Moving target

[Vanilla Gorilla]

I read an article in a woodworking magazine a couple of years ago where the author talked about the concept of sharpness as a moving target. He cited an example of a 2 inch chisel that he had sharpened and then put away, and didn't use again for a couple of years and when he pulled it out it was dull. Well, it wasn't, but his idea of what constituted "sharp" had changed.

I see that almost everything in woodworking is like this. Whether it be what one considers to be a good enough tool, to a good enough dovetail seems to be a moving target where the bar is continually raised.

What I am wondering is does this ever stop? Do you ever get to a point with your skills where you can no longer improve, but you can only minimize mistakes? Or is the idea of minimizing mistakes just another way of saying you always have room f or improvement?

Also, do any of you have stories like the one above with the chisel that made you aware that your standards had dramatically changed over the years?

[DavidF]

Originally Posted by Vanilla Gorilla

I read an article in a woodworking magazine a couple of years ago where the author talked about the concept of sharpness as a moving target. He cited an example of a 2 inch chisel that he had sharpened and then put away, and didn't use again for a couple of years and when he pulled it out it was dull. Well, it wasn't, but his idea of what constituted "sharp" had changed.

I see that almost everything in woodworking is like this. Whether it be what one considers to be a good enough tool, to a good enough dovetail seems to be a moving target where the bar is continually raised.

What I am wondering is does this ever stop? Do you ever get to a point with your skills where you can no longer improve, but you can only minimize mistakes? Or is the idea of minimizing mistakes just another way of saying you always have room f or improvement?

Also, do any of you have stories like the one above with the chisel that made you aware that your standards had dramatically changed over the years?

I would say that practically there has to be a limit or nothing would actually ever get completed and the scrap pile would grow ever higher. Having said that, I try and raise the level on each project and put in to practise what I learned on the previous project. I have been doing this for 20+ years and a member of the Guild of Master Craftsmen, but I am still in awe of some of the work I see here by our members and in galleries I go to. When you are never in awe of another piece of work then you are probably pretty good or have a big ego!!! and yes, I do look back on things I made before and see how I could improve them, but what's done is done I guess. Aim for 100% and get as high as you can is my mantra.

[walnutjerry]

Originally Posted by DavidF

I would say that practically there has to be a limit or nothing would actually ever get completed and the scrap pile would grow ever higher. Having said that, I try and raise the level on each project and put in to practise what I learned on the previous project. I have been doing this for 20+ years and a member of the Guild of Master Craftsmen, but I am still in awe of some of the work I see here by our members and in galleries I go to. When you are never in awe of another piece of work then you are probably pretty good or have a big ego!!! and yes, I do look back on things I made before and see how I could improve them, but what's done is done I guess. Aim for 100% and get as high as you can is my mantra.

Very well said David!! There is a lot of self discipline involved---especially the "museum pieces". Once the method is learned then make yourself stick to it and practice, practice, practice.

Jerry

[Mike Davis]

I am never happy with anything I make and agonize over every piece and part of every project. I also am amazed that others like some of my work.

I start with a picture of what i want to do in my head and the finished work is never like the picture.

I think it was a lot easier when I was younger and had no preconceived notions of what I wanted to accomplish. Then I just made stuff and it was all good.

Your missive just reminded me of Dick Fosby, back when he first appeared in the Olympics a seven foot high jump was impossible. He did it backwards. Now his "flop" is the standard.

Yep, the bar keeps getting raised. And that's a "good thing".

[adowden]

I can definitely relate with what you are saying. One area that I notice it much is my jigs. Some of my older jigs from about ten years ago are very sloppy compared with my newer jigs. I also use many more jigs than I used to. I just made a new cutting platform (will try to post pics soon) that has much more area to clamp a workpiece down.

I shoot for perfection, but realistically accept my best. After doing this for about ten years, I think it takes just as much skill to correct mistakes or make modifications as it does completing the woodworking. Woodworking is the most challenging thing I have ever done, and that is why I love it. There is so much still to learn, and I haven't even attempted to enter the darkside .

Amy

[jeff...]

Originally Posted by Mike Davis

I start with a picture of what i want to do in my head and the finished work is never like the picture.

I think it was a lot easier when I was younger and had no preconceived notions of what I wanted to accomplish. Then I just made stuff and it was all good.

Mike I hear you I have a project that's 20+ years in the making. Sad but true I have not worked on it for over 5 years. But one day I am going to dig it out from the upstairs of the shop and show you what youth can do with a lathe and carving tools. Yep I once was a dark sided, scrolling carver. At one time in my mid 20's I had an injury that put me out of commission and I ended up selling a lot of my wood working tools and other finishing tools to feed the family. It's just what happens sometimes.

[cskipper]

I really hope that I never reach a point where I don't think I have more to learn, even if it becomes more a refining than totally new skill. Like others, I look back at my first projects, and then at my current work. I still see things that could have been done better. Yes, there's a lot of growth in the complexity and technique, but still need to get better. Then there's intarsia taunting me, the lathe sitting neglected and a desire to carve. I hope it doesn't end until I do.

[Larry Rose]

Originally Posted by Mike Davis

I am never happy with anything I make and agonize over every piece and part of every project. I also am amazed that others like some of my work.

I start with a picture of what i want to do in my head and the finished work is never like the picture.

I think it was a lot easier when I was younger and had no preconceived notions of what I wanted to accomplish. Then I just made stuff and it was all good.

Your missive just reminded me of Dick Fosby, back when he first appeared in the Olympics a seven foot high jump was impossible. He did it backwards. Now his "flop" is the standard.

Yep, the bar keeps getting raised. And that's a "good thing".

I'm in total agreement with Mike. I've never done a project that I haven't critiqued to death. When I look at one of my old projects I always see the sloppy joint, bad choice of grain, a flaw in the finish or something simular and strive not to do it again, but something always pops up. I guess thats what keeps it interesting for me.

[Travis Porter]

I too always relook and rethink projects.

As for sharpness, it is one that I am continually trying to improve upon. Another is material thickness. I now use dial calipers when thicknessing materials compared to a year or so ago where I would just use a ruler. I have found the calipers make it easier when I have to plane another board when I come up short or screw up one of the boards I am using for a project.

Do I ever believe I will be perfect? No, but it is nice to dream.

[lwhughes149]

This will relate somewhat. I remember reading an article about a man who after the death of his grandmother went back to her home to take anything that was of value to him. He came across a whatnot shelf he had made for her while he was in high school. He remembered at the time he gave it to her she was so excited and she thought the piece couldn't have been made any better. After seeing it again years later, he was amazed at the poor quality of the piece but remembered mostly the pride he had in the piece when it was given and the pride she saw in it when she received it.
I think in woodworking as in life, there will always be room for improvement in the work we do.

[Bas]

I barely have a year of woodworking under my belt, and I'm still overwhelmed by the scope of this hobby. So far, Ive learned a little about jointing and planing lumber, drying lumber, resawing, joinery, glue-ups, sanding, scraping, finishing, dust collection, sharpening, spraying, clamping, jig making, equipment tune-up, measuring, etc. etc. Until I get more proficient in the basics, I lack the bandwith to really improve my skills. It's practice practice practice at this point.

For example, my table saw needs a tune up. The edges produced by my jointer are OK but not so accurate I can do glueups without a visible line. I know that when I'm sanding, I need to not just feel if the surface is smooth, I need to use a raking light and actually make sure I sand out the scratches. I need to do a better job planning my cuts, so I don't end up with a bunch of scrap in the end. I need to make better joints, so I don't have to cheat with CA glue and sawdust to fill the gaps. When I make a template with a curve, I need to be more patient and really spend the necessary time smoothing that curve.

I know all this. But, if I start to worry about these things, I'll never get anything done, and it will take out all the fun of this hobby. I want to build stuff, and try out new joinery, experiment with different types of lumber, use drawer slides, make box joints because they look pretty, build storage for the shop. Over time, I'll get to the point where I do have the mental bandwith to work on improving my skills.

I suspect the improvements will come in leaps and bounds. You plateau in an area, then all of a sudden the light goes on and you go to a whole new level. I experienced something like that when I first sharpened a plane blade. Suddenly, I could plane end grain without tearing big chunks. And with a sharp blade, you can actually experience the difference in planing with-, against- and across the grain. With a dull blade, it's all equally miserable, which means you'll never develop the ability to take a paper-thin shaving off an edge to make a perfect joint.

I really hope that I will look back on the projects I'm building today and think "man, that is some sloppy work!" Even better would be "Not bad, but it's all so basic, I can build much pretttier things these days".

More likely, it will be "gee, it's been 30 years and I still can't a board to come out square"