Poll: How good are you?

[vaking]

I am not very good as a woodworker so external plans I use for technical ideas. Esthetics usually comes from attempt to keep with the style of something I am looking at, I have few books about furniture designs and proportions and at the end it is my better half who makes adjustments to my sketches. After the initial sketch is done begins technical design and that is where enginering background helps.

[boblon]

I don't consider myself a very skilled woodworker, even though I tend to attempt challenging projects. I usually grade each project I make in two areas, design/form and quality of workmanship.

I usually give myself very low grades in workmanship (60% - 70%) because I know that the joinery could be better and how much I had to fudge it during construction due to material that was not perfectly jointed or square.

Although I usually make out alright, and everybody I show them to thinks I'm too hard on myself, I think I am just being honest and it will lead to my continued improvement.

BobL.

[davidtu]

I think my posted forum questions speak for themselves.


And, I am a big user of Sketch-up... for me paper is something that comes out of a printer and a pencil is something I mark wood with.

[RodKirby]

Definitely "pencil and paper", and...

80% "planning" - initial, and throughout the construction.

[TheRic]

Definitely "pencil and paper", and...

WHAT!!! Say it ain't so, Rod!

Are you just trying to be modest, or are you saying those pictures are not your real work shop, and just a model of one!

[big tim]

I voted " I start with a piece of paper and, etc, etc. "
What I realy do is make scale drawings using a relatively simple cad program called "QUICK CAD". I've been doing a lot of work on the interior of my boat and that means measuring 6000 times(nothing is square, parallel or at a particular radius). Using the cad program, which I enjoy working with almost as much as the woodworking, allows me to scale thing out to see how things are going to fit. If the project is a bit complicated I make planview as well as cross section drawings.