Mistakes

[LarryK]

I thought about this the other day and I wanted to share because mistakes happen. The first carpenter I worked for was brilliant,incomparable skillfs at all aspects of carpentry and quick. He wasn't a good business man but he could put pieces of wood together and make them look like they grew that way. One of the first things he taught me was about mistakes. He said everyone makes mistakes it's how you react to them and how you correct them that shows how good you are. I really get tired of when someone doubts my skills because I made a mistake. You can see it in there face when it happens. I'll tell this to them and sometimes they'll agree and sometimes not. At least I know what kind of person I'm with if they don't agree. Thought I'd share this. I know I'm not the only one who cuts a board wrong occasionally.

[jppierson]

Mistakes are nothing more than a design opportunity.

If we were all perfect, we would all be able to raise the dead.

[Steve N]

I really get tired of when someone doubts my skills because I made a mistake.  

I absolutely understand what you are saying about a mistake made in doing woodworking, it's common fodder for part of the discussion here on a frequent basis. That said it is by no means a universal that extends to all areas of life. Consider the family when the Doctor says, during the operation we lost Charlie. I just want you to know that I tried all of the fixes that I know to save him, yet we were unsuccessful......

Everything in life is different depending on situation, circumstance, and the day of the week. We are woodworkers here, so our emphasis is on the doing and getting done. What I am saying is the persons you may do work for are not woodworkers, so they may look at it more like it was Charlie you made the mistake on. So if you can fix the mistake so they never see it, in their eyes Charlie is A Ok. If Charlie doesn't look so good anymore then the good businessman does one of two things.

1) At his expense he redoes whatever was wrong.

2) Bargaining sometimes works if it is a functional mistake, maybe honesty, and a lower charge for services. Always with the knowledge that if the customer isn't thrilled, you are back to #1.

[Paul K. Murphy]

I agree with you. Mistakes, or the making of mistakes does not indicate that a woodworker is unskilled. That notion is widely held, but entirely wrong. Whether or not you or anyone else will be able to convince non-woodworkers is no longer an interesting question to me. Understand, that's no reflection on you whatsoever, it's just that I know it will never happen. People cling to various security blankets, and "denouncing" mistakes is one of them.
If you want controversy, my ideas regarding (what I call) error is controversial. Error is not the same as mistake. A mistake is accidentally making two right legs and no left legs. Error is a piece that is supposed to be 24" that never quite is 24". Superficially, it is 24", but measured to finer and finer standards it is revealed that it is not.
In certain circumstances, I preach DELIBERATE error. That's right, I preach it, teach it, and if I'm in charge I hover like a hawk to make dang sure it happens!
It goes like this: If the 24" piece is the desired piece, if 24" is good, I do an accessment to determine which error will kill us, and which error will be of little consequence. If LESS than 24" will kill us, aiming for exactly 24" is risky. If an oversized 24" is of little consequence, I'll advise going for the 24", but shading towards a larger 24".
I'm sure old salts will know exactly what I mean, but this method will send the tenderfoot into a fit of delirium!

[daddo]

Back when I had a helper, I never made mistakes- that's what I paid him for.

[Gary G™]

I'd say it depends on the situation:
If someone orders a black cherry table with solid, one-piece 12/4 legs (no glue-up) and you buy 4 16/4 billets to make the legs and cut one wrong, the fix is buy another billet.
Sure, there are times when you might make a mistake and be able to overcome it; other times, you have to remake parts and/or backtrack.

[Robert Adams]

Mistakes are nothing more than a design opportunity.

If we were all perfect, we would all be able to raise the dead.

Yup. You come up with new ways to do things when you make mistakes or you are trying to make do with what you have on hand.

[Cecil]

It is actually cheaper to make mistakes.  Most mistakes are avoidable.  However, the number of checks, and check lists which need to be in place are cost prohibitive for one-of-a-kind runs.  Think of the check list a pilot runs through.  Also think of the fact that a co-pilot is checking his/her checklist.  As an IT person in manufacturing, I do a reasonable amount of work with quality systems.  We put a lot of money into mistake-proofing.  However, the cost is divided out over 10's of thousands of units.

Note, even though we avoid most mistakes, some are still made.  That is why there is a warranty cost line in the ledger.  Guess what day of the week most mistakes are made !  For me personally, it is the day ending with a "y"

[RonL]

It has been said you can tell how good a woodworker is by how good he/she hides their mistakes.

[YSU65]

The only person who does not make mistakes is a person who does nothing.  

I have done the 'in-process design modification' when possible - or just band saw them when they are really bad.  Just be careful with expensive wood. Make a prototype first.