oopsy-daisy

[Curtis Niedermier]

I thought I'd share a bonehead mistake I made recently. Actually, it was a series of mistakes. Maybe me sharing this story will inspire others to chime in with some of their bonehead mistakes???? Might make for an interesting self-deprecating thread.

I built my wife the mother of all potato and onion bins. It's a cabinet about 30 inches tall with two bins that hinge out from the cabinet face. The face frame on each bin is a mortise-and-tenon face frame of oak. It's the first big project I've done with almost all hand tools (about 92 percent hand tools). Everything went fine, but for some reason I never came up with a good method of attaching the bin to the face frame (I realized yesterday how I should have done it, oh well). My solution was to toenail screws in from the bottom and sides of the bin. Not pretty, but it worked. When I was mortising in the hinges, I kept hearing my chisel hit a hard spot in the wood. It wouldn't cut. So, I picked up another chisel that was freshly sharpened. It wouldn't cut either. That's when I noticed that I was trying to cut the tip off one of the screws that hold the bin to the face frame. Ha. The angle of the screw was just enough that the very wee little tip was right at the bottom of the mortise. I chipped the edge of both chisels. Then, I moved to the next hinge mortise. Surely, I'd learned my lesson, right? Nope. I apparently spaced the screws perfectly so they went right into the middle of each hinge location, and the tips were just barely sticking up too far. On mortise No. 2 I chipped the corner off one chisel. For the record, somewhere in the process of finishing the project I also hit a screw with my LV bevel-up jack plane - three times. I chipped the blade and left three tracks on the sole that remind me to always be careful when installing metal fasteners, and to use wood-to-wood connections whenever possible.

The bright side of this story is that I had recently purchased one of those adjustable bench grinder tool rests from Lee Valley. This was my motivation to finally set it up and learn to grind my tools. I can check that skill off my list!

Anyone else make any bonehead mistakes lately?

[Hilton Ralphs]

I tend to buy tools or hardware only to discover later that I already have them.

[David Weaver]

I used the alternate measure on the tinners rule I mentioned in another post thinking it was metric. I used it to put the cross bar on a plano clamp setup on the wall. Needless to say, a second attempt at locating where the bar should go was required and now I have three extra holes in concrete block on my basement wall.

[Sean Hughto]

Is there an original (as opposed to repeat) project where something like this doen't happen to me??? Hah!

My worst moments tend to be with complicated glue ups. Goes together fine dry, but the glue causes just enough swelling and such to seize things and otherwise cause mischief or panicked use of too much force. Ugh!

[David Weaver]

complicated glue ups

Absolutely my least favorite part of any project...

[Chris Griggs]

In the bench I have that thread about now...I stupidly got carried away planing off the mill marks on my leg stock. I had more than enough thickness to get the final dimension I wanted so I wasn't paying attention. As my blade dulled I made the rookie mistake of holding too much pressure on the toe of plane and I tapered the heck out of my stock, so now one of my legs will be undersized (well I'll probably make them all match). Just flat out wasn't paying attention....Stupid stupid stupid...

Why is it that when I want to remove 1/8-1/4" of material it feels like it takes forever, but when I don't want to it happens so quickly and easily?

That always hurts to get those scratches and dings in a nice plane. Fortunately, they don't effect the performance. A couple swipes with fine sandpaper will remove any burrs and all will be well.

I hear you on the glue-ups Sean (but for me its any glue-up not just complicated ones). Last time I made F&P doors, I got everything fitted nicely only use too much clamping pressure and end up with twisted doors with gappy (on the back side at least) tenon shoulders. Stupid!

[Jim Koepke]

Just about every project of mine seems to lend some learning experience through the making of mistakes.

I just finished a small table/bench to support my power sharpening equipment.

The stretcher across the front is through mortised and draw bored. This was mostly for a foot rest. The mortises were cut and the tenon fitted before any other glue up. Well, it was too cold for the glue to set properly but that wasn't the big mistake. All the lap joints were also held together with screws. Everything went together well until it was time to put the front stretcher in place. That is when it was discovered that on one of the sides I forgot to take care to mirror the other side. Instead I made them identical. This would not have been too bad except for this having one of the drawer runners on the outside.

I quickly cut another mortise in what was previously a back leg and put it together as planed. Well as planed except for the extra though mortise on a back leg that was to be a front leg.

Everyone makes mistakes, it is how we deal with them that tells us who we are.

jtk

[george wilson]

I haven't pulled this stunt,but one of my journeymen,when I was instrument maker,went to Hampton to visit a guitar maker. He returned with a sawn out spruce top with the sound hole cut into the LOWER BOUT!! That might have been an expensive mistake if the top was a nice one,which it appeared to be. The guy had given it to him. Guess it could be used for fan struts in a classical guitar.

[Bradley Gray]

I was installing a stair job one time while another person was installing the kitchen cabinets. This guy got under the base cabinets and drove about 40 screws that were an inch or so too long up through a really complicated U-shaped countertop. I made sure to get out of there before the owner showed up.

[Tom Scott]

Oh, it seems there is at least one on each of my projects. One, though, I'm reminded of every time I go to my bench. I installed the feet of my trestle base upside down. Big glue-up, hurrying, etc. Nice, perfectectly fitted and wedged through-mortises...so no reversing. Now every time I look down I get to see the nicely radiused feet facing down. Ugh.

[Chris Griggs]

Stupidest move in a while...

Left my trusty WR No. 6 to close to the edge of the bench while I was using a very coarsly set jack to surface a piece of rough sawn walnut.

Poor No. 6 took a tumble off the bench, and had a not so pleasant meeting with the epoxied concrete floor, landing right on it tote. There is now a chipped horn as well as a horizontal crack along the grain near the base of the tote. So sorry I hurt you old friend.

Well at least now we know how all those old planes with the chipped totes and cracked handles got that way.

Other than than the cosmetic battle score, trusty No. 6 is really no worse for the wear. Sanded of the splinters, rehoned the blade, and was back to work. This was one moment where I was really glad my WR was a WR and not an LN....that would have hurt so much more.

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