The Most Important Step... - THE UNPLUGGED WOODSHOP TORONTO

So, you messed it up.

Maybe it was a jewelry box for your better half, or a side table for a friend.

A dovetail or an inlay, the micro bevel on a plane iron.

You didn’t get the start you were hoping for. (Peyton Manning)
You thought it would be better.

You broke it.
You forgot to.
You meant to do the other thing.
You wish you hadn’t…
You wish you had.

You missed the boat.
You forgot the plan.
You failed the test.

Does it really matter?
What’s done is done.
So, now what?
What are you going to do?

The most important step?

[inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=””]The most important step is your next one-[/inlinetweet]

make it count.

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11 Comments

Daniel Zehner on August 17, 2015 at 8:49 am

Reviving an old post, I know, but this is a great reminder. Over the weekend I screwed up a board I was dovetailing by cutting the pins on one side in the opposite direction from the other (lesson learned: ALWAYS draw the cabinetmakers triangle on a piece before cutting it! And never talk on the phone while doing layout.) After a string of four-letter words, I picked myself up and said “Ok, how are we going to recover?” Then I cut off all the pins on that side, re-cut the joint, and now the cabinet is 3/4″ shorter… But it will still serve its purpose, look great, and only I will know!

tom on August 19, 2015 at 6:51 am

; )
Cheers~
Reply

Rick on February 17, 2014 at 4:03 pm

I think that this topic could well be one of the most informative for wood workers: The Latest Mistake I Made and How I Fixed It. This could be a regular column here or in some publication. Just my 2 ¢ worth.

rick on February 10, 2014 at 4:06 pm

I decided to square up some endgrain on quarter-sawn white oak. I grabbed my fav jack with an edge I sharpened late the night before. I noticed ‘fluff’ coming off the wood but didn’t think too much of it and kept going. The edge was gaining the nice burnished look when I realized I had advanced the new LVT cap iron instead of the blade when I put it back in. The cap iron edge was chewed up and wrecked. My first instinct was to freak out, but I didn’t. NOW WHAT? WHAT’S DONE IS DONE. I took it to the sharpening stones and went to work – a lot of work. THE NEXT STEP? Not to do that again, enjoy the fact that I don’t have to spend another $30, and go and get the endgrain squared up…. thanks for the inspiration in words and wood.

tom on February 4, 2014 at 12:29 am

Thanks for the comments guys,

they’re very much appreciated!

Cheers~

Bryan Robinson on February 3, 2014 at 10:53 pm

I come here for inspiration and once again you offer something relative to my woodworking! Thanks again for inspiration!

David Gendron on February 3, 2014 at 4:28 pm

Indeed… And it is what life is all about, making and other step!!

“Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…and it’s all Small Stuff ”
Richard Carlson.

Cheers

Jim on February 3, 2014 at 1:59 pm

I make cabinets professionally. It seems like every time there’s an issue, of any kind, everyone wants to know who’s responsible. We are all well trained from childhood to look for a scapegoat or to throw up our hands and say, “Not me.” More time (and therefore money) is spent tracking down the guilty party than correcting the problem. I’ve learned to say, “It doesn’t really matter.” I know the homeowner didn’t do it (And/or would never admit to it if they did. And I’m not going to accuse them.) So, we’re going to take care of the problem. If that let’s you off the hook this time, that’s great. Remember it. Next time it will be someone else who needs to be let off. Let them go. And let it go. Move on. We aren’t detectives. We’re cabinet makers. There’s no money (for us) in finding the guilty.