Sewing Table #6: Stupid Stuff and Serendipitous Solutions

AH the AH Sh* time. Thats shucks ya know.

Good recovery I think. Isn’t it good for the soul to fess-up to screwing up. – Not.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

These kind of trials makes us better woodworkers. It’s coming togather nicely, cant wait to see the finished piece.
Jim

-- A duck that brags on his own pond, soon swims alone.

looking good so far. i have those some moments where i look at it and say oh #*%&. like when on the sugar chest i cut the drawer fronts too short and didn’t have enough material for new ones. had to glue a strip of wood on the back of it to extend it. looks fine but i spent a good hour steaming around the shop wondering what to do. thanks for the post!

Blake,
I have been there before. Your solution to add a bead is ingenious. After the initial panic you realized that there is almost always a solution. In Lieu of a rasp/ file and plane you could use a router and a flush trim bit with a template to square up the opening. Then just chisel the corners square…just a thought.

-- Brian, Folsom, CA http://www.brianfullerdesigns.com

Blake,
Been there and done that before, and I am sure we are not the only one. The sign of a true craftsman/woman (I want to be PC) is his ability to cover up his/her mistooks, I mean mistakes.

-- Brian, Lebanon PA, If you aren’t having fun doing it, find something else to do.

Blake,

Thanks for the update and being brutally honest. I do have to admit that some of my coolest ideas and design features came from fixing “mistakes.” I believe problem solving and creativity are synonymous. I am anxious to see what’s next.

-- My favorite piece is my last one, my best piece is my next one.

I think the bead will be a nice element and add to the finished piece. Great recovery! What are you thinking for the bead? A darker species maybe?

-- Jeff, St. Paul, MN

Woodworkers don’t make mistakes——we make variations.

I like your variation. Frustrating to deviate from the original plans—- but the possibilities for solutions are many and it sounds like you’ve come up with a good plan.

Can’t wait to see your progress.

-- Betsy - GO BUCKS!

Happens all the time to me.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Starting to read this blog, I was formulating possible sollutions to your problems, but then you answered each of the problems your self as I read on.

As Betsy said “Woodworkers don’t make mistakes——we make variations” so very true.

Keep up the good work, your doing a grand job.

-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)

Fun post – the honesty and willingness to share in the ups and downs (and back ups) is great.

This sewing table is going to positively scream!

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

BFD: So simple… I hadn’t even thought of using a router and template. I guess I can do that now since I’ve got the extra room to work with. Perfect! I love it.

-- Check out my new website! http://www.theeasellife.com

Excellent recovery, er … design modification. I’ve heard it said that mistakes make opportunities and looks like you took full advantage. Good work.

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

Blake thanks for sharing both the successes and set-backs on this project. We all have these type of moments and it would have been easy to simply omit the drawers but instead you turned the situation into a nice opportunity to add an interesting design element. Nice recovery.

Well done.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

Hey Blake,

We’ve all been there and done this. No shame in making mistakes – we learn more from them than from successes. It’s how we solve the problems that is valuable.

Your design is very nice and I bet that the addition of the beading around the drawers will work very nicely.

Keep up the great work!

-- Mark, Webster New York, Visit my website at http://thecraftsmanspath.com

Man, I hate those moments. We’ve all had our share.

Don’t worry your not the only one that had that happen most of us don’t talk about it you did a good job thanks for sharing….I love your design

So much for people NOT reading the blog, eh, Blake? Resaw some veneer off of the drawer front and make a sunburst pattern. This will give similar, but not continuous grain, will add a neat effect, and make it look like you did it on purpose. Just a thought. Or start over.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

I was reading this, and I think you’ve got an excellent example of why it is such a good idea to post, even if you are kicking yourself. I was thinking how tough it would be to clean up the cuts you made when I saw BFD’s post. It sounds like he is going to save you some headaches. Also, it sounds like a few really good alternate solutions too.

Regardless of what you choose, this place is an excellent resource for getting more insight. I’m sure this is gonig to be an awesome project. Keep up the great work!

As always, the difference between good woodworkers and great ones is the ability to hide your mistakes. Great solution to your dilemma….and it will give your piece an extra classy look with the beaded draw fronts!

-- Women love me.....trees fear me

from Dictionary of Woodworking Terms:

mis·take /mɪˈsteɪk/
–noun
1. an opportunity to put one’s skills to the test
2. an opportunity to embellish

—Usage note: “Solving a mistake is often anticipated with distaste, performed with reluctance, and bragged about forever.”

-- If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, who will cut it up into bowl blanks?

What a fun post to read. I always look forward to that “No, it can’t be true!” moments. Part of the thrill of designing and building your own stuff. Kind of like bungee jumping.

Steve

-- Stevethepeeve -- I'm no rocket surgeon

Blake,

It is these moments that will bring out the best in you. Believe me, I have had things go wrong and if I could not make a creative recovery it would have meant the loss of thousands of $$$$ in time and material, at least enough to buy a really good used car.

Excellent design, excellent work so far, and a most excellent creative recovery.

Good luck.

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