Just to make everyone feel better...

[Ken Weaver]

Temperature in the shop finally got below 90 yesterday so I went out to get the boards for my flag case project to the final width and length. Plan calls for 3 3/4" width so I measured twice and promptly cut the first board to 2 3/4" ARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH! Board on the far left is the evidence. I think brain cramps must be part of my genetic make up. So...I went back in the house and watched a movie.

[kwgeorge]

Man! I so did almost the same thing yesterday. I was cutting some Ebony to 3-1/4” in length but there was to end up being a 1/4” long tenon on each end after turning them. So what did I do? Well I cut the first piece to 2-3/4” long! I was standing there looking at the piece and thinking DUMMY!

Sometimes I think we even out smart our own self’s especially when we are thinking of the next step before completing the one we are on.

Ken

[Ken Massingale]

Dang! Must be a Ken thing. I pulled one yesterday myself. Completed a Purpleheart/Padauk box with Padauk hinges and broke one of the hinges forcing the brass pin through the holes. *&^%$#@!~

[bmyers]

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. I bet you nailed that 2" 3/4's right on the money too right??


Bill

[Ken Weaver]

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. I bet you nailed that 2" 3/4's right on the money too right??


Bill

You bet! Right to the gnat's eyelash!

[ejs1097]

Watched a movie? No NYW re-runs? ...Probably a sore subject right now. I learned the hard way when the going gets tough, get out of the shop. Usually I stay mad enough at myself I don't think other things through and make more mistakes.

I've been making several custom edge profiles for a desk build and was getting lots of tearout so I sat on it for 1/2 day and thought the options out. Went against the routing order (according to Porter Cable and Workbench) and produced clean profiles on the next attempt.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Thank you Ken(s). This does make me feel better.

Jeff (who has 12 "extra" pieces of red oak moulding that are awefully short)

[mater]

It is good to know that I am not the only one that does that. I did it on my last 2 projects.

[just4funsies]

break out the board stretcher...

[atgcpaul]

break out the board stretcher...

When I installed some shopmade molding to the tops of my kitchen cabinets,
I got real good at splicing pieces together using a scarf joint. I always get
at least one miter direction messed up and end up cutting the piece short.
I've been error free for 3 months--about the same time I shut down the shop
to pack it for our move.

[sthompson82]

Glad to know I am not the only person with lots of "reminders" in the scrap bin. Recently saw the "plan correction" in Wood magazine for a table I built about 3 months ago. Neeless to say, the correction would have been useful information before i cut the top 2 " too short.

[JBCrooks]

Here's a related problem. I was laying out for the blockwork on my house. I needed to start with a rectangle 28ft. x 48ft. perfectly square. I had my wife hold the end of a 100ft tape measure at the 2inch mark (the first clear mark after the hook), stretched the tape across, and promply placed my mark at the 48ft mark. Took me forever to figure out why I wasn't getting it squared properly.

[cabinetman]

Here's an idea - we start a national organization called Mistakes Annonymous. We could have monthly meetings or in some area weekly meetings, and all gather together and one at a time get up in front of the group and say "Hi - my name is ____________, and I'm a mistakeaholic."



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

[JR]

Gee, I dunno, guys. These are prett run of the mill mistakes. The kind I can make any day of the week!

I made a new one recently, new for me anyway. I was doing my first dovetails on real wood. Got the jig all set up to gnat's behind. Made the first cut -shaweet! Flipped the boards end for end and made the next cut. Not only was the cut on the opposite end, it was on the opposite side of the horizontal piece!

I briefly thought about toughing it out, but quickly deduced that I'd have to be MC Escher to make it work.

JR

[Tom Miller]

I hope you won't accuse me of one-upsmanship, but I believe I have the winning entry. You be the judge.

Before mounting a square piece on the lathe for turning, I figured I'd knock off the corners. So I made the following cuts:



If you'll just hand me my gold medal, I'll be on my way.

Regards,
Tom