# Question Of The Week... (2014 Week 27)



## ripjack13

Howdy,
This is a weekly series of questions topic for everyone to join in on the discussion. Some of the questions may have a poll, and some will not.

_Don't be shy now, go ahead and post an answer__*....*_


*Would anyone be willing to share stories of their own woodworking mistakes? *
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**Rules**
There is no minimum post requirement,
primates, woodticks and leprechauns are welcome to post an answer.
And of course the  too....


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## Brink

Momas vanity bench.
She broke the wrought iron leg off, wanted me to weld it. Green hammered finish, and a lovely upholstered cushion. 
So while she was at work, I made a new bench with mahogany salvaged from a nearby Frank loyd wright house.
I didn't allow for the aprons + legs, making it too large for the cushion. I quickly made a new cushion with some left over vinyl and foam from a car job. 
I covered the mistake by telling her she'd be more comfy on a bigger bench.
Well, need I say the rage I endured for that one.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 4


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## Schroedc

I built a cabinet to fill in the space where our chimney used to be in the dining room, built the case and completely forgot to subtract for the face frame and trim, ended up with an absolutely gorgeous piece that was too big to fit the hole in the wall. Can you say sawzall time? ended up having to notch the studs in back and widen the hole to make it fit.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Brink

I made this picture frame for a family member. I milled just enough lumber for it.




Problem was, the ogee is on the inside. There wasn't enough material to cut the rabet for the glass and backing.

So I flipped them around and used the last little bit of frame to correct it.

Reactions: Like 3 | Way Cool 1


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## Brink

I made these veneered, curved front drawers with inlaid dovetails. 
As soon as I was finished, Moma Brink informed me I used ash instead of oak.

Reactions: Like 2 | Funny 1


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## Brink

Do I get a prize now?

Reactions: Like 1


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## Kevin

Brink said:


> Do I get a prize now?




* CLICK HERE TO REDEEM PRIZE*



​

Reactions: Funny 4 | Way Cool 2


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## woodtickgreg

Well today I was building walls and cut a 2x4 exactly 1" to short. Oh and believe me, I make my share of mistakes I just cant remember them all. I have cut mortises in the wrong spot, cut dadoes on the wrong side of a board, cut dovetails on the wrong side of drawer parts. I make plenty of in process design changes. LOL

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 2


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## Kevin

woodtickgreg said:


> Well today I was building walls and cut a 2x4 exactly 1" to short.



I don't know why, but when I make a miscut it is 1" too short 99% of the time. It's because I misread the tape obviously but why can't I misread it it as too long? I'm glad you fessed up I thought I was the only one that did that.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 3


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## duncsuss

I attempted to turn a thin-walled vessel (vase? tall skinny bowl?) today.

"How thin?"

Let's just say that I don't have to worry I might have left it too thick. I'd only hollowed about half the depth, so I can cut it down and try again. Then throw it away and start over on another block (this is what I wanted some "utterly boring non-flame box elder" for -- I really need to practise!)

Reactions: Like 3


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## Mike1950

Bummer!!!


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## duncsuss

Mike1950 said:


> Bummer!!!


In the grand scheme of things, it's really not too bad. If it had been primo FBE or burl, I might be upset -- but I knew I wasn't going to get this right the first couple of times I try it. I've learned a couple of things about judging wall thickness, and one of the warning signs that I've just gone too far (if I can figure out the warning to "stop right now and you'll be okay" rather than "you blew it, that was too far" I'll be really happy!)

Reactions: Like 2


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## Kevin

Here's my latest one. I had set this wall mount shadowbox I'm making for my nephew aside for a while, and I came back last night and made the frame. Sits nice and flat and has perfect miters that mate up 99% perfect with the box. Except . . . .





..... I didn't allow any inset for the glass retainers. I routed the rabbet the exact depth of the glass thickness. Even if I use very thin retainers the lid would still not sit flush. I have to now rerout the rabbet and take a little more.







This is what you get when you 1) never draw plans and 2) never build the same style box. I have always preferred to not build the same thing twice. Nothing at all wrong with doing the same thing over and over and I probably need to do it occasionally. But not doing it translates into mistakes almost every time because it's always new territory and also takes much longer to build - especially without even a sketch to go on. It's just that I get bored doing production and the challenge of something new keeps it intersting for me.

So that's just my latest mistake. I know I will be making another in a day or two because I'll be making a new design of raised panel door I have in my head which means guaranteed mistakes on the protoype.

Reactions: Like 3 | Great Post 1


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## Mike1950

Kevin said:


> Here's my latest one. I had set this wall mount shadowbox I'm making for my nephew aside for a while, and I came back last night and made the frame. Sits nice and flat and has perfect miters that mate up 99% perfect with the box. Except . . . .
> 
> View attachment 54734
> 
> ..... I didn't allow any inset for the glass retainers. I routed the rabbet the exact depth of the glass thickness. Even if I use very thin retainers the lid would still not sit flush. I have to now rerout the rabbet and take a little more.
> 
> View attachment 54735
> 
> 
> 
> This is what you get when you 1) never draw plans and 2) never build the same style box. I have always preferred to not build the same thing twice. Nothing at all wrong with doing the same thing over and over and I probably need to do it occasionally. But not doing it translates into mistakes almost every time because it's always new territory and also takes much longer to build - especially without even a sketch to go on. It's just that I get bored doing production and the challenge of something new keeps it intersting for me.
> 
> So that's just my latest mistake. I know I will be making another in a day or two because I'll be making a new design of raised panel door I have in my head which means guaranteed mistakes on the protoype.




Nice BOX!!!! I bet the quilt pops when you finish it!!!!

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## Kevin

Mike1950 said:


> Nice BOX!!!! I bet the quilt pops when you finish it!!!!



Yes I think it will. I'm thinking lacquer . . . .


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## ripjack13

Nice one Kevin....I love the dovetails. 



Kevin said:


> This is what you get when you 1) _never draw plans _



I think I know what next weeks qotw will be.....

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Kevin

ripjack13 said:


> Nice one Kevin....I love the dovetails.



Thanks Marc (they are splines :).




ripjack13 said:


> I think I know what next weeks qotw will be.....



Okay I am not saying I *never* sketch plans, because I sketched one on my dry erase board a few days ago but that's more rare than a snake leaving my chicken coop alive. And I took a pic of it so if the somewhat complex build gets done, you can see what I used for a blueprint. I really do torture my skills that way. But to me it sharpens the mind and makes you overcome problems. I guess that's whay I have so damn many jigs. Some I have used once and then repurpse the materials from them for another one entirely.

There's another qotm for you - do you use jigs and which ones do you use. That one will be a big hit.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## woodtickgreg

I cut a 2x4 exactly 1 inch to long today, I just laughed and thought of Kevin and his comment about how we never do that. 
Working in the garage all by myself and just chuckling away.

Reactions: Funny 3 | +Karma 1


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## ripjack13

Kevin said:


> There's another qotm for you - do you use jigs and which ones do you use. That one will be a big hit.



That one is actually on the draft list...


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## ButchC

So funny that I saw this today. I was out in the shed debating what to do with these.





My ex had asked me to build pull-out drawers for our kitchen cabinets. It was the first time I had used pre-finished plywood stock for something like this.

Every single one was an inch too deep And an inch too narrow. I couldnt take them apart and ended up re-building all of them.

Still tryin to figure out how my measurements were off.

Any ideas on uses?


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## Mike1950

ButchC said:


> So funny that I saw this today. I was out in the shed debating what to do with these.
> 
> View attachment 54794
> 
> My ex had asked me to build pull-out drawers for our kitchen cabinets. It was the first time I had used pre-finished plywood stock for somthing like this.
> 
> Every single one was an inch too deep And an inch too narrow. I couldnt take them apart and ended up re-building all of them.
> 
> Still tryin to figure out how my measurments were off.
> 
> Any ideas on uses?



Looks to me like you need a shop cabinet with drawers in it.............

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 2


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## Blueglass

I've shared having to add stripes to the mahogany shell and that it was prettier for it before.when I did construction for many years, many years ago I cut one inch to long or short often... then I quit smoking that stuff, haha. Sad but true.lesson don't alter your mind while working or using power tools for fun.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Kevin

Blueglass said:


> Sad but true.lesson don't alter your mind while working or using power tools for fun.



I think you got that mixed inside out. Shouldn't it read: _Sad but true lesson don't alter your mind for fun while working or using power tools._

Also . . . . _Sad but true lesson don't alter your mind for fun while crafting proverbs._

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Blueglass

Hehe he !!!! Probably!


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## Sprung

I've never made any mistakes - but I sure have been presented with an untold number of opportunities to consider a change in the design! 

(Most of the mistakes I've made haven't been cutting something wrong - I have made a few of those mistakes. My mistakes mostly come about from trying to take short-cuts or failing to plan properly. I'm getting better about planning things out and taking the time to do it right the first time.)

Reactions: Like 1


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## NYWoodturner

Shop Cabinet Drawers


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## duncsuss

I forgot about this blunder till @steve bellinger reminded me of it in his recent bowl post. As he put it, "there's no going back" to make adjustments once you've thinned the walls down.

Here's what happened when I didn't follow that rule -- I'd got it just about finished, but decided I had to tidy up the rim a little. Maybe trim off a quarter inch, to remove a section that had a couple of ugly spots ... before:



 

Just seconds later:



 

I was quite happy with the uniform wall thickness, though:


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## Mike1950

BUMMER- looks like it was a cool bowl.


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## duncsuss

Mike1950 said:


> BUMMER- looks like it was a cool bowl.



Yeah, and it was destined to be one half of a matching pair that I'd already sold based on the first bowl.
I keep it to remind me two things: first, I don't promise somebody a turning till I've made it, and second, there's a right time and a wrong time to clean up the rim


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## ripjack13

I take it you can't glue it back together?


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## duncsuss

ripjack13 said:


> I take it you can't glue it back together?


Unless it's changed shape, I don't think it would work. There must have been some internal stresses that released when it cracked open -- or maybe a thin piece flew off someplace else.

As I said, it's a useful reminder not to make _that_ silly mistake again (there are lots of even sillier ones I haven't tried yet )

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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