We're all guilty of over building a project. Why?

[Fred Haydon]

As I was finishing a glue-up this morning, I was contemplating my next three steps and somewhere in there it hit me that adding that extra piece of bracing (current job is a massage table) might be overkill. I had that argument in my head that we've all had and still decided to add in the extra bracing.
Why? Because I want my work to hold up to anything that might be thrown at it. Even if it is used for something it was never intended for. And I guess after watching and helping my Dad for all those years, I don't know any other way. Maybe that’s the real reason, I don't know any better.

So, share with the rest of us why you over build your projects. We might be surprised at some of the answers!!

[Ted Miller]

Fred, Like you I grew up in SE Michigan and begun building custom homes with my pops when I was very young.

He taught me to, "do it right or get the hell out the way" and "no shortcuts". He was never called back to any home he built for any reason and built homes for over 50 years by word of mouth, no business card no signs on his truck.

I know everything I do has my name on it so it will be built to with stand anything and there will be things done like joints, dowles and the like where no one would ever see them. But I know they are there and it will make my piece that much stronger.

My pops taught me, "if you dig that ditch for $3.00 or $3000.00 you do it the same way every time, pride". I live by that in my whole life and enjoy what I make from wood and hope my clients enjoy my work as well...

[Jesse Thornton]

I think you answered your own question pretty succinctly. If you're to err, far better to have one brace too many than to be one brace shy. The former certainly makes for more restful nights!

[glenn bradley]

For me its a matter of 'if I'm going to put the effort in, why not make it right". It's like using some old finish you have laying around on a project you've put 60 hours into because you don't want to spend 30 minutes to run to the store.

[Greg Peterson]

Too many consumer grade and even professional grade products are engineered to the minimum standard. Sometimes even less.

We live in an era of unchecked consumerism and the disposibility of goods is merely the sympton.

I do not like to think that I take greater satisfaction than previous generations did in the performance of a quality tool. But I also can not help but think that in previous eras, people didn't take as much pride in the performance of their tools as they did in the task they were accomplishing.

It is an absolute pleasure to use a tool or piece of furniture that does what it is suppose to do without compromise. This is becoming the exception these days. As wood workers, we inherently want to make sure that our efforts will endure.

[Randy Acton]

Fred, Like you I grew up in SE Michigan and begun building custom homes with my pops when I was very young.

He taught me to, "do it right or get the hell out the way" and "no shortcuts". He was never called back to any home he built for any reason and built homes for over 50 years by word of mouth, no business card no signs on his truck.

I know everything I do has my name on it so it will be built to with stand anything and there will be things done like joints, dowles and the like where no one would ever see them. But I know they are there and it will make my piece that much stronger.

My pops taught me, "if you dig that ditch for $3.00 or $3000.00 you do it the same way every time, pride". I live by that in my whole life and enjoy what I make from wood and hope my clients enjoy my work as well...

My sentiments exactly! If my name is going to be attached to it, it will be done properly. This helps build repeat business for customers and for your personal projects, you'll spend far less time repairing and more time making new stuff.

Here is something my dad always used to say "If a job is worth doing, it's worth doing right"

[Terry Kelly]

I agree... I think it comes down to Am I a "Craftsman" or a "Hack". I'm a "Craftsman" I look at what I do to stand the test and strains of time and abuse and still look pleasing to the eye. I do it everyday in my job as an Electrician running conduit racks and other electrical systems and will do it as I start Woodworking. Take pride in your work and it shows...It doesn't take much more time to do it right the first time. Quality before Quantity is the way I look at things. To many hacks out there just slam it in or together and walk away....

[Merle Clor]

My mentor used to say, "If you don't have the time to do it right the first time, when will you ever have the time to fix it?"

Made sense to me and I live by it to the best of my ability.

[Ian Abraham]

My motto..

Over engineered?.. possibly...
Going to fall apart?.. Not in this lifetime!!! :D



Ian

[Eric Sink]

I built a bookshelf headboard for our bedroom. I overbuilt it, to the point of absurdity. It's mostly 6/4 solid red oak, with a few parts made of 3/4 inch oak plywood. It weighs about 250 pounds.

I asked my brother-in-law to help me move it upstairs. I never thought about the idea that it might be a job for more than two people.

The pain was severe. Halfway up the stairs, my strength gave out and we had to just stop for a couple minutes. We finally got the darn thing all the way up there, but it was a nightmare.

During that pause halfway up, I asked myself the very question of this thread: Why did I overbuild this so badly? At the time, I couldn't come up with a single good reason. :)