Perfection

[Mark Woodmark]

The difference between the pros and the amateurs, is that the pros know how to fix their mistakes so no one will see them......Nothing is perfect

[johnny means]

Flawless and perfection are different animals, IMO. If i cut a round tabletop with a router and trammel without gouging it, I might not consider it flawed, though we all know it is not going to be a perfect circle in the mathematical sense. Can I build and finish a project from start to finish within a given set of parameters and without any mistakes? Yes. One might consider this flawless, but I always think I couldbhave done it easier, cheaper, or more efficiently. So while the product may appear flawless, the process is always flawed.

[Joe Hillmann]

For my own stuff good enough is good enough. And when it come to making items for sale I have found that customers are only interested in prefect until they hear the price then magically good enough becomes good enough. With that said I also have customers who want rustic and are unable to tell the difference between rustic that is assembled with tight strong joints that will last and rustic that is slapped together and will fall apart before they get it home.

So far in five years I have only had one customer on one project who was willing to pay for as close to perfect as I was willing to get it.

[Kevin Bourque]

My mistakes look so egregious to me, but most others can't see them, or don't think it's a big deal, even when I point them out.

[John Piwaron]

I am amused that the WW articles I read are on how to fix mistakes. That skill has made the biggest improvement in my final build quality. Figuring out how to adapt to the 'new' design, remembering the mistake for the next time and taking it with a bit of humor seems to turn out the best stuff for me.

Actually, I'm just completing a table that's supposed to be just like one I made a couple of years ago. But it's not identical, it's better. I remembered how it went the first time. And applied the lessons learned then and on projects in between. The new one may look the same but it's really quite a lot better. I'm a hobby guy and my own worst critic.

[Shawn Pixley]

"Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it" - Salvador Dali

[Troy Turner]

When I started, I wouldn't notice my mistakes till I glued it up and realized it didn't fit. Now I've learned to dry fit stuff first There's alot of times though, something is still off. I blame the tools and sometimes get away with buying a new something or another...

When I'm done and bring it in, everyone loves it. They can't find a flaw with it even though I know there are always a couple or so. If it's major, I may have to remake a part or redesign to hide it or actually accent it a bit.

I used to get discouraged and frustrated, but now I just step back, figure out what I did wrong, make a mental note and press on with the correction or a whole new project

[John Piwaron]

Great discussion. I'm learning from it. What that learning may be - ?

It helps clarify a few points for me. "Perfection" may not be my goal after all. Perhaps the word I want to use could have a definition of "the error free execution of the plan as originally designed." Which, it would seem, leaves plenty of room to fall well short of "perfect".

When errors happen, I try to learn from them. What happened? Why did it happen? How did it happen? What can I do to not repeat that going forward? Can I fix the error? All of that describes more than a craftsmanship problem, it also includes design.

Thinking back, way back, the very first error I made wasn't about craftsmanship it was design. I still have and use that project but it's design is crazy wrong. It's wildly out of proportion and the finish is completely wrong for the materials used to make it. But I learned from it. I also ought to move it's replacement up the priority ladder.

[Brian Kincaid]

I once made a set of cabinet doors that I felt were perfect. Every measurement worked, stock was square and profiles met, etc. The finish looked stellar. Then when I installed them on the cabinet I realized I had made them 1 1/2" too wide.

-Brian

[Andrew Joiner]

Great discussion. I'm learning from it. What that learning may be - ?

It helps clarify a few points for me. "Perfection" may not be my goal after all. Perhaps the word I want to use could have a definition of "the error free execution of the plan as originally designed." Which, it would seem, leaves plenty of room to fall well short of "perfect".

When errors happen, I try to learn from them. What happened? Why did it happen? How did it happen? What can I do to not repeat that going forward? Can I fix the error? All of that describes more than a craftsmanship problem, it also includes design.

Thinking back, way back, the very first error I made wasn't about craftsmanship it was design. I still have and use that project but it's design is crazy wrong. It's wildly out of proportion and the finish is completely wrong for the materials used to make it. But I learned from it. I also ought to move it's replacement up the priority ladder.

It's a great thread,thanks for doing it John.

Perfection and flaws often depends on one's attitude . I love woodworking and designing furniture. I have loved it since I was kid. It gives me an outlet to seek perfection in an imperfect world. I'm happy never actually achieving perfection, but getting close is fun.

A co-worker in the shop I worked in 40 years ago would throw his hammer and yell often as he worked. I think he wasn't happy with how close to perfect his work was.

[Gordon Eyre]

What bugs me is to be working from a set of plans only to find that the plan had a mistake which I failed to notice until I had already made the part. I still have several such pieces sitting around my shop from such mistakes.

[Steve Baumgartner]

I make lots of mistakes. Initially I get very angry with myself, but when I calm down I always find a fix. The most difficult decision is between making a defective part over again versus hiding or tolerating the flaw. Sometimes it is a lot faster just to throw it away and start over.

In a workshop at North Bennet Street School, we were taught that there are no mistakes, just "design opportunities". Behind the humor is a deep truth: a piece was supposed to be a particular way only because a design said so. Very rarely was there some absolute "rightness" behind the original design, merely a choice. Other choices are just as valid. Nobody but the original designer will know the difference between his choice and yours.

I once made a couple of steamship deck chairs to Norm Abram's plans from New Yankee Workshop. Only after assembling the seats did I discover that the plans had the slats drawn backward, so that the deepest part of the curve was at the wrong place (afterwards they added an erratum sheet, but it is easy to miss). I found that I could turn the entire assembly front for back and still make the chair, the only penalty being a rounded off portion that should have been square. To this day, my family (who are the only ones who have ever been aware of the event) refer to that "feature" as "Normie's Notch".

Steve

[Russell Sansom]

Great thread.
I used to make harpsichords for musicians. My first serious harpsichord was for Lone Mountain College in San Francisco. The head of the music department innaugurated it with a well-publicized concert. There was a full house. After the concert the professor walked up to me and hissed, "The middle c-sharp stuck through the ENTIRE CONCERT!." Poor guy had to work around an intermittent note for an hour and fifteen minutes!
I felt horrible. After an hour of inventing excuses, I came to the reality that my final product had not been good enough. This shaped my behavior for a long time. Including my years of making cockpit displays for research aircraft...a "product" which put similar demands for perfection on its creator.

Having faced these demands, I have practiced finding perfection more often than many woodworkers. I think about heart surgeons, plastic surgeons, and, really, commercial cabinet makers. They all have been forced to find a certain level of quality that might not be common for the everyday "hobbyist." But it IS there. An interesting analog is working without any injuries of any kind ... no nicks, no splinters, no bruises. I have to change gears and work in a different mind space to achieve this. But, with an extra effort and the sacrifice of significant time and effort, it can be achieved. As I said earlier, I always choose my battles. Sometimes I just want to bang something out.
Russ

[Lornie McCullough]

Great thread.
An interesting analog is working without any injuries of any kind ... no nicks, no splinters, no bruises. I have to change gears and work in a different mind space to achieve this. But, with an extra effort and the sacrifice of significant time and effort, it can be achieved. As I said earlier, I always choose my battles. Sometimes I just want to bang something out.
Russ

I had been reading this thread, and thinking to myself that I don't worry about perfection too much until I got to this sentence.......

I too seek the perfection of no injuries of any kind. Thank you Russell for saying it out loud.

Lornie

[Richard Wagner]

If I ever completed what I thought was a flawless project I what have to quit wood working. Doing still another would do nothing but destroy the euphoria. No, I have never had and don't expect I ever will have a flawless project.