Oops! Handling Mistakes

[Jim Koepke]

It is all to common to make a mistake. Someone once said the difference between a professional and an amateur is how they handle their mistakes.

Well, part of my day has been spent mulling over a mistake that was made while trying something different.

Oops!

Here are the actions that came to mind.

1. It depends on purpose, client, use, etc.
2. Repair if possible or necessary.
3. Conceal the mistake and keep quiet.
4. Start over.
5. If it doesn’t weaken or make it ugly, let it slide.
6. Leave it as a reminder to pay more attention next time.

This poll is set to allow multiple choices. Not sure how that will work.

jtk

[Jim Koepke]

Speaking of mistakes, I forgot to include an "all of the above" choice.

jtk

[steven c newman]

There was a time..when a mistake found another use in the shop.....fire wood.

[Leo Graywacz]

I usually modify the mistake to make it acceptable. For example. I was installing a set of cabinets on either side of a window with a window seat between them. Last thing to do was the seat top. I made careful measurements and cut to my lines. Put the top on and I had 1/8" gaps on either side. It was suppose to be a snug fit. It was the end of the day and I still needed to put up crown so I was coming back the next day anyway. I made some molding to hide the mistake. I think it looks better with the molding on it than without.

[Robert Hazelwood]

Interesting topic, Jim. I voted to repair if possible, but of course the true answer is "it depends". Depends on the client, the supposed prestige of the piece, the actual material value of the piece, my state of mind at the time, etc. Ideally we could always discard the offending part and start over, but nothing is ever completely perfect, at least in my shop, and so you have to throw in the towel at some point and deal with what you have. Some offense are truly unpardonable, but for the rest I think a fastidious repair can retain the craftsman's dignity. An unfortunate gouge filled with a grain matched plug, for example. I don't think I would feel unfavorably towards another craftsman if I found that on one of their pieces.

On rougher work the flaws can be left as they are and be part of the charm (as long as you don't make it look like you tried too hard, ha). And often, makers are such perfectionists that the flaws are something only they would notice, so staying quiet and letting the flaws be can be a sane approach. Problem is, we make things as much for ourselves as for others, even something ordered by a client.

[John Schtrumpf]

I usually do one of these two, so I voted for both:

2. Repair if possible or necessary.
5. If it doesn’t weaken or make it ugly, let it slide.

I have done a do over.

[Jim Koepke]

It depends... My wife was looking at one of my shelfs and commented about how the chamfered edge was off a little. My comment was this is not high style, it is furniture of necessity. After she left I took a small block plane to it.

jtk

[Mel Fulks]

[QUOTE=Jim Koepke;2737670]It depends... My wife was looking at one of my shelfs and commented about how the chamfered edge was off a little. My comment was this is not high style, it is furniture of necessity. After she left I took a small block plane to it.

Now tell her you fixed her GLASSES!

[Dave Anderson NH]

I answered #1 it depends. More often than not if it is only a mistake on a part going into a piece I evaluate for visibility and fit. If it was a drawer runner it might get used if it was slightly short since it would be out of sight. If it was a cockbead on a drawer front and it was chipped or the miter was off or gapped I would throw it out and make another unless it could be turned into one of the shorter pieces. Both of these "for instances" assume a piece of home (not shop) furniture. My shop and utility stuff has a different set of rules.

[Mel Fulks]

As an employee I fixed a couple of big mistakes on my own time. But when blamed for a mistake made by someone else I always had the goods to expose the liar. Made a big complicated entrance kinda like a Palladian window. Boss left design to me but told me many did not have the transom bar properly incorporated and this one had to be right. I said yeah I ve seen those ,too! Because it was going to be set on granite blocks I left the two outside legs off. Made a full size lay out to make install easy. An idiot who was court jester and constant companion to boss picked it up for delivery and REFUSED to take the layout! "If we have a problem we'll call you,you might want it". I insisted and cut it at center line. He still refused it. He thought being married to a woman who made over $100,000 ,seventeen years ago made him smart. Lucky maybe.... But not smart, he is a big mouth idiot .Few days later I saw him and asked how it went. He informed me that it was wrong but "we made it work,had some pieces left over" and added "sidelights were too narrow but we made it work". A big part of the design consisted of overlapping square stock to step down the thick wall.
They had pieces left over. Boss promised to fix it, but did not. When I left the company I took a letter and half the layout (other half was left at company) to the out of town house along with pics. It was out of town ,prep and round trip took four
hours. Company owner lied and stonewalled and never fixed it. Or got any other work from the patron.

[Brian Henderson]

Depends on the mistake. Some can be repaired, some can just be modified so it looks like that's how it was supposed to be all along. Only a serious mistake gets completely redone.

[glenn bradley]

I will accept a looser standard for pieces made for my own home than I will for anything going to a client. You would roll your eyes if you could see the piece of ply I used for a divider in a chest of drawers. For items made for others I have developed a sort of timer in my head. I will spend "X" amount of time trying to do a quality level correction. Once the sand runs out on that effort, I just "make another one". Depending on the boo-boo I may go straight to "making another one".