Popular Woodworking 2006-10 № 157, страница 66

Before I begin mitering parts, I show the parts to each other as they will be assembled and mark rough miters.

When working, my airline pilot, my surgeon and nuclear plant technician all have someone else who describes for them what they are about to do, often by reading a procedure to them. Most woodworkers, however, work alone. To help keep you focused, talk to yourself. Turn off the radio so all you hear is your own voice as you do this.

If you foresee the possibility of confusion looming, work out a mnemonic to keep you on track. If it works once, remember and make it a habit. Every student who has ever studied with me recognizes "Top of leg, to top of leg." and ""Front is back, back is front." I suspect you can easily figure out what mistakes we are avoiding with these little ditties.

Similarly, before you actually cut your wood, pose to yourself the question, "What is the result of what I am about to do, and is the answer believable?" You will sometimes find that you are about to do something backward or in the wrong direction by imagining the result.

If you are about to undertake a complicated process, write out a procedure in advance. Use the procedure. Read each step out loud rather than trying to remember what comes next. Check off each step as you work.

Take Notes for Next Time

If a project was worth making once, chances are good you will end up doing it again. Take notes on what you did so you do not have to figure it out all over again next time. It is a bummer to make a mistake the second time through that you managed to avoid the first time. Especially, take notes about the mistakes you did make. If you wrote a procedure, make corrections or additions while the process is fresh in your mind. Taking pictures is another good method for keeping a record of how you did things last time.

When Mistakes do Happen

No matter how seasoned a woodworker you are, you will make mistakes. When they happen, follow the advice we give our students, "You can't get out of a hole by digging." By this we mean, call one of us for help rather than trying to fix it by yourself. However, at home it means take a break. You are at the greatest risk for making another mistake or getting hurt when you are upset. Put down your tools and take a walk. Come back to the j ob with a clear head and you will be more able to dispassionately assess the situation.

Learn from your mistakes. Your first reaction when you discover a mistake is to snap the piece in

two and throw it in the burn barrel. Don't. While you may want to get your mistake out of your sight, remember that out of sight is out of mind. You are more likely to learn from a mistake if you look at it frequently.

This can literally mean, hang it on the shop wall. In our shop we avoid a lot of mistakes because of our ""Wall of Shame."

We save mistakes students have made in the past, and as we are teaching a process, we show the current class the applicable mistakes. Why? Because humans learn better by seeing than by hearing, and knowing that a

mistake can and has happened helps avoid it.

Treat a near miss as a mistake. Just because you got away with something this time does not mean you will be so lucky the next. Use a near miss as a reason to take a break from the work, and to contemplate what nearly happened. Decide how you can avoid that problem in the future.

Finally, do not let the fear of mistakes paralyze you. Mistakes will happen, and you will have to fix them. However, by paying attention to layout, organization and good working habits, you will avoid a lot of them. PW

This armbow was m iscut by a student who used faint marking lines and incorrectly drew his centerline on the bow. Bold marks would have pointed out the mistake before making the cuts.

My students know that I am passionate about stamping out mistakes, and so they played a practical joke on me. One student carved this detail on the wrong side of the crest rail and slipped the part into the mix when we bent the rails. When I first saw the part, all I could think was, "How am I ever going to fix this one?"

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