You Can Do It

[cabinetman]

I read some of these posts and replies that are directed to some type of woodworking that is thought of as "being beyond that persons skills". That piece your looking at didn't happen by itself. Someone had to try to do it. There was more than likely a learning curve or mistakes involved in doing something for the first time, but so what. That's the fun of this craft. There's no such thing as failure.

What I'm suggesting is that whatever you don't think you can make, just look at a finished product, or plan a project, and start out on paper with all the basics. Your thinking will include a basic theory of what you will have to do to have it turn out the way you want. It's all the steps, right from the beginning as to all aspects of the project. This includes material you will need, tools, and a table top or floor to make it. It's a progressive method that will take you from start to finish, as long as you keep an open mind. Back in the olden days, before the internet and forums, woodworking was a craft that for the most part was self taught and trial and error was the teacher. The fun part is seeing the project come together no matter how involved or how bad it was. My first handcut dovetails looked like a child did them with the toy tools in the plastic toolbox. They got better with practice. It's taking the final desired project and saying "What do I have to do to make it". Then getting started gets you going. If you think you don't have the correct tools, there are a lot of alternate ways of doing procedures.

Don't sell yourself short in what skills you think you need. Go ahead and try. There is plenty of help here to answer questions or guide you through. Skills will happen.

You will surprise yourself.



"I'M NEVER WRONG - BUT I'M NOT ALWAYS RIGHT"

[JoeyGee]

Amen to that. As the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I think most people suffer from too much information, and too many "how to" articles and get intimidated before even starting. The worst that will happen is that you'll ruin a piece of wood, but that's what practicing on scraps is for.

[linear]

Spot on, cabinetman. I personally have never built anything that I thought was within my capabilities. You just ask yourself, "what new skill or technique is necessary to make this work," and set out to acquire that, using scrap if need be.

[LinuxRandal]

A new bumper sticker

Skills happen.

As for one who you have probably read, skills do happen, confidence is learned by doing, for some of us, the only real problem, is time.

[Pappy]

I was taught early on that the difference between a crafstman and a hobbiest is the craftsman can hide his mistakes so noone else knows they are there. You learn from anything new and only fail if you don't try.

[onedash]

I think experience means you don't have as many scraps when your done.
Most of my scraps aren't from mistakes but from poor or no planning.
I decide what I want to make and usually try and scribble some sort of plan on paper but thats usually just when I have to make multiple pieces that are the same size and I want to make sure they are the same size.
Most of the time I get a part done and decide to make whatever next and grab the smallest board possible that I can get it out of. I think that kinda screws me sometime. If I knew the size of all my parts before I started I could use the calculator and waste less wood.
But nothing ever turns out according to plan anyhow. So something might be a little shorter or narrower than it should have been and hence the "hidden" mistakes.

[MilDoc]

I think most people suffer from too much information, and too many "how to" articles and get intimidated before even starting.

Now that is the truth! I've only been enjoying woodworking about 18 months. After looking at lots of web sites and reading lots of books, I was more confused and intimidated than ever! (and still am on some things). But, I've learned by doing and asking, and created some wonderful firewood and a few projects. But now I generally get straight cuts, don't mismeasure (much) and have fun.

[onedash]

created some wonderful firewood

Those scraps sure can put out some heat can't they? I think lyptus is better than coal....

[niki]

I think that I’ve seen it at the “Apcot Center” (spelling?), Disney World, Florida:

“If you can dream it – you can do it”

And when I was in the army, they told as:

There is no “I cannot” – there is “I don’t want”

niki

[lcm1947]

A timely post for me Niki. I am planning on building my first piece of furniture which will be a coffee table for my married daughter that needs one. Course I've been planning on getting it started for about a month now and keep putting it off because I know it's way over my head experience wise and tool wise but this post makes a lot of sense and kind of challenges me so I plan of starting it tomorrow. Good post.