Last Sunday evening, our water heater stopped making hot water. I was informed of that in no uncertain terms when my wife and daughter were both trying to take showers in different bathrooms at the same time. They weren’t one bit happy about the increasingly uncomfortable chill, either. My response to the issue was much as it always is when something breaks – I started researching how to fix it myself. That stems from being a self-taught woodworker and DIYer from way back. Problem-solving is part of woodworking, and I’ve been tackling little problems of one kind or another ever since I connected two boards for the first time. I’m no different from nearly every woodworker I know in this regard.
In his book Ellsworth on Woodturning, master woodturner David Ellsworth has this to say about the resourcefulness that often comes from being a self-taught craftsperson:
“Teaching oneself a skill without a teacher available is laborious, yet ultimately self-fulfilling. I learned each mistake one day became a learning tool for the next, and swearing was a good thing if it helped me understand that catching the tool in the wood wasn’t the tool’s fault after all…or the wood’s. I learned to make my own tools, to develop my own techniques, and to challenge the limits of my own experiences. Equally important, I learned to become a problem solver. Years later, I would realize all highly skilled craftspeople are also highly skilled problem solvers.”
Turns out, the water heater isn’t broken after all. But when it does kick the bucket, I’ll be ready!
Chris Marshall, Woodworker’s Journal
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