PDA

View Full Version : Anyone else suffer from 'woodworker's block'?



Hasin Haroon
09-20-2017, 1:09 AM
Much like writer's block, I run into points during my builds where I can't focus/don't want to perform the next steps in the project. Usually when I reach an important stage in a project, for example when I'm I'm done with cutting the tails and about to cut the pins for a carcase or similar important stages.

I don't do this for money, only for satisfaction, and hold anything I build to very high standards. But sometimes I think maybe I put too much pressure on myself to make things perfectly and end up stressing myself out to the point where my projects sit stalled for weeks until I find motivation again. The actual steps don't take too long, and I'm reasonable proficient at sawing/chopping mortises etc at this point.

Anyone else deal with similar issues?

Jim Koepke
09-20-2017, 2:34 AM
Anyone else deal with similar issues?

All the time, it is akin to procrastination.

jtk

Frederick Skelly
09-20-2017, 6:25 AM
I get it too Hasin. Sometimes it happens during a long project - I just get tired of it and want a break, so I set it aside for a week or two. Sometimes it happens before a necessary step that I don't enjoy doing; e.g., finishing. Sometimes it happens when Im frustrated with a small mistake and Im trying to figure out how to correct it. (Chances are, only I will notice the mistake. But still.....)

It happened last weekend. Made a small mistake while dyeing the infamous butcher block project. Just couldn't make myself work on it. So I cleaned the shop instead.

You're not alone on this. :)

Fred

Nicholas Lawrence
09-20-2017, 6:55 AM
Well, I moved recently, so my block is the need to put up shelves, cabinets, and organize the shop. One of those things that is hard to do a little at a time, I really need a big chunk of time (which I just don't have right now). Maybe over the holidays.

Dan Duperron
09-20-2017, 7:04 AM
I'm working on a Roubo bench, my first "major" WW project. It's going slow mostly because I don't have a lot of time to work on it, but also because a few times I've gotten "stuck". And I'm a bit of a perfectionist I guess.

At the stage of mounting the BenchCrafted end vice I procrastinated for a couple of months. I think it was the prospect of chopping a huge hole in the beautiful bench top (and possibly screwing it up) that froze me. In the end I got through being stuck by attacking it in stages. First, read through the instructions a bunch and calculate to make sure the vice position wouldn't interfere with the legs (my Roubo is only 6' long). Done. Second, lay out the cavity, which has several parts of different depths. OK, that wasn't so bad. Then double check it!

Then wait a month :-)

Then spend time figuring out the best and most accurate way to cut the darn thing (combination of circular saw, router, drill and chop with chisel).

And so on. One tiny bite at a time, over many evenings.

By focusing on one little step at a time I am able to overcome my hesitation and make progress. I'm sure it will get better as I become more confident.

-Dan

James Pallas
09-20-2017, 7:34 AM
It happens for me every time I finish a project. I always have a few ideas in the works but nothing firmed up. Sometimes I have a minor project to work on or tool maintenance to do. At this time I'm stuck. Can't come to a decision. I've found myself bugging everyone at SMC with more posts than I made all last year. I'll have to make a decision soon or risk alienating the whole lot of you.:p
Jim

Rick Malakoff
09-20-2017, 8:22 AM
To everyone, you are not alone.

Being retired it's easy to blow off the unfun parts until the motivation returns. Right now I view everything I make as an exercise since there no customers, no deadlines and no paycheck. So I do what I want on any given day, as to the pressure I to strive for excellence and sometime achieve it but I know in my hart that we, collectively all of us here, are better than most and maybe not as good as some! Just because we get out there and DO IT!
Rick

Chris Hachet
09-20-2017, 8:35 AM
I have that issue. I find being around other wood workers is the best way to regain motivation.

Doug Hepler
09-20-2017, 9:28 AM
Hasin

It seems to be part of the human condition. I think that you have diagnosed the cause correctly. The more self-esteem you invest in the result, the more intimidating the possibility of failure becomes. Craftsmanship is grown-up play. You'll feel better if you treat it that way.

Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away…

Full lyrics on Google Play Music (https://play.google.com/music/preview/Tlunjt5fscmmzsl2xogrczu3sim?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-songlyrics)
Artist (https://www.google.com/search?q=paul+simon+slip+slidin%27+away+artist&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LRT9c3LDYwzcnIyEnTUspOttLPLS3OTNYvSk3OL0rJzEuPT84p LS5JLbJKLCrJLC4BACvlGKQ0AAAA&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjKvqbs7bPWAhUJr1QKHRb2DYkQ6BMIMigAMAM): Paul Simon (https://www.google.com/search?q=Paul+Simon&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LRT9c3LDYwzcnIyElT4tDP1TdISclO01LKTrbSzy0tzkzWL0pN zi9KycxLj0_OKS0uSS2ySiwqySwuAQDvhcHZPgAAAA&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjKvqbs7bPWAhUJr1QKHRb2DYkQmxMIMygBMAM)


Album (https://www.google.com/search?q=paul+simon+slip+slidin%27+away+album&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LRT9c3LDYwzcnIyEnTUs9OttLPLS3OTNYvSk3OL0rJzEuPT84p LS5JLbJKyywqLlFIzEkqzQUAe9Qf8zkAAAA&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjKvqbs7bPWAhUJr1QKHRb2DYkQ6BMINigAMAQ): Still Crazy After All These Years (https://www.google.com/search?q=Paul+Simon+Still+Crazy+After+All+These+Ye ars&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LRT9c3LDYwzcnIyElT4tLP1TcwzDLKSS7XUs9OttLPLS3OTNYv Sk3OL0rJzEuPT84pLS5JLbJKyywqLlFIzEkqzQUAoAPYjkUAAA A&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjKvqbs7bPWAhUJr1QKHRb2DYkQmxMINygBMAQ)


Released (https://www.google.com/search?q=paul+simon+slip+slidin%27+away+released&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LRT9c3LDYwzcnIyEnT0shOttLPLS3OTNYvSk3OL0rJzEuPT84p LS5JLbIqSs1JTSxOVUhJLEkFACWgepY6AAAA&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjKvqbs7bPWAhUJr1QKHRb2DYkQ6BMIOigAMAU): 1975



Doug

Al Launier
09-20-2017, 9:52 AM
Geez, I'm not alone after all.

I also work on projects for personal reasons and not for income. At times I find myself addicted to working on the project well into the night, on top of a long day. Unfortunately I frequently find myself on auto-pilot, that is until I find that I've jumped ahead and then have to retrace my steps or correct. Also, I find that I misplace things and waste time trying to figure out where I last had the item.

However, I set my standards high so when I've completed the project to my satisfaction all the "mental interruptions" subside and I get the glow from a well made item. For a short while I look forward to some time off from the shop. For some reason that doesn't last too long. Then I'm into to the next project. Oh well, my wife just laid a new project on me, time to get back to work.

Andrew Hughes
09-20-2017, 10:03 AM
I have the same thing happen to me.Sometimes it's hard to keep good energy.
I try to keep something interesting or curious about the build. If I'm making a table and the boards I picked out for the top aren't beautiful or I don't think they are then there's no point in making a table.:(

Bill Berklich
09-20-2017, 10:25 AM
I get it too Hasin.

You're not alone on this. :)

Fred

Yep - I have those days. I just wander into the shop and don't want to do "it" - whatever "it" is. I usually overcome he block by knocking out a small/simple/fast project. It boost my confidence in my skills

michael langman
09-20-2017, 10:40 AM
I too have this problem, but I use it in a positive way. I dwell on things. I let my inner self think about the things I am working on, or a project I am going to start in the future. I sleep on it and let my sub- conscience take over, and in the end my problems, , projects, or repairs, come out for the better.

Edwin Santos
09-20-2017, 10:43 AM
Hasin

The more self-esteem you invest in the result, the more intimidating the possibility of failure becomes.


Doug

I think you might be on to something here. There seems to be some psychology involved. I can tend to spend too much time thinking and over thinking things. I once took some classes with Frank Klausz and one of the things he told us is time is precious, even if you're retired. Stop over thinking, and just jump out of the plane, start cutting, remember almost all mistakes in woodworking are repairable. He was really into moving briskly, getting things done. He felt if you made mistakes, you'd learn how to fix them, and the practice you get by being busy will naturally make you a better woodworker.

This said, have you ever gone out for the evening and had every little thing going wrong? When that happens to me, I just go home and call it a night. Woodworking can be the same way, where some days, everything seems to be going wrong, and the more I try to push though, the more mishaps occur. So now when that seems to be happening, I spend some time cleaning up or call it a day and start again tomorrow. Something metaphysical seems to be involved. I think it happens to athletes too, everyone maybe.

On the other hand, there are those days where you're on your game and everything is going just great. That's a good day woodworking.

Bill McNiel
09-20-2017, 10:49 AM
I too experience this on almost every project. It is akin to "Fear of Failure". We have worked so hard to create something really nice and now are confronted with the prospect of screwing it up so we procrastinate.

steven c newman
09-20-2017, 11:13 AM
There are some days...where I tend to hide from both Mr. Gumption, and Mr. Motivation....usually right after a "bad" day in the shop ( Mondays...)

Hmmm, shop time..or..honey-do list? Shoptime tends to win out...

Jerry Olexa
09-20-2017, 11:19 AM
Most of us tend to avoid that part of a project that is not pleasing, I think. We do procrastinate and postpone coming up with a reason (excuse) for not continuing....At then when completed, only we know about the ONE part of the project that wasn't done right!! :)

Simon MacGowen
09-20-2017, 11:51 AM
Yes and no.

Yes after I finish a big project and then lack motivation to start the next project. Usually, the next project won't happen until four to six weeks have lapsed, unless it is something simple or urgent.If lumber is not there, the wait time could be a little longer, too.

No once I start a project and I will keep on charging until its end. If I finished a lot of tails on day 1, I would take a break, but would resume the pins in a day or two. It is more efficient that way. Stalling during a project is rare and may happen not due to lack of motivation but to unforeseen work or travel.

Simon

Hasin Haroon
09-20-2017, 12:36 PM
I'm so glad to hear I'm not alone on this...I am always impressed by the people on here that create high quality pieces so fast and consistently, and have been trying to improve my completion speeds and rates for a few months now. Life still seems to get in the way though.

Jay Larson
09-20-2017, 12:43 PM
Like everyone else, it seems to be mostly tied to a tricky task.

But the latest one that I had was a 'disagreement' I had with my fiancee concerning a cabinet. I wanted to make the tops out of the same wood that I used for the box, but that meant purchasing some more lumber. She did not care, since I have ~1000 BF in storage, but none of the species I used. So I delayed, and delayed. And finally used up some that I had. Still don't like it, cause it doesn't match...

Other than that, I will wait until I have a whole day, or most of the day, to tackle something difficult and I usually get through the blockage.

Bruce Haugen
09-20-2017, 12:58 PM
Here is one definition of writer's block, as seen by Tom Wolfe:

"I now know what writer’s block is. It’s the fear you cannot do what you’ve announced to someone else you can do, or else the fear that it isn’t worth doing. That’s the rarer form.”

I started a rocker a long time ago, maybe 20 years, and it languished for just this reason. I had no plans, no dimensions, just a picture to go by. I put it off, telling myself (because no one else cared) I didn't have the time. Now gainfully unemployed and with all my time all my own, I have no excuse not to finish it. I've been working on it the last couple weeks, along with other unfinished projects. Sometimes life just gets in the way.

David Ragan
09-20-2017, 1:06 PM
One of the problems for folks like me, novice hobbyists, is that pretty much everything we do is the first time around-pieces, builds, etc.

As Dan has said, breaking it down into small pieces works-but then, one has to be sure that a particular method is best for a particular step.

The difficulty is that, for me the procrastination is a self-reinforcing behavior. While mulling over all the details, esp. design, i work out problems in my head. it is all about design/plan, right?

The fact that what we do has so many ways to accomplish the same thing is a really cool thing about woodworking.

However, an algorithm chart of all the design and execution choices would look like what I call "a plate of spaghetti";

What usually happens in my head is: "OK-I created the edge (eg, via router table), let me think about the next step till next wkd, or next month......"

Having multiple projects, shop cleaning, improvement, making jigs, etc means a lot of time may pass before a light bulb goes off, and a decision is made.

Self-confidence in the craft would fix all this probably.

Simon MacGowen
09-20-2017, 1:23 PM
Self-confidence in the craft would fix all this probably.

For me, sometimes it is weather. I can't remember the last time I started a new project on a cold and rainy day. Sunny, warm or hot days are productive days for me, but then I can be distracted by outdoor chores ... because it is sunny!

Another factor is availability of lumber. If everything is rough and needs to be dressed or I need to get my haul from a lumber yard instead of from my shed, the woodworker's block can happen. Stock preparation is the least enjoyable chore for me. Once it is done, the path is clear and straight. I can work whole day in the shop, even a couple of days in a row if it is a long weekend. Before I know it, the piece is ready for finishing.

Confidence is rarely an issue for me because if the project requires new skills or new tools I am not familiar with, I will do my homework and practice them on scraps if necessary, or get an instruction until I am good at them. Then I will begin the project a nd finish it, usually within a week to a month, depending on the complexity and scale.

A tricky process won't stall me. In fact, I can't stand seeing a build stuck halfway because a problem or difficult joinery is to be dealt with, and I will get it out of the way as soon as I can, sometimes by change of design or by taking a day off and working on it(!).

Simon

Robert Engel
09-20-2017, 1:28 PM
Perfecting the art of fixing mistakes creatively always gives you an out:).

James Waldron
09-20-2017, 1:45 PM
Want a cure for woodworker's block? Woodworking with a purpose is a sure cure. There's plenty to go around. Go help Malcolm in paradise: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?257827-Lessons-learned-from-taking-a-direct-hit-by-a-Cat-5-Hurricane-ground-zero-USVI

If you haven't seen Malcolm's posts, it will be a real eye opener. And with Maria just passing through, his adventure is still going on. There will be more to do.

Brad Barnhart
09-21-2017, 6:58 AM
Mr. Hasin, you aren't the only one w/this issue.😊 As a scroll sawyer, at times, I get into "repetitive" projects. I finally get to the point where I just quit, & start goin' thru my patterns to see what I haven't cut recently, & if one or two sets off the alarm, they get copied & put on wood & prepped for the saw.

Lately, I've had it bad. I had a client come in the shop awhile back with 3 projects she wants done. She had pictures of every project stapled to each piece of paper she had measurements on, & even has a couple of them drawn out.😒 When she handed me these papers, her first words to me were "this is what I want, & as RUSTIC AS POSSIBLE!" Didn't tell me her name, nothin'. So when I introduced myself & my two shop mates Pete & Pee Wee, & asked her to sit down, she said she was fine. This lady was an old school marm at one time, so I knew Kinda what I was up against.

I explained that I needed a little more information than this is what i want. I told her the rustic would be no problem. I asked how soon she wanted them, & she said there was no hurry. Then we got around to the budget. She looked at me & said "that's just it, I don't have a budget." Well, there's different ways to take that. I told her We'd work it out. So then I asked which project she wanted done first? The quilt ladder? log cabin? trash can "holder" she called it. The cabin & the ladder are both goin' to take A LOT of lathe work. She decided on the quilt ladder. She wants this ladder 12" - 15" wide. So i went to work on glue ups, & that was as far as i got for about a week.

Yesterday & today, I finally decided i may well get started on it. So I spun out a couple rungs that would be 12" inside width, & 2 that would be 15" inside width. 1" rungs out of barn wood. I shut the lathe down, called a friend of mine. He come over, we discussed the width issue, & we come to the decision it wasn't going to be enough, In our minds. So I called my customer & asked her to come the shop.

I showed the two lengths I'd spun out, & she said oh, you're right, that isn't going to work. More like 16", 18", or even 20". So now I have to start over with the rungs.

Before she left, she wanted to know what we going to use for runners. I told her a piece of 3/4" barn wood. She wants this 7' tall. This friend of mine showed her the piece of lumber. Well, then she just couldn't get her mind around how we were going to make the runners out of that, as she put it. Well, John says we're going to rip 3 1/4" off each side of it, drill the rung holes in the center of that 12" apart. She was happy with that.

Then she got to admiring the scroll work hangin' around in the shop, & turned around & looked at me & said you are a true craftsman & a perfectionist! It took me a little n
bit to answer that one. I told her I consider myself a craftsman, a long ways from the best, but yes, a perfectionist, too. And then she asked me if I keep as much contact w/all my customers as I have her? I told her absolutely. A lot of guys don't, but when I get to a place in a project I've got other ideas, or question their plans, I stop & make a phone call. I want the customer to see what's happening, & the looks, measurements, my thoughts, etc. She told me again I was a perfectionist, but she liked the communication & thoughts. So now I'm at a stand still again, & more thinking is required. Damn it! Am I wrong to communicate w/the customer like that? Or am I over thinking the project? my apologies for the length.

Brad Barnhart
09-21-2017, 7:06 AM
i agree. you're not alone. My latest has been a project the customer wants "as rustic as possible." It involves quite a bit of lathe work, & we've had to change measurements three times, & haven't even got a good start on the project.:(

This might get set aside for awhile. I'll clean the dust off the Hawk, & do some scroll saw work. Give me time to think about this.:confused:

Mike Baker 2
09-21-2017, 8:30 AM
I think sometimes it's a good thing to stop and let things alone for a bit.
There are days I wake up and realize everything I do is going to fight me tooth and nail anyway.
I am going through similar "procrastination" right now.
I've gathered all of the wood necessary for my next project, which is an acoustic guitar. I will start out with the neck. I've built several necks for electric guitars, and the process is very similar, excepting that the heel is much taller on the acoustic. But I can't bring myself to start.
I think part of the problem is that the neck build requires no special tools or jigs, but the rest of the build, particularly the body, does, and I know that I don't have the cash to build the jigs I need to continue the build after I finish the neck. Once that is done, I'm at a standstill.
That is a struggle just to start a build. I think Bill McNeil hit it on the head regarding finishing one.

Bob Glenn
09-22-2017, 9:54 AM
Sometimes, I just have to tell myself to just cut the board! It usually gets me off and running again.

Zach Dillinger
09-22-2017, 10:27 AM
Yes, I absolutely suffer from this. There are times when it turns my stomach to even think about going into the shop because I leave so much of myself there when working. I sometimes take a sabbatical from the shop for a few months or more. I haven't been in my shop for almost a year at this point (writing the book totally exhausted me) but I'm just about ready to go again.

Kees Heiden
09-22-2017, 3:29 PM
Totally!

At the moment I am in a deep woodworking "depression". Like you, it often happens when moving from one type of job in a project to the next. I kind of develloped a rhytm, so it is easy to go to the shop for a few hours or so and do something meaningfull. Everything is setup right, tools are ready and sharp etc. The next phase in the project demands a new setup. Sometimes I am all eager for that next step, sometimes I am just not.

So, I travel, summer hollidays, rock climbing, gardening work. Whatever. The lust to do woodworking sure will come again. And sometimes i just need to give myself a kick in the back.

Mark Stutz
09-22-2017, 4:14 PM
Totally!

At the moment I am in a deep woodworking "depression". Like you, it often happens when moving from one type of job in a project to the next. I kind of develloped a rhytm, so it is easy to go to the shop for a few hours or so and do something meaningfull. Everything is setup right, tools are ready and sharp etc. The next phase in the project demands a new setup. Sometimes I am all eager for that next step, sometimes I am just not.

So, I travel, summer hollidays, rock climbing, gardening work. Whatever. The lust to do woodworking sure will come again. And sometimes i just need to give myself a kick in the back.

I sure never saw any place to go rock climbing when I visited The Netherlands!:eek::D

I was there after I started to set up my new shop after I moved. Trying to get tool starage and organization done, so I could actually do wood working seemed likean endless task. Once I finally got going, I can now see the end of the tunnel and hope to finally work wood and instead of plywood!

steven c newman
09-22-2017, 8:19 PM
Right now, my "block" has more to do with.Uncle Charles Horse......Very hard to get any work done, when even the toes start to cramp up.....

Patrick Chase
09-22-2017, 9:09 PM
Yes, I absolutely suffer from this. There are times when it turns my stomach to even think about going into the shop because I leave so much of myself there when working. I sometimes take a sabbatical from the shop for a few months or more. I haven't been in my shop for almost a year at this point (writing the book totally exhausted me) but I'm just about ready to go again.

I assume you're referring to "With Saw, Plane, and Chisel" there. If so I just bought it. I've only read partway, but I can completely understand how taking those projects to publication would have led to burnout. Great book!

John C Cox
09-23-2017, 2:37 PM
I build guitars... One thing I learned is that sometimes you have to burn one.

It's important to give yourself permission to ditch a project when you have that block caused by stuff you don't like.... And it can be hugely cathartic to do so... The weight of the world lifted off your chest.....

And no.. When I say "burn one" - its not figurative...
http://s26.postimg.org/cvisyiord/image.jpg

Patrick Chase
09-23-2017, 3:15 PM
Magnificent!

You should throw a couple Stanley transitionals on the pyre to complete the ceremony (http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan4.htm) (scroll down to just above the entry for #21).

Ted Phillips
09-23-2017, 10:16 PM
Whenever I get to this point - I clear my workbench and carve a few spoons. This hits the reset button on my old noggin' and gets me refreshed. Its amazing how simple, repeatable tasks that you've performed for years can have a therapeutic effect like this...

ken hatch
09-24-2017, 7:08 AM
I build guitars... One thing I learned is that sometimes you have to burn one.

It's important to give yourself permission to ditch a project when you have that block caused by stuff you don't like.... And it can be hugely cathartic to do so... The weight of the world lifted off your chest.....

And no.. When I say "burn one" - its not figurative...
http://s26.postimg.org/cvisyiord/image.jpg

John,

Your post brings a smile and good memories. I've always been into the "arts", making furniture, painting, photography and so on. For years I and my S.O. had a tradition of building a fire on the night of the Winter Solstice and dancing naked around it while burning all the bad work of the past year. It was quite cathartic and a hoot. Today would require use of eye bleach....The years have not been kind :).

ken

Megan Fitzpatrick
09-26-2017, 1:10 PM
Ayup. I've been needing to run base moulding for months now, so as to finish one of the two bathrooms I'm renovating. So that I can then move on to building a sink base for the other. Months.

David Dalzell
09-26-2017, 10:01 PM
All the time. I design, re-design, and re-design. Then I start procrastinating. I know there must be a better, more elegant way of achieving my goals; but I am not sure how to proceed to a better design. Finally after many re-designs I will start. I don't suffer again until the time comes to cut dovetails for drawers or whatever else. I have no problem cutting and fitting dovetails. I just have a problem getting started on them. Fat, thin, how many per corner, spacing, etc. Once I get started I am fine. It's the getting started that is painful. I also do woodworking strictly as a hobby. Everything I make is for family and friends. I am not under any pressure for time or finances. The upside of all of this is that procrastinating can be enjoyable once you get good at it. I am very good at it.