skill perspective

[Harold O.]

My customer needed some simple shelves for her closet. With some scrap plywood, I made the three shelves in about an hour and thought about how sometimes woodworking is very involved, takes time, and requires a lot of tools/skill/patience. Sometimes it's a fairly straightforward task like these shelves. A couple of pieces cut to size, a little glue, and some nail gun action. 

I shared this story with my friend at Guitar Merchant (next door). He shook his head and said, "If I needed something like that, I would have to get a whole sheet of plywood and struggle over how to cut the pieces and with what tool. I'd probably cut them three times and crooked, keep wondering if I had the right sized nails, and kill an entire day. Then I'd be mad every time I saw them in the closet, knowing it wasn't straight and my banged finger still hasn't healed."

[nodima]

Amazing what one takes for granted sometimes.

[TomFromStLouis]

You make a good point Harold. 

This is part of the reason why I refuse to take commissions but will do favors (which is exactly what I say to people). The favors requested usually come in manageable bites like your closet project and everyone is happy.

[Lynden]

KISS is an acronym for "Keep it simple, stupid" as a design principle noted by the U.S. Navy in 1960. The KISS principle states that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated; therefore simplicity should be a key goal in design and unnecessary complexity should be avoided.

[Admiral]

When they handed out the mechanical genes, my brother was in the wrong line.  He is totally, and I mean, totally, useless.  We rent out our deceased parent's old house, and we have a division of labor.  He is in charge of rent collection, tax paying, all the financial stuff.  When the toilet needs fixing, electrical, replacing cabinetry, building a new back porch, well, that 's my job.  He always volunteers to help, and sometimes I need a helper, but its just that, holding stuff and lifting stuff, but I'm ok with that.  Plus, when anything goes awry at his house I get the call.  He can't imagine how I deal with all these things, but hey, he's my bro, and I'd do anything for him, and do.  I just got in the right line, I guess!

[EdL]

I enjoy it when a quick, easy & simple project like that comes along.......think about it for a minute, then head for the lumber rack.

Sadly, they are few and far between.

Ed