Why do I bother ?

Very well said Woody.

-- Brian's Table Top Toys http://home.mountaincable.net/~bgraham/

I agree with what you said MrWoody. I have often said that we learn more from our mistakes than from our successes. If we don’t try then obviously we do not make mistakes but this “safe route” does not let us grow and expand our abilities either. That is the real goal in not only woodworking, but in life in general.

It is difficult to try something new because of our level of discomfort. But with practice comes improvement and ultimately success, however we define it for ourselves.

So many tools, so many new techniques and discliplines- After seeing the post that you and others have put out I want to try them all.

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

agreed :)

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Amen. Preach it, Brother. Through this site there are opportunities to see a wide variety of skills and techniques and the real joy is being able to pick and choose which I like and want to learn. Ain’t nobody here telling anyone “go away you’re not good enough”, instead they’re all saying, “come on along, we’re here to help.”

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

this is the place where I am awed…not dismayed…I love the fact that there is sssoooo much to learn…and we learn when we are inspired…I have a looooooong way to go…but I also know I will get better…I love the fact that we have Pro’s, hobbiests and new guys like me that barely knew how to use a screwdriver when we started…I actually get out in the shop more often and this “hobby” has become more then me…I want to share while I learn…

-- Matt, Napa, CA...119 days to sanity...

Well said MrWoody, in my woodworking career I did a lot of things that some said couldn’t be done. I did it only because no one told me I couldn’t. Had I been told that it couldn’t be done before I did it I may have given up thinking they were right.

-- Jim Marshall Chattanooga Tennessee

Hello MrWoody,

Ryan’s project is a perfect example of what can be done when one puts his/her mind to it and lets the creative juices flow.
I think the important thing here to remember is that, we as woodworkers are all on the same road to discovery; we are just travelling in different lanes to get to the same destination.

Beauty has always been in the eye of the beholder and like all woodworking projects, one should look to them for inspiration and motivation not as unattainable. Be encouraged by the work of others not discouraged into giving up.

All the best
Gord

I absolutely agree Gord :). I am consistantly awestruck by other’s work, and find myself asking “How did they do THAT?!?” pretty much daily….which generally leads to “How can I do that?”...which leads to “Can I do that differently?”

The 2X4 table was a product of what I call “Geurilla Woodworking”...no plan, no tape measure, just an idea and a chunk of wood, built completely by “feel”. In fact, until it came to the angles for the top pieces, numbers never came into the equation.

Every woodworker has different skill-sets and vision, and the wonderfull part about the WW’ing community is that you can draw on those attrributes and utilize them to improve your work…....and an almost unhealthy level of stubborness doesn’t hurt either ;)

Cheers everyone,

Ryan

-- If you can't set a good example, at least serve as a horrible warning... www.rarewoodcreations.com

So I take it we ALL agree that we shouldn’t say why bother.
Rather let’s give it a go, if the first doesn’t work the next one will.
Thanks guys for all the comments.

-- If we learn from our mistakes, I'm getting a fantastic education.

Hi MrWoody,

Yep, you nailed it. Now let’s get at it.

All the best
Gord

I completly agree folks and like I tell my kids….never fear trying something….some of the greatest works, greatest inventions came from people who weren’t even trying to get what the ended up with, and didn’t know they even had that talent. Never fear, try new things, and you never know :>) Besides if we all made the same square boxes how boring would that be???? Yuck! We don’t do this because we bother with it…we do it because we love to create beautiful things with wood….{SMILE}

-- Jim Hallada, Chesterfield, VA

I had to go look at your project history to try and figure this all out. I think you’re referring to “RonH’s” comment over your locomotive…I would take that as a compliment in a way, but I guess it could’ve been worded better. I think he’s not going to bother to try, because he’ll never equal your caliber…but you really don’t know what you can do until you do try. I’ll probably never need to steam bend a 2×4 either, but it’s cool that now I know how!

By the way, I really like your work! Keep it up! Someday I might need to build a train and it’s nice knowing I can look you up for advice!

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

I agree totally. Sometime when I enter a piece into a contest. I wait until the end, because I want everyone to get the juices flowing and not see mine or someone else’s and say well that’s better than mine so I’m not going to enter.

These contests are for everyone. do you best and keep practising. It’s all in good fun anyway. We are now getting some nice prizes. The first one was a t-shirt so we have come a long way Baby.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Dadoo, I took RonH’s comment as a compliment, but I’ve heard “I could never do that” more times than I can count.
When I started woodworking I used butt joints on sheet goods and nailed moldings to cover the edges.
That was a long time ago. I feel anyone can learn the skillls, so they too can hear “I could never do that”. ALL it takes is the desire to learn new skills and practice, practice.
Karson, ask away. )

-- If we learn from our mistakes, I'm getting a fantastic education.

Challenge yourself. The only way that you’ll know your true limitations is by giving up. By challenging yourself, you never know what you’ll achieve.

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

Ditto Mr. Woody. There are no failed projects—just future kindling for fires.

-- Genius is immediate, but talent takes time.