When youre building something, how often do you build a mockup or prototype just to get the hang of it, or to confirm it will work out the way you think?
This came to mind because Im going to build a couple Mahogany end tables soon, and I plan to use mortise and tenon joints in several places. So, I think I'll make a few practice joints in pine just to practice the hand-cut M&T techniques. (I'm a hybrid woodworker.) But I wasnt planning to build the entire table before moving to the Mahogany. On the other hand, Ive also gone to the extreme of building a complete 1/4 size model of my workbench, just to think it through and develop the approach I used to fabricate the full size bench. (Gave the baby bench to a little kid when I was done using it. )
But prototyping takes time and money. So I just wanted to compare notes with you folks to see how often other people do it. And also to ask if there are other ways than prototyping to accomplish the same things?
As always, thanks for your help and insights.
Fred