to rehearsing every cut.
<O:p</O:p

I believe you will find that once you get out of the silly error rut, you will spend time working on improving your skills rather than reworking your mistakes. Then, too, your checks and double checks will be second nature.

By the way, I am looking for a late model DeWalt or Delta planer - I mean, just in case ...<O:p</O:p

Ray

[Ernie Hobbs]

Hey, I find that I learn much more from my screw-ups than the things I do right. Take a step back, do something else for a while to clear your head, and try again. I bet you won't make that mistake again- See, you remember it now. If you didn't mess up today, you might do it next time. Now you won't!

I get frustrated with glue-ups and am thinking about finding a slower glue to set up so I won't have to feel rushed.

Another thing that I've found is that when I start to make a few mistakes in a row and can't seem to do anything right, go inside and watch some TV, get something to eat, maybe check SMC, and don't return to the shop until you are refreshed and can think with a clear head.

The most successful people in the world have also had some of the biggest screw-ups. What made them better is that they learned from them and didn't repeat their mistakes. If you have made a big mistake, remember, you're in good company.

let us know how it turns out.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Dan, Don't give up on woodworking just yet. When the project is done and in place you will change your mind. When people's whose opinion you value are impressed by your work, you will be beaming!

[Jim Becker]

There are not enough fingers and toes that visit SMC to account for the mistakes I make on every project it seems. 'Hasn't stopped me and will not. Turn it into an opportunity to say to yourself, "Ok...how can I fix that? What are the different ways I might try?". Mark's suggestion is a good one... ;)

[Greg Salata]

Take it from someone who just knocked off the last dovetail on a complex piece by just having to clean out that slot a tiny bit more. Anyone who works with wood has these mistakes. Anyone who does not, just won't admit to them.

Keep the faith..............:rolleyes:

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Don't feel bad Dan. Everyone does it ALL the time. A rail and stile bit set can make me look like one of the three stooges with little to no effort.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Everyone who is in this field or hobby has made a similar mistake, me probably more than anyone here cause I work with wood everyday. You cannot learn and become a better woodworker without those mistakes. Best to take a break when you feel like that and give it some thought. You find out that sometimes the project works out better because of a mistake.

We all also feel that frustration...it's only natural.

[Bob Boake]

Do you mean you are giving up tool buying and working wood or just the wood part??

[John Foote]

It's not a mistake. It's a spontaneous design feature!

[Mark Riegsecker]

Dan,
Everyone here has very good advice. I can't really add except to say how can they claim to be the one whose made the most mistakes when I know it's me.:eek:

Take your time it's a hobby after all. But when you're finished we'll all be here looking forward to those pics of the finished project.:)

[Bill Lewis]

Hey it could be worse, you could be a golfer instead.

[Dan Bundy]

Thanks for the encouragement gents. I was hoping I could sleep this off, but I'm still pretty bummed this morning.

This is my last project for the "season" as my garage/shop gets too hot to use in the summer, and there's too many other things on my plate (golf, mowing, etc.), so maybe I'll feel better once I get this thing finished and then get away from it for a while.

I'm supposed to play golf this afternoon (first time this year) so that will probably go badly enough to distract me from the woodworking woes for a while.

Thanks again for letting me vent. DB

[Doug Shepard]

Been there. Done That.
If everybody who made a similar mistake gave up WW there wouldn't be any SMC members. Like the Riddler (Jim Carrey) said to Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) in Batman - "if ya kill im, he won't learn nuthin". Hang in there.

[Keith Christopher]

Dan,

sounds like you rushed to glue up. Been there done that. on a high note, your M&T is good if it fit the opposite way ;) I remember dry fitting a project not once, but twice and I STILL glued it up wrong !
Lotsa good advice already so I'll refrain. I will say however:

1) Take your time, relax enjoy don't rush a project.
2) We learn more from mistakes than we ever will getting things right all the
time.
3) As others have said, could be MUCH worse, could have a template slip on you and ruin a nice circle made from cherry. :)
4) Take your time, no project built by anyone (including Rome) was built in one day.

(yes I meant to put take your time in there twice. ;) )

In short, don't give up ! things ALWAYS get better! Only two types of people in the world, the trained and the untrained. keep training yourself, it'll pay off in the end.

Keith

[David Fried]

Boy, Lots of good advice. I'm tempted to print this thread out and post it on the shop wall! The summary seems to be that we all make mistakes and learning to deal with them, and improve, is part of woodworking.

The main approaches seem to be:
1. Fix it (Mark Singer)
2. Replace it (You)
3. Accept and incorporate it (John Foote)
4. Hide it (Me!)

Different mistakes call for different approaches! I do like the post-mortum, walk through, and lists suggestions for improvement.

Hang in there!

Dave Fried

P.S. Just got my truck running if you decide to give away all those tools ;)

[Ted Shrader]

Dan -

As the others have said, it can be very frustrating when something like that happens. But hang in there, things can only get worse! (Just kidding!) :) ;) :)

A wise man, now deceased, (father-in-law) once said to me, "You can tell how good a craftsman is by how well he covers up his mistakes." There are many good suggestions here, pick one and go with it.

Regards,
Ted

[Gary Herrmann]

We all make mistakes. The key is to learn from them.

Here's another thing to consider. How many people respond with "Wow, I wish I could do that" when you tell them what your hobby is? If this was an easy hobby, a whole lot more folks would be doing it.

[Ken Shoemaker]

Dan,

I don't feel qualified to speak on this matter because I am only now setting up my shop and have yet to start my first project nor made my first mistake.

If you look below at my quote; it comes from my days as a student pilot. I was having a terrible day. I couldn't fly worth a hoot. Landing was, shall we say, exciting. Then my Instructor, Mr. Chuck Struach, said those words as encouragement. They have stuck with me for more than 15 years.

Every mistake is a chance to learn. Soon I'll been done setting up my tools, and "let the learning begin"!

[Chris Padilla]

I day I stop making mistakes in the shop is when I'm 6' under and I'll probably be buried in a coffin the guy messed up a corner on but managed to fix.....:p

A major screw-up is usually an indication to take a couple of days off from the shop and fix the mower, visit a friend, eat out...anything that doesn't involve you going into the shop or working with wood.... :D

[Jim Fancher]

Just a minor setback. Whacking your hand off with a RAS, now THAT'S a deal breaker. So you goofed up some wood. At least you didn't get hurt.

Think of it this way ... not a single person on this site would laugh at you or your mistake. We've all done it. Some of us (I'm at the top of that list) do it more often than others.

This is wood and we're human. Neither are perfect. How we hide or incorporate mistakes makes us craftsmen. If we produced flawless work every single time, we'd be machines ... and probably bored.

[Mike Cutler]

Dan. It happens. My latest project has me in a little over my head, and size of my shop. It has almost 250 seperate pieces and 375 mortise joints of one form or another. I had to redo 48 mortise and tenons recently that made up 4 panel sections. They were beautiful. Exactly the same dimensions, great joints, a beautiful glue-up. I mean they were perfect, perfectly the wrong size :eek:
It happens bro' . Where do you think everbody gets that nice "shop furniture" from that you see in pictures. ;)