Popular Woodworking 2006-10 № 157, страница 62

A

fter seeing me help a student recover from a mistake while building a chair, someone in the class will usually take me aside and say, ""You know, you need to write an article on fixing mistakes." I always explain that I prefer to teach how to avoid making mistakes.

While my staff at The Windsor Institute and I have a lot of experience fixing things that have gone wrong, I have really compelling reasons for focusing our attention, and that of our students, on avoiding mistakes in the first place. When they happen, mistakes have four very undesirable consequences for me.

^ Improve your accuracy by changing your marking, measuring and working habits. In short: Be bold and consistent.

First, mistakes cost expensive materials. We cannot tell the student: "Too bad you ruined that piece of wood. The class is over for you." We have to replace it. Second, I have on my hands a student who is angry with himself. Everyone is aware of his funk and it is a drag on the class morale. Third, fixing the mistake will take time. The student will fall behind and it will be more difficult to keep the class on schedule. Fourth, I have to fix the problem, increasing my workload. If the mistake is really bad, I will have to cut a staff member loose to help me. As a result, other people who may need help do not have it as readily available.

by Michael Dunbar

The "Wall of Shame" at The Windsor Institute. When students make mistakes during a chairmaking class, some of those mistakes hang on the wall for other students to learn from. Instructor Michael Dunbar uses these examples to show strategies for avoiding common mistakes.

A chairmaker since 1971, Michael is the founder of The Windsor Institute in Hampton, N.H., where he teaches hundreds of students each year to build Windsor chairs. For more information, visit thewindsorinstitute.com.

popularwoodworking.com i

73