# If I Only Knew Then What I Know Now...



## Cricket (Jan 15, 2014)

What are some things that you have learned over the years that you wish you would have learned sooner?


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

#1-#10. Patience


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## SirIrb (Jan 12, 2015)

Buy old machinery and restore it. Cheaper, more fun, you know the machine inside and out and its whatever cool color you want.


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## Racer2007 (Jan 13, 2011)

For Woodworking-Measure Twice Cut Once and Always use the same Tape Measure for the whole job.

For Life - the list is way too long.

Monte , what is this Patience stuff you are talking about ?


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

It's better to learn from others' mistakes.


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## TravisH (Feb 6, 2013)

Take time to enjoy. So little really matters.


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## bonesbr549 (Jan 1, 2010)

> Buy old machinery and restore it. Cheaper, more fun, you know the machine inside and out and its whatever cool color you want.
> 
> - SirIrb


What he said ! +1


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## smokie (Dec 29, 2012)

Family is all that really maters. Having said that I should have had a bit bigger one.


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## jumbojack (Mar 20, 2011)

Square


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Buy more handtools, fewer power tools.


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## cc3d (Feb 26, 2012)

old(er) people are wise and their advise is invaluable.

Now that I am an old(er) person

1) wish I would've listened more 
2) know that youngin's ain't paying attention to my advice no matter what!


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## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

> Buy old machinery and restore it. Cheaper, more fun, you know the machine inside and out and its whatever cool color you want.
> 
> - SirIrb
> 
> ...


+1.
I have more fun restoring old machine than using them afterward


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## Racer2007 (Jan 13, 2011)

> old(er) people are wise and their advise is invaluable.
> 
> Now that I am an old(er) person
> 
> ...


Chris , Refer to comment number 1 and you will know why comment number 2 is true. 
I had and have the same problems.


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## Hinge (Oct 11, 2013)

Speaking the truth pisses people off.


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## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

"Speaking the truth pisses people off." 
Amen


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## Daruc (Apr 20, 2015)

I woud hav went'o colledge!


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

I wish I would have listened to my parents more than I did when I was younger….After all, they had already been where I was headed.

I was taught to be frugil….I taught my childern the same thing….They are doing alright…..


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## SirIrb (Jan 12, 2015)

Anyone who starts a "what ts should I get" thread, listed to what all the cool kids are doing.



> Buy old machinery and restore it. Cheaper, more fun, you know the machine inside and out and its whatever cool color you want.
> 
> - SirIrb
> 
> ...


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## MLWilson (Jun 28, 2015)

*When Dad says, "Put a shim in it," that can mean any number of things.* Mostly it means, I think, think outside the box. In my case, yesterday: he says, "Put a big washer in there to get it away from the thing it's rubbing on." (The spinning impeller in my dust collector.) There is now a 7-1/4" buzz saw blade doing the job. Yeah. A really big washer. The arbor hole was the right size, and the blade keeps the impeller from flexing against the housing.


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## ksSlim (Jun 27, 2010)

Learn it, do it, teach it, and its yours forever.


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## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

I wish that I had started taking courses sooner (or also that LJ were around earlier)... that I could have accelerated my skills by leaps and bounds versus struggling to be self taught.

Sometimes being shown things - is worth more than taking several months of trial and error (and often is more safe)


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

If I'd have known I would live this long, I would have taken better care of my body!


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## bobkas (May 23, 2010)

> If I d have known I would live this long, I would have taken better care of my body!
> 
> - gfadvm


Me too.


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## BurlyBob (Mar 13, 2012)

In my law enforcement career, one of the may things I learned is that, you cannot deny anyone their God given right to totally screw up their lives!


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## splatman (Jul 27, 2014)

You can build your own clamps out of wood.
Sources of free wood are not limited to demolition sites, construction scrap piles, pallets, and the occasional illegal dump site.
Dozens of woodworking channels on YouTube.
Deck screws are better than drywall screws.


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## TTF (Sep 13, 2009)

To be kind. To forgive easily. To see the best in others.


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## sawmillman (May 21, 2014)

I would have gone to trade school instead of college.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

Use my GI bill to get my college degree back in the '70s and '80s instead of getting it almost 30 years later.

Do more woodworking and home remodeling when I was younger.


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## bearkatwood (Aug 19, 2015)

I would have liked to know how to get the sharp edge on a tool like I know now. I think mostly I wish I had followed my own likes and not used others designs to influence my own so much, but it is what it is. ("Good design is little more than selective thievery." Robert Lang) I wish I had the courage to "give it a go" and do that daring thing to put it all out there and see what happens.


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## 280305 (Sep 28, 2008)

I wish I had tried harder to learn to play musical instruments. I should not have let those few years of accordion lessons from a Catholic nun killed my enthusiasm!


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

If I could remember my younger days, I would have contributed to this; damn!


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## RobS888 (May 7, 2013)

> Speaking the truth pisses people off.
> 
> - Hinge


Your "Truth" doesn't piss people off, the truth if delivered rudely pisses people off.


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

> I wish I had tried harder to learn to play musical instruments. I should not have let those few years of accordion lessons from a Catholic nun killed my enthusiasm!
> 
> - ChuckV


 Chuck….I learned to play 4 different stringed instruments when I was younger, starting at the age of 10…In college, I got 2 degrees…one in Drafting technology, and the other in Country music, with a minor in bluegrass music….I put that one to use, as I had a semi-pro band, and played in others for years….


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## artsyfartsy (Mar 25, 2015)

Instead of using the exact amount of material (wood) for a project, use extra. It's better to have a lot of scrap wood after a project than none and have the project turnout crappy because you scrimped on wood.


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## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

Great thread!
For me its drawing. Especialy 3d drawings are super dificult to get right. I like to design my own furniture and some sort of drawing cuts down on prototyping a lot.
Did croquis drawing for a while but not enough that it stuck.


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## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

"Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups"


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## Ghidrah (Jan 20, 2015)

1. I wish I had known about and bought the book "A Framing Guide and Steel Square" when I 1st got into framing.
2. I wish I had been able to find and learn the trade from a "Mechanic", math is everything and in general the majority of framers don't know enough. Many don't know why they do the things they do in the trade, outside of that it's what they were taught and it's close enough. Most of us are taught by people who are less than fully qualified to teach.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

Go slow, it's faster.


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## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

> "Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups"


Good one!


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

I'd like to have the years back from when I was 15-25 years old. Water under the bridge tho. Also, totally agree w/Monte.


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