A hair pulling "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO" moment !!!

yep, that truly sucks, but how’s that song go, “sounds like life to me”.

I’ve felt your pain, and having been a male child likely caused plenty of the same pain to my father. Whether it was the first time you wrecked your dads car, or twisted and delaminated his handmade bow, or was fighting with your brother in the house and slammed him up against a drywall wall and busted a full 6 foot by 6 foot section out of the living room wall. Or maybe it was the time your kid left one of your power tools out in the rain and you didn’t notice it until it was ruined or any of a myriad of other of lifes “catastrophies”.

Maybe none of these compare to a lost labor of love of the magnitude you’re talking about but it sounds like no one got hurt and you still have enough hair you can pull some out :). Pick your blessing where you can, even amongst the wreckage.

Oh I agree coloradoclimber My daughter knew how much I loved this piece…and I could tell by the look in her eyes as she told me what happened that she was really upset. It was a accident and no reason to make her feel worse…hence the “Don’t worry about it” I told her and her friend.

I couldn’t “Vent” to her…so I am cutting loose here…lol

-- Don S.E. OK

Don, I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of such a piece of work! I wish we could have seen it. I had a similar disaster to a cherished piece happen in much the same way. One day I am determined that I will do it again, only add in all the “20:20 hindsight” I learned from the first go around to make the second one even better. I haven’t tackled it yet but I intend to.

-- Jim Sollows --- Langley BC Canada --- www.sollows.ca

Thats true Jim….while at the moment…he thought of losing it makes me sick to my stomach…I have already been thinking of ways and styles to make a new one. At lest the chess pieces survived the “Crash”

-- Don S.E. OK

Greatly feeling your pain, and your loss over here in LA. Maybe it’s fear of these moments that keeps me from ever making anything really beautiful and elaborate. I hope gluing it back together will work better than you expect.

-- Gary, Los Angeles, video game animator

don this is when you go to the store and get a dozen dounuts, and some chocolate milk and watch your favorite movie…..of coarse i understand your feelings…almost every piece of furniture in my house has been made by me…ive thought about what would it be like if in a storm or fire.i were to loose it…..it would be hard , but at the same time..its just stuff….and of coarse your a good man and didnt loose your temper on your daughter or her friend..very admirable….they can learn from this too…they can see the value of a person and there feelings is not worth a piece of furniture….and she knows how much you loved it….just watch and see now what becomes of this….now as long as you can vent here and i can here your nooooooooooooooo…all the way in alabama..i know how you feel…..you can find a way to use what you have into another project…...just put it away for now…and move on into your projects…and think on it…you will have a idea come that your happy with and it can be even better then it was before…..maybe into something that when seen…makes everyone laugh…....grizzman

-- The Grizzone

Heartbreaking. Seeing something you spent so much time and effort on being broken is a terrible feeling. Hopefully you can make a new one you like even better.

-- You're a unique and special person, just like everyone else.

uuuuggghhhh….

it really depends and is up to you, but another option is to salvage that piece in a picasso sort of way – keep the broken pieces broken, but make it functional, in the form of an art exhibit (yet functional) ... this will add another aspect to the history and the story of the piece in a positive way, as opposed to trying to fix it to it’s previous state, but never really forgetting the tragedy in a negative way…

just a thought… I’m not a big fan of accidents…

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

I’m sorry to hear about it. You certainly handled it right though. Kids can really do damage to your favorite possesions. MAybe this little story will cheer you up at least.

When I was 2-3 yrs old my family didn’t have much money (so my dad was trying to save some money by doing some automotive repairs/maintenance himself. While the car was on ramps and my dad was under it, I was “helping” him. Apparently, my idea of helping was poking a screwdriver through the grill and ruining the radiator coils. I guess his savings went up in smoke pretty quickly.

Now I know its not the same as a handbuilt masterpiece. I just figured it might make you laugh.

Ouch!!! That has to hurt. There’s nothing worse than to see all your long hours and commitment to a project go down the tube so quickly. Not having seen the piece, I would urge you to repair it. I know at this point your frustration probably says noooo!, but maybe as time goes on, you can be a little more objetive. I’ve done lots of extensive repairs over the years—-Maybe, just maybe, it’s not quite as bad as it seems, and even if it is, it might still be worth the effort.
I feel your pain—-wish I could physically help you with it.

-- Kent Shepherd * The goal is-----More Tools!

Thanks for the kind words everyone !!!!

And HokieMojo…. It did make me laugh, and like coloradoclimber did…you reminded me of ALL the hair brained stunts I pulled as a kid myself. Your story reminds me of one very close to yours. Like you..we had no money growing up…but my Dad was and still is a true craftsman…he could fix,make or build anything…and I wanted to be just like him….I was ALWAYS trying to fix something by taking it about (and had NO idea how to put it back together lol) always leaving his tools laying in the yard only to be found later by a lawn mower or after a hard rain.

But the icing on the cake was his truck….like your dad, he never hired a mechanic and did all of his own work on the ranch…he had just bought a engine for his pick-up truck from the salvage to replace his old one…and I was “Honored” because he let me help him put it in…(I was around 6…so I got to hand him tools…lol) but when it was all done, the next day I still wanted to be a “Mechanic”...so I lifted the hood…climbed up on the fender and messed with everything….when I got done I put the hood back down and went off to play.

The next morning he got up to go to work…got in in truck and took off. About 20 min later he showed back up with a mangled hood on his truck…Seems I did not shut the hood hard enough to latch and when he left it was still to dark for him to notice….when he got off the dirt roads and hit the paved roads and got up to speed….the hood flew open and wrapped around his roof top !!!! To say he was mad would be a mild understatement.

He was mad at “Himself” because he thought he had screwed up until he got to looking under the hood and saw all the Little things I had messed with like the air-breather being loose etc and came and woke me up asking if I had been playing on his truck.

So…thanks for the reminder guys…if my kids had done HALF the stunts I pulled as a kid…wll…lets just say I would have NO hair to pull out by now lol.

-- Don S.E. OK

Wow … try gorilla super glue, I won some in a lumberjocks contest and have found it to be a life saver

-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever

Kent…thanks for the offer friend…you may get a package in the mail..lol

-- Don S.E. OK

wow, sounds like a beautiful piece, I’m sorry to hear about it’s unfortunate demise. I pulled many a stunt that made my Dad’s hair turn grey. :) (and ruined many good tools, usually his best chisels)

Kent.. I keep asking my wife to come up with better projects so I can get more (better) tools. Ha!

-- National Sarcasm Society; Like we Need your Support

Pictures of the disaster please ;-)

-- My signature is awesome.

Pictures of the disaster please ;-)

You just want to see me cry don’t you…lol. I will try to take some pics and post them.

-- Don S.E. OK

Pics added.

-- Don S.E. OK

AAAAAAGGGHHH!

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

Sorry to hear about your problem Don. I guess we have all caused a few problems when we were younger, and we have lived to a ripe old age where we get to see the wonders happen to others.

I also think that the piece should not be restored but put back together as an explosion piece with all of the parts seperated. You can then spend your free time making something better with a hook to hang it up when not being used.

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

OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I can feel the pain Don. Sorry about the mishap.

-- Jerry--A man can never have enough tools or clamps

too painful to comment…......my condolences

-- Dave/Resrep

LOL…Thanks guys…I know…the pics just made it worse :(

-- Don S.E. OK

Oh, Man! The Horror….the Horror….
Nice job though. And I mean keeping your cool especially, THAT took a lot of restraint…
Those pictures are painful…

-- Mike in Manchester, NH---Unpleasant tasks are simply worthy challenges to improve skills.

damn that sucks

-- kosta brownsville brooklyn my home

damn that sucks
Kosta….that pretty much sums it up lol.

-- Don S.E. OK

Yeah Don ur a good man…it was beautiful…so you lock the door to your office now huh?

-- Measure twice, cut once then go get more wood

i am sorry that your beautiful work was destroyed…...as a carver and artist, I know what you must have felt like when you saw that it was destroyed…........I would say almost like having the breath knocked out of you. You handled it so well, much better than some of us would. I know that you will figure out a way to salvage or to incoprorate it into another work of art, as only a specail artist like you would do.

Robin Renee’

AKA…..............Woodchic

-- Robin Renee'

my heart aches at your loss … and bravo for your self-control and empathy.

now.. that first picture? Sure looks like an amazing piece of art to hang on the wall. So, if it doesn’t go back together, glue all the pieces together, such as they are in that first picture and hang it up. I think it looks amazing.
(and it sort of looks like a broken heart -which is what you must be feeling when you look at it)

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

Thanks Robin and Debbie....I may do that…for now it is in a box in my finishing room. Maybe when I get caught up one the paying jobs…I will see if I can save some of it and use in something else.

-- Don S.E. OK

Don, OK, I’ve seen the pictures now, and I still say repair it. You have too much of your time——and yourself invested to just trash it. Take it a little at a time. You’re not on a deadline here.

To the Flea, How do you eat an elephant?—-One bite at a time.

It’s not hopeless—Git-er-done!

-- Kent Shepherd * The goal is-----More Tools!

LOL….I agree Kent. As I said…I am in the middle of some commissioned work…so for now, it will go to the back burner. Once I get caught up I will bring it back out and figure out what to do with it.

-- Don S.E. OK

I actually forgot to comment on this when i originally saw it, i think you did the right think as a Dad and just bit your tongue pal.
BUT i have always thought things can and will be done better. If i paint something i always look at it and think, hell – if had done that it would be so much better.
The second and third time around always end up the more complete piece, wether if be woodwork, canvas, cooking a nice sauce / steak marinade ;-) or boxing.
Go straight in and make something even better mate, you’ll love it even more and this will become one of those stories one day to tell your grand kids

-- Believe in the power of one - Evan Tanner