Have you ever started a project and had it go from bad to worse in the blink of an eye? You get started with a glow of pleasant anticipation warming your shop, but then the first bad bit of luck rears its head. “Wow, that grain is really twisted and, whoa — there was a hidden check that just showed up!” Next thing you know, you invert a number on a measurement and cut an entire piece wrong. (Rats!) No worries … you take a deep breath, shake off the sawdust muddling your mental state, and then find out your 4/4 stock was cut a bit undersized, and you can only get 5/8-clear lumber from the wood.
You get the idea.
Recently, I had one of those episodes in my shop … the first in a long time. And as you likely have guessed, the project was to be built on a tight deadline. Such is life.
I am guessing that I am not alone in this project-from-Gehenna experience. So if you have a project that went south in a big way (and can bear remembering it), share it with us.
It won’t help me get my job done, but I might feel better after I read them.
Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal
P.S: If you need help getting started with your holiday projects, check out our November/December issue with its Holiday Gift Project Section. On sale now!
