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Learning by my (many) mistakes

This is where we don't want anything but evidence of your finest wood butchering in all its glorious, and photograph laden glory. Bring your finished products or WIP's, we love them all, so long as there's pictures, and plenty of 'em!

Learning by my (many) mistakes

Postby Blackswanwood » 29 Dec 2021, 13:20

This is a WIP of a project I started properly on Christmas Eve. It’s a copy of a small cabinet from Mike Pekovich. A few distractions have led to it being a trial run as I’ve learned a few things along the way!

First I dug out some oak out from my wood store.

Start.jpg
Oak
(227.53 KiB)


I rough cut it down to thickness on the bandsaw and left it for a week before dimensioning accurately by hand on Christmas Eve.

Components.jpg
Components
(227.96 KiB)


It was giving a reading of 12% on the moisture meter so pretty much good to go.

Sized.jpg
Sized
(368.39 KiB)


I was granted some workshop time on Monday so cracked on with the dovetails. These are oversized. Pekovich tends to oversize by 1/16” but I just use two rulers!

Dovetailmarking.jpg
Oversize marking of dovetails
(193.05 KiB)


The dovetails are spaced to allow for a sliding door on the front. The Moxon vice definitely makes dovetailing easier although I found last night when cutting the half blind dovetails for the drawers that the front edge needs to be chamfered to avoid the saw catching when cutting at a slant.

Dovetailcutting.jpg
Dovetails
(361.16 KiB)


I know I’ve shown it before but this is the jig I use to align the pieces when marking the pins – simple but absolutely bloody brilliant!

Dovetailjig.jpg
Jig
(204.37 KiB)


Here is the first dry fit at the point before it all went a bit awry!

Dryfit.jpg
Dry fit
(334.42 KiB)


Brace yourselves for some stupidity. Yesterday I was granted some more workshop time.

I decided to cut the grooves for the door and back at the router table. I was all set up and ready to go and my daughter pops into the workshop to say goodbye before she heads off home. Once she’s gone I don’t stop to think what I’m doing and forget to stop the groove for the back before exiting the half tail. Easily fixed with a small insert once it’s put together but really annoying.

Phone then goes as I’m on call for work. Half an hour later with disaster averted I return and still thinking about work measure for the groove for the shelf from the end of the tails rather than the shoulder line. Hey ho!

Groovemistake.jpg
Grooves
(215.74 KiB)


I carried on and did some menial tasks so as not to make matters worse such as chamfering the edges while muttering expletives.

Chamfer.jpg
Chamfer
(262.95 KiB)


I am part way through a recovery plan but this one is very much going to be a trail run ... more to follow...

Apologies as I forget to take pictures as I am going along. Any constructive feedback on how I could do things better will be appreciated - I think the main thing I need to do is avoid distractions!
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Re: Learning by my (many) mistakes

Postby Lurker » 29 Dec 2021, 13:49

If I have a visit from the CUF*, I stop and have clean up and sweep the floor.
My workshop is exceptionally tidy some days.


*copyright RogerS.
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Re: Learning by my (many) mistakes

Postby Woodbloke » 29 Dec 2021, 14:24

Been there, done that, got all the T shirts; welcome to the club :lol: MP's work is pretty good and I've copied one or two of his ideas, especially his dovetail transfer jig, which is a thing of pure genius; I have three for different sized joints

As for doing things differently, I tend now to just stop and really think my way through each bit before cutting anything; doesn't always work 'cos as we're all human beanz and the F*Fairy is bound to land on your shoulder at some point, but it helps. Sometimes - Rob
I no longer work for Axminster Tools & Machinery.
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Re: Learning by my (many) mistakes

Postby Mike G » 29 Dec 2021, 14:41

I think I saved up all my cock-ups for the year for one silly little bookshelf. Years of experience of repairing cock-ups got me through that project eventually, but I still don't really look at the finished piece with any great pleasure. Someone recently wrote that they had trained as a boatright for X years. He said he spent 20% of his time learning the job, and 80% of his time learning to recover from cock-ups.

Anyway, it'll be great when it's done, Robert, and thanks for doing a WIP.
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Re: Learning by my (many) mistakes

Postby AJB Temple » 29 Dec 2021, 17:31

Well, I admire your bench and your clean, shiny tools. CUF* frequently visits me and I would say you got off lightly: I have been known to rebate the wrong side of a drawer with dovetails already cut, and on one memorable occasion make the male part of dovetails on all four parts of a box drawer.

*Credit to Roger also for this brilliant phrase.

CUF tends to visit me most at the end of a day, when I am a bit tired and have half an eye on the clock.
Don't like: wood, engines, electrickery, decorating, tiling, laying stone, plumbing, gardening or any kind of DIY. Not wild about spiders either.
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Re: Learning by my (many) mistakes

Postby Woodbloke » 29 Dec 2021, 18:40

AJB Temple wrote:
CUF tends to visit me most at the end of a day, when I am a bit tired and have half an eye on the clock.

That's why I was told never to cut dovetails at the end of the day, but I didn't listen or learn - Rob
I no longer work for Axminster Tools & Machinery.
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Re: Learning by my (many) mistakes

Postby AndyT » 29 Dec 2021, 20:52

Thanks for this - it shows one reason why wip threads are so useful. We all make mistakes and we all have to find ways to recover from them. Watching someone else provides a range of useful strategies, provided that our capacity to make mistakes doesn't outstrip our memory of what we have read! :D
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