Newbie's Notebook

[rick7938]

I am a real novice at this woodworking thing. It looks relatively easy when you watch a master do it either through skill or creative editing. Well, today I finished a simple pecan box with top in which to store kitchen utensils. It was my first glued panel project and has been an eye-opener for a newbie. All of my other projects are made from plywood as the main material. No matter how many shop notes and articles one reads, experience is the best teacher.

Newbie Lessons-Learned and, hopefully, not forgotten:

1. My new Dewalt thickness planer works great.

2. Pecan is hard and brittle wood compared to birch and birch plywood that I have worked with previously.

3. Just because a machinist's square says that your jointer fence is 90 deg. doesn't mean that your panel will be perfectly flat. I forgot about the book-match jointing technique that I have read about on this forum until it was too late.

4. Lots of glue joints and biscuits surely are messy.

5. A good glue scraper is invaluable.

6. "Close enough for government work" doesn't apply to a cross-cut sled. It has to be dead-on.

7. A sharp block plane can quickly fix a slightly mis-aligned joint.

8. Mark the edge onto which the hinges will be mounted so that the pilot holes aren't drilled on the wrong side.

9. Toothpicks glued into #4 pilot holes hide mistakes very well in pecan.

10. Mortising hinges with a chisel in hard pecan isn't as easy as it looks on TV.

11. Woodworking is a lot more fun when hand tools can compliment the machine tools.

Can't wait for the next project to learn more absolute truths.

 

[D L Ames]

Rick, it definitely sounds like you had a learning experience. That's great.:icon_thum Please post some pix of your pecan box so we can enjoy your craftsmanship.

D L

 

[Ray Martin]

Rick,

I'd like to see some pics too. Keep in mind that learning is large part of the enjoyment of woodworking. The journy is more important than a destination.

Ray

 

[DaveO]

Rick you have just had a full semester in the woodworking college. And it seems like you passed this level :icon_thum Half of the fun of woodworking is learning and figuring it out, IMO

"Can't wait for the next project to learn more absolute truths."

I had to quote that for the truth in it! But you will never learn the absolute truth in your next project nor your 500th. Wood is a natural material, and Mother Nature is an ornery lady, once you think that you have it all figured out, she'll throw you a board that defies all understanding.
Dave

 

[rick7938]

You're right, Dave. I suppose that there are no absolute truths as far as the wood is concerned. If there were, then woodworking would be a cookie-cutter operation instead of a constant challenge. However, just as I didn't have to stick a fork in the outlet twice when I was a kid to learn my lesson, I won't start drilling pilot holes for hinges in my projects again without double and triple-checking the correct location.

I'm grateful for all of the feedback and great tips that I pick up from these forums.

 

[Ken Weaver]

You're on the right track Rick - I keep a "lessons learned" for each project. There's always something new to learn - that's the beauty of this hobby.

 

[Travis Porter]

Congratulations! I too have to learn the hard way.

 

[Ray Martin]

I think a 'notebook' is a great idea... even for keeping notes on quick builds and jigs. It's like a writer that keeps a notebook or jounal to develop re-usable characters over time. I keep both lessons learned and just plain accopmlishments (OK... that part is a short list...) Someday, I'll assemble and arrange the notes and drawings into something that makes sense.

Ray

 

[erasmussen]

Your off to a good start:icon_thum
Maybe I should write things down instead of just keeping it in my head:eusa_thin
But then again I would never read the notes:-(
Keep up the good work and take a picture or 2

 

[cskipper]

I'd probably forget to read the notes, even if I could find them again. But if I did, I'd remember that I had already learned that particular lesson at least one time before! :lol: Sounds like you're on the way to learning the "best" way.

 

[cpowell]

Rick, given your approach I am sure you will learn from your mistakes and your work product will reflect the effort.

Do you have any pics of your latest project?

Chuck

 

[DavidF]

You're right, Dave. I suppose that there are no absolute truths as far as the wood is concerned. If there were, then woodworking would be a cookie-cutter operation instead of a constant challenge. However, just as I didn't have to stick a fork in the outlet twice when I was a kid to learn my lesson, I won't start drilling pilot holes for hinges in my projects again without double and triple-checking the correct location.

I'm grateful for all of the feedback and great tips that I pick up from these forums.

Ah, there's another case for those face and edge marks I spoke so highly of:lol: