super-topical - another gahdamned mistake!! longish

[brocpuffs]

So-

I was making a pair of stools-

The legs slope outwards in two directions, and there's two braces on one side and one at the right angle. So it was frickin' critical to keep track of which mortises went with which tenons, as well as which part was for which stool, since they were a little different.

Asking for it, I suppose? Well, I've just completed one and thought it would be easier. Not easy, easier.

I kept pretty good track of what went where all the way through, marking pieces and everything. The last thing I did was a final dry assembly after which I took them apart carefully, marking each piece one last time.

What could have gone wrong?

Well, the marking sort of didn't make it clear that the legs were in mirror-image pairs, not in any way interchangeable because of the differing joinery on two adjacent sides. When I got a mismatch where there should have been a good fit, I'd already assembled one "A" shaped side, with a wedged tenon. so - I blew a fuse, taking out my commonsense, and just reshaped the misfit tenon till it fit the mortise I had.

Gloriosky, the legs have one side mortise on the WRONG side now. Each one of them on both stools. I got four hard-won mortises to fill, and four new ones to cut.

I'm not sure if I'm simply too lightheaded to do the best work (said in all seriousness) or if I still have a deep-set habit of ignoring things I should stop and question carefully. Even if I have glue drying-

Man, I had a tantrum, just about. "If I did the best I could and still frick it up, maybe I'm not really that good at woodworking!!?"

James [e-mail] http:// [e-mail]

[Tom Watson]

Ah, but wouldn't it be fine to slip fit a false tenon into the unused mortises, let 'em stand a bit proud, chamfer the edges up nice, wedge 'em, and confuse the hell out of those that look upon the little fellers. You may have turned the corner from craftsmanship street onto the boulevard of art.

Escherlike, fer sure but Artlike, certainly.

Regards, Tom. Thomas J. Watson-Cabinetmaker Gulph Mills, Pennsylvania

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[Tom Watson]

Good on ya, Swingman!

Better to dissemble than to disassemble.

Regards, Tom. Thomas J. Watson-Cabinetmaker Gulph Mills, Pennsylvania

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[Swingman]

On the opposite sides of my, ahem ... "artistic" mortises, after they were plugged, I simply cut very shallow 1/2" mortises and "plugged" them also with small, square "tenons", properly beveled, that make them appear to be some type of "through tenon", in the best A&C style.

Actually, very few have remarked upon them, and those that do tend to think it is some difficult feat of purposeful woodworking skill ... I simply hang my head modestly, shuffle a bit, and try hard not to blush.

As my builder friends say, "The difference between a tract home builder and a custom home builder is the quality of his patches".

There's also something about lemonade ....

In any event, 'break a leg'. ... sincerely hope it makes you feel better. :)