Overeager- anyone else with the problem? (Rant, with capital R)

[charley1968]

Hi folks
I'm an intrested amateur in the wonderful world of woodworking. But i found i have , like a lover, a bit of a problem with overeagerness.
Case in point: i woke this morning, being off, to a beautiful, sunny day of woodworking. I was going to build a couch-table.
After 4 hours i had my coffee and was planning the underwork of the table. I hadn't done a drawing but i thought i could measure the angles off my workpiece. After 10 minutes i got going again,i was keen to try a 'new' technique: an angled lap-joint , done by router and rail. Meanwhile i was still thinking angles, trying to figure out things. Did the setup on the MFT, did the first cut, which came out alright. Doing the second cut, i felt i hadn't closed the screw for the rail-attachment. Result: the router 'swam' all over the place, and routed right outside the intended and marked area. From then on it got worse and worse.
The plywood delaminated because i decided on the last 2 holes that pre-drilling was unnecessary. A wiser man might have called it a day, but not me. The lap-joints look like shite, the table will stand in the garage instead of the living-room and i'm seriously contemplating selling all my woodworking equipment and taking up Scrabble as a hobby.
Now, am i the only hobbyist in need of tranquilizers or are there other people suffering from the same affliction, namely to try harder instead of easing up?
Thanx for reading. More thanx for replying!

 

[stphnlwlsh]

Keep at it.  It's called woodworking for a reason.  You have to work at it.

Just last weekend I got my MFT/3 and thought I had squared everything up until I started a dry assembly and everything was slightly off.  Now the kitchen work table for my wife is delayed and will be slightly smaller than expected because I'll need to go back and trim up all the edges to be square now that my fence is square.  [embarassed]

 

[jimbouk]

Have you got any pics? It might be what you were trying to do wasnt the best idea or there was something slightly wrong. Or was it purely you were too impatient to set things up correctly..?

 

[charley1968]

I think it was just me being impatient/unconcentrated. I was thinking angles at the same time while setting up the table. Might have been a bit tired as well , because i had already worked four-five hours with only a short coffee-break. I don't think i did something systematically wrong, because i had figured out the correct angle and the first cut was spot-on. But then i failed to lock the knob on the router, so the rail-attachment was free to move laterally (and boy, it did..). That was a clear miss, but i had it identified. After i did the cut. What i wonder: should i just have left it at that for today. I'm no pro, not on a time-table so
Next time i'll extend my coffee-break to at least half an hour. And i noticed this trait in me before while woodworking: very concentrated and awake while things go well, but changing my attitude to 'hu gives a f..k' when things go slightly wrong. But this creates an enormous amount of ( and quite unwarranted at that) frustration in me.

 

[jacko9]

When I start a project that I'm not quite so sure about, I'll use scrap wood and do a practice run to work out the kinks.  One table design I did had some complicated clamping jigs required so I made the entire practice table out of some extra maple and it came out so nice that I kept it and every day I see it I'm astonished that working with no pressure (because it was only scrap wood) the table was extremely handsome.

James Knenov stated in one of his books that I read decades back, that if your going to try to make a hope chest for your very first woodworking project make for "small hopes" we all make mistakes.

I also learned very early on to make each piece of wood as far as reference face and orientation after I glued up a baby bed and took off the clamps to see that it was as crooked as could be because I mixed up the parts and rushed the glue up.  I beat that thing apart with my mallet with great frustration and made it over completely.  I learned from my mistakes (sometimes over and over again). Keep at it and your successes will temper your mistakes.

Jack

 

[Acrobat]

I feel and understand your frustration. Been there done that. I too have a tendency to get it nearly finished and all going perfectly, then rush to finish it and make a mistake or two and end up with it 80%-90% of what I would have gotten if I just stopped for the day or had a break for a bit instead of continuing in the hope I can stand back and see it finished quickly in all its glory. But it's a habit I find hard to stop! I just can't leave well enough alone sometimes!
[wink]

 

[NYC Tiny Shop]

Eveyone has their stories of router mistakes. Keep trying, keep learning, keep working.  Time and patience will bring rewards.

 

[RKA]

What you're describing are classic signs for me to step away from the power tools and anything else that will kill or maim me!  I've made enough stupid mistakes in a tired state to know I will most likely hurt myself and screw something up which will cost me more time to fix.  Better to approach a task with a clear mind.

 

[Kev]

Making trial assemblies is key to quality work. Most of the complexity involved is usually a matter of determining set ups, etc. Make your mistakes on scrap and you're not "making mistakes" you're refining your techniques!

I'm rubbish as a craftsman, so I need to boil thinks down to a repeatable process. I think there are truly very few wood artists, so we should never feel bad about imperfections ... just treat them as learning.

 

[Stephen B]

[size=11pt]

I agree that it is often best to step back, even just for a minute or two.

Regarding try outs, the problem I have is that the first time is often the best!

And if you ever want to cheer yourself up regarding the quality of your work, go to a mid - high price range furniture store selling medium to high volumes.

 

[dltflt]

I have been there more times than I care to admit. My best advice is take your time work through the process before you starting cutting and if anything goes south on you just walk away for while or the rest of the day if need be.

 

[jacko9]

Keep in mind that fixing mistakes is a learned art.  While making a large display cabinet when I first got started I realized that I started a dado slot in the wrong location and that a lot of effort was going to be waisted.  I decided to take a contrasting wood slot with my name engraved on it and glued it in place as a signed piece.  The customer was very happy at having a fancy signed piece from the "so called craftsman" who almost really screwed up [embarassed]

Jack

 

[Stephen B]

[size=11pt]

I think another problem we face is that modern tools (not just Festool) raise an expectation of perfection. Look at many examples of vintage and antique furniture and you will see quality hand crafted results, but not necessarily the results we expect when using modern tools, fittings and techniques.

Eg. Hand cut M&T compared with Domino.

Then there is the problem that expectation can be too far ahead of ability and/or experience!  [blink]

But then having a go is 'usually' part of the enjoyment, at least for a DIY/hobbyist.

 

[wow]

What you're describing are classic signs for me to step away from the power tools and anything else that will kill or maim me!  I've made enough stupid mistakes in a tired state to know I will most likely hurt myself and screw something up which will cost me more time to fix.  Better to approach a task with a clear mind.

This ^^^

 

[VW mick]

I've had to redesign a few projects over the years because of the router

I remember once making a jig to router a letter box in a solid oak front door must have added the 9mm for the guide bush twice when I routed it out the letter box went straight through the hole !!

I made a small bead and fixed it around the cut out and fixed the letterbox to that .didn't think I'd get away with it
Thought new door !!

The first thing the client said when it was all finished was .I like the way you did the letterbox never seen one done like that before lol

I was always taught it's not a mistake it's how you get over it

 

[wow]

I've had to redesign a few projects over the years because of the router

I remember once making a jig to router a letter box in a solid oak front door must have added the 9mm for the guide bush twice when I routed it out the letter box went straight through the hole !!

I made a small bead and fixed it around the cut out and fixed the letterbox to that .didn't think I'd get away with it
Thought new door !!

The first thing the client said when it was all finished was .I like the way you did the letterbox never seen one done like that before lol

I was always taught it's not a mistake it's how you get over it

There's an old adage that I often quote in situations like this:

"If you can't fix it, feature it!"

[big grin]

 

[Sparktrician]

What you're describing are classic signs for me to step away from the power tools and anything else that will kill or maim me!  I've made enough stupid mistakes in a tired state to know I will most likely hurt myself and screw something up which will cost me more time to fix.  Better to approach a task with a clear mind.

My gunsmiths have a great rule.  When things just don't seem to be going right, they just knock off for the day rather than screw up a customer's instrument.  I've adopted that rule for my own practice. 

 

[suds]

I think a lot of us are guilty of "completing projects" and while we have some of the greatest tools we look at them as a means to complete as many projects in as short a time as possible.  While many, if not the majority, of the members here are true professionals and time is money in their world, amateurs like me need to learn to enjoy the process and not worry about how many projects we complete.  I found that I really enjoy working with wood and I enjoy working with precision tools.  Even though I am a complete amateur and really not a good woodworker at all, I just enjoy the time spent in my garage cutting, sanding, drilling and shaping wood.  Especially if I'm using any of my Festool tools.  I guess after 70 years you learn that it's the journey not the destination.  So, my best suggestion to you is to slow down and enjoy the experience.

 

[Sparktrician]

What you're describing are classic signs for me to step away from the power tools and anything else that will kill or maim me!  I've made enough stupid mistakes in a tired state to know I will most likely hurt myself and screw something up which will cost me more time to fix.  Better to approach a task with a clear mind.

This ^^^

My favorite gunsmith has a very good rule that he lives by.  If he's tired and frustrated with a job, he closes up and goes home rather than risk screwing up a customer's piece.  Makes good sense to me, especially given the high quality of work I associate with him. 

 

[adugas]

Sorry but I laugh when I read this as I had similar experiences.
The most frequent was 3 weeks ago I pick up a second-hand (used) MFT table, it was well used and cut up bad on the top and bottom so I had just replaced the top and was happily going to start enjoy working with new like new purchase and
started working on cutting parts up for a mock up of a commission credenza.
On my big table( not MFT) I knock the 1/2" sheet goods down to ruff dimension and then went to cutting 8/4 stock that was going to use for live wood ruff edge trim. After that I set my MFT to start final cut and squaring of the panel immediate after the first cut I realized I forgot to adjust the depth of saw!! I ahd  cut right thru the new MFT top, virtually cutting it in half, only the screws where holding it on as it started to sag in the middle. I was mad as H$@#, but when your only one standing in the garage you got no one to blame.

How you like them apples Festool expensive enough wait until start wrecking your own stuff then its way more fun  [tongue]
Cheers