How others see our work...

[Toller]

I am making (still...) a set of dining room chairs. I put a biscuit slot on the wrong face, right where it will be most visible. I had too much work into it to start over, so I found a piece of scrap with the same color and grain, and cut a plug. Fortunately the slot is parallel to the grain. It looked pretty good, but the work has prominent rays and the plug just doesn't match. I though the plug was too small to matter, but it did.

I showed it to my wife and asked her what she thought. About what? The repaired damage. Where? There. Oh, I never would have noticed that.

Well, I stared at it for a while and decided it was hideous. Ripped it out, found a piece of scrap with the same color, grain AND rays. Looks so much better. There is just a tiny black line at the top and bottom of the plug; otherwise invisible. I thought maybe I could get rid of them with some filler, or maybe I would make it worse?

So I go back to my wife. She tells me to leave it alone because she can't see what I am pointing at; but reminds me that she couldn't see the first one either.

Every now and then someone posts, asking if we view our own work too critically. Apparently.

[Doug Miller]

Maybe your wife just has low standards.

(That was a joke...)

[RicodJour]

If your wife has the good sense to ignore flaws in your work, and presumably you, there is little benefit in pointing them out insisting she see them.

Other than that - if you're good, you're always your worst critic. That is as it should be.

R

[bsa441]

I made a dresser (first one), and wouldn't youknow, I drilled the two screw holes for the top center drawer pull with the drawer upside down. That meant that when properly located the pull, there were two visible holes right above it. I found a couple of interesting glass beads and mounted them in the holes, and my wife thinks they're a nice decorative addition.

Whew!

RicodJour wrote:

[Leon]

Soon you will forget. I built my first kitchen 17 years ago and use 35mm Euro hinges on the doors. On the end cabinet next to the garage door near the floor I drilled the 35mm hole on the front of the cabinet door for the hinge before realizing that I was drilling on the wrong side. You can see the hinge if you look through the hole in the door. Yes the hole is still there and yes I had gotten about it, until now.

[Patriarch]

"Leon" wrote in news:Fn25h.24323$ [e-mail]:

Rockler used to sell these plug kits for folks who did the same things when mounting Euro hinges. Not cheap, when you consider the price for a couple of tapered rounds of hardwood, in various flavors. But cheaper than redoing a door.

Not that _I_ ever used these. Well, only one. In maple. Doesn't show too badly. Ought to redo that door.

Patriarch

[Toller]

You've been talking to her?

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I can't be of much help as I've never had an error in my woodworking. I've often altered the original plans a bit though.

[cselby]

I'm in love with your wife. When she's had enuff of your mistakes, she can come here and ignore mine.

Pete

[Leon]

If I ever sell my house, I planned on doing that about 15 years ago, I'll just caulk the hole and paint over it. :~) Swingman are you reading this?

[Lee Michaels]

"Toller" wrote

Didn't you get the memo about confessing imaginary sins to your wife? Luckily, she had the good sense to ignore you.

Remember, in the future, it ain't a mistake. It is a design feature.

[Frank Boettcher]

Boy I wish. Seems like I remember every flaw in every piece I've ever done, and believe me there are plenty to remember. But when I show other folks, they never see them.

At least I've quit pointing them out and just take the compliments when they come. I think people who view your work just see the big picture and since they were not with you fretting over the mistakes and how to recover from them, they don't see them.

Frank

[Rick's Cabinet Shop]

Not long ago, I had a customer call me for a bookcase. They said that they had purchased a TV stand from me years ago and love it. When I went to their house for the bookcase estimate, I saw my TV stand. It was one of the first ones I made when I was starting out about 5 years ago. My god, what a mess! I wanted to take it and replace it with a new one free of charge. The finish was horrible, the proportions were off, the stain was uneven. Back then, I guess it was the best I could do. The customer is telling me how great it is.............. wait till they get the bookcase!

Rick

[Swingman]

Hey, that's what the trim carpenters of today do ... let the painters take care of it.

[B A R R Y]

Man, that is an excellent point!

In the music (and for that matter, stage acting) performance world, you can often tell a newbie from a pro by how they deal with a mistake. *MOST* musicians make an odd mistake on stage, newbies make sour faces or make gestures at the band mates and telegraph it to the audience, pros keep smiling and forget it ever happened.

Why do so many woodworkers feel the need to point out the smallest flaws?

[Tom Watson]

It is time for you to embrace the concept of "The Persian Flaw".

Regards,

Tom Watson

tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)

[Mike O.]

The painters around here have a hard time painting walls much less finishing wood. I wouldn't count on the painters to do their job correctly much less fix anything!

Mike O.

[Puckdropper]

Tom Watson wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Tom, do you mind giving a short description of what a "Persian Flaw" is? I haven't heard the term before, and some Google searching left me with only a vague idea.

Puckdropper

[Toller]

Rugs are always made with an "error" because only God is perfect. A bit silly, since even the absolutely best rug is bound to have a slightly crooked stitch. Because, of course, only God IS perfect. (Just as my absolutely best work has (multiple) slight imperfections.)

[Brian Henderson]

I did a big custom bookshelf for my wife for her birthday last year, everythin was perfect, but when I cut the rabbet for the back, I cut it a little larger than I should have and the back didn't fit like I wanted. I could have redone the back, but I was out of time, so I just tacked it into place and nobody would ever know since the piece is attached to the wall.

But every time I look at that bookshelf, I know the back isn't how it should be. It doesn't really bug me, but we do see our mistakes forever. Almost a year later, I still wish I could have done it better at the time.