Mistakes

[DogwoodTales]

pfft! ... I never make mistaks

[AgGEM]

All I do is make and fix errors.
So it seems......

I have learned to embrace it.

Co worker says, " If you are not making mistakes, you are not working".
Good words to work by.

I NEVER get after subordinates who error, as long as their hearts are in the right place.
At least I try not to.

Ag

[gMike]

You don't learn much if you never make a mistake.

[jteneyck]

Of course mistakes happen, but I try very hard to make as few as possible because nothing good happens after a mistake is made.  It costs time and usually materials to fix a mistake.  Design modifications sometimes work out but often require modification of many other parts to make it work. The hard part for me is deciding what the best course of action is after I make a mistake.  Do I chuck the piece and make a new one, do I try to repair it, or do I do a redesign?  The answer, of course, is specific to the case at hand, but in all cases you are already wasting time and brain power.  The only easy answer is if I'm building something for a customer and the mistake will, in my opinion, detract from the finished product, I go back as far as required to make it right. 

John

[BubbaGus]

A long time ago I worked with a great, kind, patient and very talented guy. Harry Fox. He was an expert cabinet maker. I always tried to be perfect around him because it seemed to me that Harry never made mistakes. I would get really pissed when I did make a mistake. One day I was once again mad at myself. In a very gentle manner Harry said: "Dennis, it's okay. It's only a mistake if you can't fix it."
BTW, Harry was also a holocaust survivor. What a great guy.

[goaliedad]

A guy I have been working with is fond of saying " I am not perfect. The only perfect person was crucified"

[sawdust703]

pffft! ray, I'm bettin' you make mistakes but operate on a no tell system.

When I was trucking, professionalism & perfection was an expectation of the driver. If you couldn't live up to that, your trucking career was goin' to be short. And, what happened on the road, stayed on the road. I still live by that cree today in my wood working. Being self taught, I probably make more mistakes than anybody. There's alot I don't know, but want to learn.

Most of my work is scroll saw & lathe work. Even with 25 years experience, I still make customized firewood. Some projects, mistakes are easy to hide, others ruin the complete project. Failure. That's what it's about. The learning process is a long, sometimes painful journey. But I have learned something from every mistake. Whether it be expensive wood, barn wood, or just lumber store pine.

Last Christmas, I was commissioned to make a very intricate cross for some local folks. The project took several saw hours, & had lots of fragile pieces cut into it. When I finished it & notified the folks it was done, they came to the shop to get it. The husband took a look at it & asked his Mrs what she thought. She said it was amazing work. Beautiful, she remarked! The husband looked at me with a smirk on his face, & said how did a crippled up ol' truck driver get into this, & how many times did it take you to get that cross right? I looked at him & said well, when my Sawbones told me my truckin' days were over, I got deeper into wood working. And it took one time to get it right. His grin disappeared, they paid the bill & left. Since then, they have been return customers. Mistakes can teach you, or harm you. It's all in the mind & hands of the craftsman.

[KyleD]

Mistakes are life's greatest teacher. If we never stop learning it only follows that we will never stop making mistakes. I have always tried to follow the "never stop learning" part of this. Learning can follow many paths whether it be more complicated woodworking projects, trying on contrary views to understand others, schooling, etc. Sometimes this gets turned around; a mistake puts one on a new path sometimes for better and sometimes for worse.

[daddo]

Boy, you guys are a mess. I do make mistakes once in a while just you you guys don't feel so bad. You have no idea how isolated it makes one feel to be perfect all the time.  You may thank me for my sacrifices.  

[DogwoodTales]

mistaks