learning pace / approach, and "cheating"

[Bob Riefer]

Boy is there a lot to learn when it comes to woodworking. I've been working at it (sometimes creating nice furniture, sometimes expensive fire wood) for about 9 years or so and often feel like I know nothing at all still. You guys here at SMC amaze me, and that you so willingly share knowledge is such a gift. THANK YOU.

If the pandemic has been good for anything, it's that I have been in the shop a LOT... and, like anything else, I've found that lots of practice leads to better results. So, in some weird way, covid has made me a better woodworker.

That said.. it is really hard (at least for me) to learn all I want to learn as fast as I want to learn it. I can only accommodate a max of 2 projects at once in my shop, and I'm not a fast builder, so certain skills may get practiced today and then not again for weeks or months. I feel like every single project includes a decent chunk of tasks that aren't well-known (or well-practiced) by me. Where to start?

For years, my approach to this problem has been to start someplace productive, get as many repetitions as I can while producing something useful (as opposed to practice on scrap). Basically, on the "building stuff" side of the spectrum, I try to pick projects that will teach me something new.. I take my time and I study techniques ahead of time.

Here's where I've focused thus far:
- preparing lumber so that it is flat and square in all directions, and the desired thickness
- workflow and consistency (e.g. cutting all the same size at once)
- safely and confidently using table saw, jointer, planer, drill press, miter saw, band saw, router, and the other "staples"
- building better and better jigs/sleds when tasks will benefit from the effort
- mortise and tenon, panel glue ups, taper cuts, basic dovetails, box joints, various dado blade techniques, biscuits, pocket holes
- precision, squareness, tight joints
- machine setup and maintenance
- lumber selection


The good news is that I can now build things. LOL. Yay!


(disclaimer: I'm certainly not making furniture-show level for sure, but I can make tables, chairs, cabinets, boxes, etc. and can capably follow plans when the project is more complex).



The most glaring area that I haven't gotten to yet that is in my sights now is "finishing"... I usually get to a "good" end result but it is a fight every time, it is not enjoyable, and it isn't perfect. My growing woodworking skills are often let down by the finish. So that is up next I think because I cannot stand another frustrating end to an otherwise successful project.


Sorry for the long-winded lead up... So here are my questions on this:

1. When you were newer to woodworking, did you similarly see the mountain of skills and feel overwhelmed at times?

2. Is my approach to tackling the learning journey sensible? Or did you go an entirely different route?

3. To increase my repetitions, I recently purchased the Keller dovetail jig, and that has really been a big productivity jump. Which in turn has me considering the Domino tool... faster (and less fuss) mortise tenon and panel glue ups would greatly improve my throughput, giving me more chances to practice finishing while still producing useful projects. My question is.. is it "cheating" for a learner like me to make these sorts of jumps?

4. Around learning finishing... My plan is to study the Flexner book like I'm in grad school. If it takes working on scrap, in addition to trying techniques on actual projects, I'll do that too. Decent approach?

Thanks!

[Paul F Franklin]

Sounds to me like you're on a good track. I personally don't consider a tool like the domino "cheating" but rather a way to improve productivity in a way that in no way lessens the quality of the final project. But I think it depends on where you draw satisfaction from this hobby/vocation. For me the most satisfaction comes from the finished pieces, although I thoroughly enjoy the process as well. For others, it is primarily the journey. Neither is right or wrong, it's a personal and subjective thing.

One thing I have found useful for dealing with the "do something now and then not again for 6 months or a year" issue, is to keep a notebook where I jot notes and insights along the way. It doesn't help you preserve the muscle memory needed for many tasks, but it does help capture the mental aspects....what order to do things, what finish you used on piece, what grit you sanded to, remember to use the same reference surface when milling domino mortises....stuff like that that you might spend a lot of time figuring out during a project but may not remember down the road.

A lot of folks choose or plan their projects so they learn or grow a new skill or two on each project. That's one way to continue learning without being overwhelmed by too many new things all at once.

The only other specific thing I have to add is to consider adding Jeff Jewitt's writings and videos to your list for learning about finishing. Good luck and keep enjoying the journey!

[Jim Becker]

I think that many of us "miss the boat" early on by not getting into the habit of doing prototypes before jumping into a project. Sometimes, it's a partial practice setup for a particular joint and sometimes it's for the whole thing when there are complexities that need to be proven/should be proven before committing to the expensive material. Yes, prototyping has some cost for material when scrap will not do, but that cost is far less than totally missing things on the $12/bt ft nice stuff for sure.

This same principle applies to finishing...it's really necessary to "burn some material", especially for spraying, to insure that technique is solid and the equipment is set up properly for the material being used.

IE...practice, practice, practice. We need to lose the "I'm just a hobbyist mentality as that's relevant when it comes to craftsmanship and skill building. It's not about the tools; rather, it's about the execution. That also means when we build things for our shop we should put the same level of effort into them that we would for that project we're going to gift to a loved one or even a client, if we do commission work. Build the jigs and fixtures with thoughtfulness. Build the shop cabinets and other "furniture" with the same care and attention to detail as required for stuff we'd put in our home or someone else's home. Etc.

And don't rush...that's when we make mistakes, miss opportunities and cost ourselves time, money and sometimes blood.

[Tony Joyce]

Build the shop cabinets and other "furniture" with the same care and attention to detail as required for stuff we'd put in our home or someone else's home. Etc.

And don't rush...that's when we make mistakes, miss opportunities and cost ourselves time, money and sometimes blood.

Sage advice, building shop cabinets or other small projects gives you practice. People who come in my shop always question the detail in my shop cabinets.
I was generally practicing a procedure or material I was going to use in the next or future project. I whole heartily believe my sig quote.

[Mitchell Ristine]

I think that many of us "miss the boat" early on by not getting into the habit of doing prototypes before jumping into a project.

I have taken to scale drawings whenever possible. I buy rolls of 36" wide white paper. When I am drawing things out I can think through joinery, know my measurements, think about cutting order..... Also, this works for me because I draw satisfaction from a well done drawing.

ps - sorry about the pun. couldn't resist.

[Mike Henderson]

A community college near me offered woodworking classes and I took most of them. It was a very good way to get started. If you have anything like that near you, I recommend it.

Even with the classes, there's a lot you learn on your own by doing.

Mike

[Jerry Wright]

I once heard a noted and prolific novelist respond to this question: " How does one become a good writer?".They responded "by writing". Corollary in woodworking - time in the shop.

[Frederick Skelly]

Bob, it sure sounds like you are doing the right things. You should post pictures of a project or two for us to see. I second the idea of keeping a notebook with techniques and lessons learned. I do. I also practice a technique I havent used for a while on scrap, before using it on a project. To me, it's like a quarterback warming up his arm before a game - my performance is just better.

About finishing. For me, it is the least favorite part of a project. But I know it's really important. So a few years ago I decided to cheat - I switched to using various kinds of wiping varnish - Tung Oil Finish, Danish Oil and the like. It isn't fancy or "deep", but it works for me. I also use just plain old Johnson's paste wax on certain small, light colored projects. I also like shellac. I have the Flexner book and it seems excellent. I plan to study it closely but haven't gotten to that "project" yet.

Those are my thoughts anyway. Enjoy your time in the shop!

Fred

[Alan Lightstone]

I had a rule (and still have, I guess), that I would alternate one shop project for one outside world project. Certainly at the beginning, the shop cabinets, drawers, jigs, etc... came first, and that's how I started to learn woodworking. I took great care in those first projects, and yes, they weren't FWW magazine material, but they still look good in retrospect. And then, my outside projects started getting better and better. And I've just about finished with a massive workbench that shows that shop projects can be important learning experiences too.

I learned a lot about finishing from reading Jeff Jewitt's book, but far more from going to Charles Neil's woodworking course (RIP Charles - great, talented guy). Being able to listen to an expert and try everything in person on different equipment was incredibly helpful in learning finishing. Of course, with Covid-19 that's on the back burner for a while, but there are some great books out there on finishing, building workbenches, bandsaws, wood boxes, shaping wood, marquetry ... I could go on forever. I've got a bookshelf full of them, and reading them has made me better at woodworking.

But mostly, it has been getting questions answered, and advice from the incredibly talented, diverse people on this forum. I don't want to name names to embarrass people, but this site is a treasure. I try to post to pay back when I can, but I sometimes feel like I'm a AAA pitcher called up to the major leagues compared to some of the talent around here.

[Brian Runau]

I started out building my shop cabinets while I laid out and installed the ductwork etc.. Every one got better. I went from a mortiser to the domino and glad I did. Same function, easier and much quicker. I build stuff I want for our us and agree finishing is a learned talent and we can always improve this skill. practice practice practice. brian

[Bob Riefer]

Bob, it sure sounds like you are doing the right things. You should post pictures of a project or two for us to see.

Well, I'm a bit shy to post, but you're right... it will probably help with getting advice. Definitely welcome constructive comments (but please be kind :-)

I've included a smattering of things I've built within the past year ranging from simple outdoor chairs through more "refined" options (at least for my skill level).

I *think* these pics will show that I can do the basics with some level of competency... thereby proving that my next goal (finishing) makes sense to pursue. What say you SMC?


Great tip on Jeff Jewitt... I'm going to add those videos/books to my Flexner learning.

And, I'm happy to hear that there's not any "that's cheating" vibe around tools like the Domino. The "simple bench" above used all mortise and tenon, and I was able to get all joints to a nice fit on the first try... but damn was it time consuming compared to what Domino would have been.

[Frederick Skelly]

Well, from the pics above, it sure looks to me like you have the hamg of things! I think they all look good!
Fred

[Jim Becker]

I have taken to scale drawings whenever possible. I buy rolls of 36" wide white paper. When I am drawing things out I can think through joinery, know my measurements, think about cutting order..... Also, this works for me because I draw satisfaction from a well done drawing.

ps - sorry about the pun. couldn't resist.

Yes, I sometimes draw things out first, either on the computer or sometimes on a piece of .25" MDF if I'm in the shop. Sometimes, a drawing isn't enough, however, so I go the partial or full prototype route just to be sure things are copacetic.

I did draw a humorous conclusion about your pun, BTW...

[Dave Mills]

Love the smores drawer, Bob!

[Bob Riefer]

Love the smores drawer, Bob!

:-) It's a serving tray actually (although the angle does make it look like a drawer, there's an identical black walnut handle on the other side too). This one goes to my folks as a Christmas present, currently in transit in fact.

My dad instilled in me a love for campfires when I was young. We always had a cool spot in the back yard to toast some marshmallows.

My parents moved from my childhood home years ago and a cobbled together fire pit just wouldn't fit the scene. For dad's birthday this year, I got him one of those "solo stoves" (stainless steal, low smoke, and you can put it away when not in use) and they love it.

So, it was only natural to build a "S'mores Caddy" so they can enjoy a treat at their next fire.

The main frame is cherry from a tree removed from my property, and the black walnut handles and "building/staging" area are also from a tree we had to remove years ago. The bottom is black locust cut from a post that was left over from when we split railed the yard.