like said in previous posts, this is not an issue with woodworking projects, but with the human nature in general. we sometimes get fixed on something and it leads us on a curvy narrow road away from our main path. Happens! (to all of us sometimes in less, sometimes in more stressful moments) the beauty of it though, that unlike a robot that excels at repetitive work, we are able to turn around and get back on track.

Interesting insight. IMHO, when you lose functionality, the project becomes sculpture, not furniture. That’s not to say sculpture does not have value in and of itself, but it is a completely different animal than furniture. Being what the lawyers refer to as a “useful object” is a necessary part of being an example of furnituremaking.

Part of being a mature artist in any medium is knowing when a piece is finished, and even more so, recognizing when you’ve worked past that point and be willing to back up and re-examine the work, or even start over from the beginning. It’s a whole lot harder to do than it sounds. Sometimes that’s the ONLY way to determine when a work (design) is finished and sometimes it has to be done multiple times. But in the long run it’s always worth it.

Sounds to me like you have a really good handle on it. Good luck with the piece!

Definitely something to be said for form following function not vice-versa. Keep on trucking. PS, the walnut EC was a pretty nice project. I enjoyed watching the series over at FWW.

You need practice woodworking like I do. Start with a clean slate, grab some very expensive wood, make a small box (when you really wanted to make a chair), and practice cussing in as many languages as possible.