Woodworking, Carpentery, Remodeling, et all...Lessons learned... How not to... #1: Humbling lessons, Mistakes made...

Screw drivers are not chisels and chisels are not screw drivers.

-- Dusty

When installing windows be sure the right side is up. This makes it much easier to close the window and it also keeps it from falling out.

-- Dusty

Well, Dusty, that’s pretty profound there, but as I’ve learned in the past 2 years, is that this here learning curve never ends, and as much as I’d like I cannot tell another how the movie ends. And although great advice is helpful, as soon as you mention the chisel/screwdriver issue, somebody is sure to try one in place of the other.

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

never clean your glasses, safety goggles or any other lens with a dry cloth.

they scratch the lens

Duh…

after replacing my second set of 300 dollar bi focals you would think I would learn this one.

-- Dusty

When you install underlayment on the floor be sure that the furniture(cupboard) will fit under the ceiling when the new floor is in. I wound up with only 1/2 inch above Carleen’s cupboard when we put in the new floor.

-- Thos. Angle

Obi ,

You are are so right.

I never stop learning, but I doubt I will or could live long enough to make all the mistakes so perhaps I can learn from others and have some fun along the way.

By the way, great to hear from you again. Its been a while. I”m sure you have been busy like myself.

With all the growth of this web site it is impossible to keep up with all the posts.

That is a good thing however.

:)

-- Dusty

I’ve learned that the old adage of “just get a bigger hammer” if something is not going to fit/work is really not the best thing. Things break using this method and then are you are back to square one.

I’ve learned that those who try to sell women “women’s tools” that are pink (!) really don’t understand woman who work with their hands. (I better get off this one or I could be here all day.)

I’ve learned to laugh when late at night a friend calls and says the toilet that the plumber installed is not working properly and came I come take a look. So I go, after all what are friends for? I get there and find out that not only did he replace the toilet that was cracked but the supply line as well. It turns out the “problem” was the water was not turned back on – he must have been a hurry and figured she’d know how to turn it on. Well after chuckling and rolling my eyes—- I bent down and turned on the supply line and in came the water. End of story right? WRONG! No leaks, the bowls was well seated, etc. I quickly found why the plumber did not want to turn on the water. He knew that the original plumber who built this house, and I can’t imagine how he did it, but he plumbed HOT water to the toilet tank. So I guess even professionals make bone-headed mistakes from time to time. She ended up living with the hot water for a day or two until we could get the original builder to come look and decide that he owed her a few hours of re-plumbing.

From this story I’ve learned to look over the shoulders of any workman I have at my house doing something that I know how to do, but cannot do for one reason or another. The job will be done right before they leave.

-- You can't get a hug from Facebook.

1. Planning is not a substitute for mistakes, but it does help minimize them.

2. Rushing will almost always yield mistakes (like when I milled the groove for a run of box sides 1/4” lower than planned).

3. There’s always time to think things through before doing them, but there is not always time (or money) to redo things if you haven’t thought them through. (Can you say: Christmas projects never completed?). I’m trying to learn the “think twice” mentality: figure it out, then pause and think about how you might have gotten it wrong. It’s a tough habit to form.

-- Rookster, (http://www.robertkarl.org/woodworkingblog/)

When cutting stile and rail cuts on your door sides. make sure that the correct side is up. On router tables the back side should be up.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

When doing veneering. There is the condition of having too much glue.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

When putting Tenons into mortises there is the condition of having too much glue.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

When putting dowels into dowel holes there is the condition of having too much glue.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

The flip side is not enough glue or glue that is beyond its expiration date or improper for the application your using it for.

-- Dusty

You cannot reuse dried glue by adding a little spit.

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

Murphy’s Law applies to woodworking as well.

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

The planet is round, therefore nothing is square!

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

Never “confess” your dumb mistakes to your woodworking buddies…they will never let you forget it.

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

I’ve seen the likes of 20 large prefinished wardrobe cabinets lined up to go on the truck, only to watch them all fall like dominoes.

I built a bunch of doors one time that looked curiously short after i got em all together. Turns out they were supposed to be 6’-8” instead of 68”.

I’ve seen maybe 50 of the little flip doors for trash receptacle cabinets come back from the sign carver. Only to discover they said “PUHS” on the front of all of em.

I’ve done pricing on jobs and failed to notice little things about the drawings…..Like EAST WING SIMILAR!

I was called to a medical office job once where the owner complained about poorly cut edges on adjustable shelves. Then i discovered the problem was our installers needed to shorten them a little, so one drove the truck around the parking lot while the other sat on the tailgate and ground the shelves down on the pavement.

If theres a screwup out there, i’ve either done it or seen it!

-- miles125, Alabama.."Architecture is frozen music""

Just because it is a “caulk gun ” doesn’t mean that is the only only thing that can be in it. check what is in it before using. Liquid nail makes for a poor caulk substitute. It also is a bear to clean out out cracks and up after improper use.

-- Dusty

Mirror clips are not to be over tightened. They need to be pre-drilled and care when installing them

A mirror is glass.

Glass cracks when pressure is applied on a small area.

End of story.

-- Dusty

Same thing goes for glass lampshades. When I was young, real young, I had replaced my first lightbulb in a hallway lamp. So when I put the glass shade back on, and noticed the shade bolts had a phillips end…Well, I didn’t want it to fall out ya know? Dad wasn’t too happy.

A better one though was done a few years back. We had an alabaster type hall lamp that is real nice lookin’ but had a gold toned base. So I lightly sanded it and painted it flat black so it matches the black iron decor we love so well. And…eventually the bulb burned out. Guess what? The paint had softened in the heat and firmly glued the shade in place…and it cracked when I tried to get it apart!

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

The only thing a dull blade cuts is yourself.

Trust me on this one.

Ouch.

-- Dusty

Don’t work when you are too tired…or you will get to rest up at the hospital.

-- Greg - Charles Town, WV

Never try to catch a falling chisel….the only thing you will manage to do is cut yourself. It always easier to reshapren a chisel than to pay for an emergency room visit.

-- Greg - Charles Town, WV

Never work a drill press with gloves on….an army buddy lost a finger doing this one.

-- Greg - Charles Town, WV

Lable your parts….I can’t tell you how many times I have cut up a piece I had already cut to length and put in the wrong place, unlabled. It only takes a second and can save you minutes of frustration.

-- Greg - Charles Town, WV

When taking apart a tool to repair, don’t do this on a work bench with saw dust on the bench or floor.

This makes it hard to find those small screws that neither fits your Phillips screw driver your using and have just striped out anyways when it falls off the supposedly magnetized screw driver.

This screw is the adjustment screw used only on that model of your favorite router which is no longer available for sale and parts are not readily available any longer.

-- Dusty

Have you ever noticed how, architects try to hide the specs to confuse the bidder!
Never pull a blade knife toward the hand that you are holding the box with.
Have you ever had your hand to close to what you are holding shot with a nailing gun ? OCH !!
On the drill press issue. I know someone that managed to break his fore arm when the glove he was wearing caught.

-- Gene, a Christian in Virginia

Gene,

Your comment reminded of of the rule “never put a utility knife “or any other blade for that matter, especially if it is retractable in your shop apron facing up.

Ouch

Band aid please.

-- Dusty

Even if the tool comes with a 1/4 inch book of warnings and safety instructions written in seven languages and is further complicated by a large staff of lawyers it is still a good idea to put the guard on your 4” grinder.

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

test fit…..be it joints or the large shelving unit going behind the stairs be fore it’s fully assembled.

-- Adrian ..... The 11th Commandment...."Thou Shalt Not Buy A Wobble Dado"

A man working from experience.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Measure.
Write it down.
Measure.
Mark.
Test – lay the piece as close as you can to where it will go.
Measure.
Verify your measurement against what you wrote down.
Cut.

Curse when it doesn’t fit.

-- To do is to be

There is a reason they sell rather inexpensive metal plates ( called stud plates) that are easy to install to protect plumbing pipes, electrical wire ect.

The time to repair a leak isn’t when the wall is finished and painted after sheet rocking.

-- Dusty

The pressure required for burnishing a scraper is not much.

Applying more than the required pressure for burnishing a scraper is dangerous.

A piece of stationary metal meeting a moving hand is only slightly better than a stationary hand meeting a moving piece of metal.

DAMHIKT ;)

-- Rookster, (http://www.robertkarl.org/woodworkingblog/)

Miles: I love the story about shortening the shelves. Just goes to show that clever and intelligent aren’t the same.

I’m still laughing at the image of them driving around the parking lot scraping the shelves shorter…

-- Rookster, (http://www.robertkarl.org/woodworkingblog/)

There is good reason they tell you in the Directions printed on the can of stain “to apply to an area out of site so you can see what it will look like”

learned this one the hard way …on cherry… the finished top….

that one still hurts

-- Dusty

Dusty: just took a trip to a friends shop yesterday, and he was showing me stain samples he had made. I never would have thought of it, but he actually used parts of the same board that were NOT on the piece and noted what the stain color was. In his case he was using a dye and then shellac. He actually dyed AND built up shellac on each sample so he could see how it would look in the finished project. Now that’s dedication and forsight.

-- Rookster, (http://www.robertkarl.org/woodworkingblog/)

Make sure that the space (top to bottom) for your dishwasher is 1/2” longer than the space from your new floor to the bottom of your counter top or be prepared to build a new countertop.
DAMHIKT.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Rookster,

Thats great.

I learned the hard way also. when I was working on perfecting my 12 Step mission Staining Process, that is what I did also.

However< i admit I haven’t always nor do I always o it the right way ever time.

I guess I deserve what I get for results then don’t I ?

-- Dusty

There are NO short cuts in sanding, or the finishing process.

Stain, Paint, dye or what ever does’t hide flaws or blemishes it highlights them.

Period,

-- Dusty

Beforee useing the top of your Delta Unisaw as a work bench ( or any other saw top that has wood or for mica for that matter) when drilling be sure you have enough wood under the piece your drilling into so it doesn’t drill into the top of your table saw.

Duh….

How dumb could I be…. ( only one layer of wood is all I had).

-- Dusty

i’m still laughing at the truck/parking lot strategy. Absolutely brilliant!! Gotta love “out of the box” thinkers.

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Never run your bare hand over a table top that you thought was “finished sanded” unless you were the one who did the sanding…. even then think twice about it

can you say slivers?

-- Dusty

Painters and finishers are….lets just say….Notorious. I used to work with a doozy. You give him a sample to match, and if he was having a tough time with it, he’d SAND THE SAMPLE DOWN and refinish it too! Heyyyy looks perfect to me…Lets go with it! LOL

-- miles125, Alabama.."Architecture is frozen music""

speaking of stain …..

never open a gallon and set it on the window ledge of an egress window to do touch up with new off white carpet installed… its amazing how fast a gallon of stain is soaked up… when it is tipped over

-- Dusty

Miles .. you have the most interesting stories to tell!

Dusty .. ouch re: stain :(

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

No matter how painful it is or how many languange the directions are written in or how hard it is to find or read them, you should read them.

Some where in that mess – hidden- is a picture of single line that could of saved 4 hours and a huge headache.

Oh I so hate reading those things.

However, I am learning.

The hard way.

-- Dusty

ALWAYS double check the math and don’t be afraid to verify dimensions on plans. Just because it “SHOWS” on the plan it a certain dimension doesn’t make it so. Plans contain typos and just plain math errors.

If something doesn’t seem right it there is a good chance it isn’t.

If you have a hunch or suspect something go with your gut. Proof there work. Verify. Challenge the plan.

Also, never be afraid to change something or a construction method that you might find easier or more familiar with. There are several ways to accomplish the same desired result.

Plans are just that, plans or guides. Results are the end products of a plan, and will affected by the quality and accuracy of those plans.

-- Dusty

About 30 years ago in my first house we had a huge unfinished basement and I built my first woodworking project there.
It was a dog house for our German Shepard. I built it to last forever 2×4 insulatd walls, siding, shingles, the whole nine yards. Just to make sure that it would stay dry and no drafts I not only used framing nails but also liquid nail.
I was really proud of that dog house
I’ll bet it’s still sitting in that basement. LOL

-- Ed - Milan, IN

Ed – that’s hilarious. Quite the indoor dog house you built.

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

I had a friend who built an airplane in his basement. He dug out a bunch of dirt and removed about three courses of block to get it out. It flew really nice.

Ed,

You certainly made my day with your story. I broke out laughing. Not so much at you but “been there did that”.

My experiences were about the same except it involved a large armiore and a solid oak stair way. I even wrote a blog that experience.

You certainly brighten my day, thank you.

-- Dusty

Back in my younger days, when I used to be a framing carpenter before I went into the Army. We used resawn lumber for our roof decking. This was basicly a 2×8 ripped in half. Now it had a smooth side and a rough side. The rough side goes up. I had another guy working with me who didn’t know that. Smooth wood and sawdust don’t mix. I was making the final cut on a gable end when I discovered that I no longer had any traction….so down the slippery slope I went…circular saw in hand. It seemed like slow motion, I tossed the saw as far as I could just as I came to the eve of the house. Thank God they had just delivered the sand for the bricklayers….I landed on a nice fresh pile. The saw was broken, I wrenched a knee and the owner of the company fired the guy and had him leave before I could throw my 22” framnig hammer at him.

-- Greg - Charles Town, WV

I seem to have installed a cabinet against a wall with a pocket door in it. The “studs” which I did find where only 3/4 inch deep…not deep enought to keep my 2 1/2 inch screws from making sure the pocket door will not open. Luckly the door was paint grade.

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

Dennis,

Your not alone in this little mishap, your experience jogged my memory about something similar.

I was installing new sheet rock over a old plaster wall l (3/8) and drove a sheet rock screw into the pocket door that lay behind the rock. Of course the pocket door wouldn’t close now because the sheet rock screw was holding it in place.

After I finally figured out what I did ( of course the wall was finished) I backed the screw out and pulled the pocket door open.

One problem, there was another sheet rock screw that barely went through and when I pulled the door open of course it scratched the door the full length.

Hows that for a daily double of dumb boned headed moves?

Duh!

-- Dusty

After finish sanding the inside of a drawer; try to resist the urge of sticking your head in it and blowing the dust out. Unless you want to cry for awhile.

-- Jeremy, Saratoga, NY