What vexes you?- Question of the Week

November 26, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Question of the Week 

This week’s question comes from Rock. He writes:

I’m curious to know if even after all these years of woodworking if there’s still an area of it that vexes you? Say a joinery method, a finishing technique, etc.?

And here was my reply:

“Hey Rock. I wouldn’t say anything in particular vexes me at this point. There are things I have yet to “master”, but its mainly due to a lack of trying. For instance, I would like to master the use of bench. But I probably never will since I rarely use them. Usually, the biggest obstacle I confront is my own laziness. Sometimes, I will make a stupid decision simply because I am in a rush. And believe it or not, this is something that many woodworkers fight on every project. Learning to slow down and give each part of the process the care it deserves is the real trick. So for me, its not a lack of skill/knowledge, but a tendency to fall short of the maximum quality I know I am capable of. ”

Comments

9 Responses to “What vexes you?- Question of the Week”

  1. RJ on November 27th, 2007 6:40 am

    ummm ditto what Marc mentioned!!!!! Over the last couple of years I think the biggest reason why the quality of my woodworking has increased isn’t because of the new tools or handy jigs but mostly my ability to slow down and think about what I am doing.

  2. Victor on November 27th, 2007 8:48 am

    Isn’t that true for all activities in life. I get in a rush and tend to cut corners. Woodworking helps, meditatively, to slow down and pay attention to the project at hand. I still have much knowledge and skills to learn and your site is so helpful, thanx for your efforts on our behalf, please keep up the great work.

  3. Mike in St. Paul on November 27th, 2007 9:06 am

    I laughed out loud when I read: “Usually, the biggest obstacle I confront is my own laziness.” I resemble that remark!

    I know that my biggest problem is fear. I fear screwing something up, so I never push myself like I should. I’ve heard you say, Marc, that you need to push yourself if you ever what to get better. I need to stop looking at these things as challenges and look at them more as opportunities to learn. I can’t get better if I never practice!

    Thanks for yet another shop lesson!

  4. noodles168 on November 27th, 2007 9:17 am

    And I thought I was the only one. I find I have to continuously remind myself to slow down, due to my impatience to get finished. Of course this my one and only human failing. ;-))))
    Noodles

  5. Roger on November 27th, 2007 10:28 am

    Marc,

    What specifically do you want to master in your use of bench?

  6. Brad Nailor on November 27th, 2007 11:35 am

    Mike, I am with you…I always fear screwing up, especially if you have alot of work and money invetsted in a piece. Sometimes I wont even attempt building something if I am not sure it will come out perfect..that’s combining fear with obssesiveness! As far as rushing through projects, I find I feel like I am always rushing even if I don’t need to be. Lately, I have been making a conscious effort to take my time and double check things before I leap…and take time to actually enjoy what I am doing! Maybe we all get so ramped up about how nice a project will be when we are done we want to rush to the outcome!

  7. Quentin DeWitt on November 27th, 2007 11:52 am

    I just read a killer book called “The Nature and Art of Workmanship” by David Pye. It is out of print and a little tricky to find for a reasonable price, but it is absolutely worth a read. I am a musician by trade, woodworker the rest of the time and I had never found anything investigating why and how we do what we do. This book has some heavy concepts in it, but it speaks directly to this week’s question.

  8. Steve on November 27th, 2007 6:05 pm

    Hmmm, overcoming the things I was taught wrong, for instance….

    Today I successfully ran three 12 x 18 end grain cutting boards thgrough the jointer and got one surface smooth on each board. I was told you could never do that!

    CHALLENGE EVERYTHING!

  9. schmeab on November 27th, 2007 7:18 pm

    when ever i feel the need to hurry on a project whether due to the boss looking over my shoulder or i just want to get the thing done and on its way to the finish room i remember what a fine craftsman once told the owner when he wanted a project done NOW…” “so…do you want it done right or right now?” i find its easier to do it once than once more. not to say i dont take the shortcut and then pound my head on the bench in remorse. i am after all a man and according to the love of my life incapable of not messing up at least once a day.
    schmeab

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