On Woodworking Technique

"You don't have to get it right the first time, you don't even have to get it right the second time, but eventually you do have to get it right." That was told to me by an older chemist in a paint lab shortly after I hired in. The advice applies just as well to woodworking technique as it does to testing technique in a paint lab.

One of the joys of amateur woodworking is that you can afford to make mistakes. I have gone out on occasion and bought additional wood to finish a project. It is curious how the mistake always shows up on the biggest, most expensive piece of wood in the project. Did the router rock a little bit coming around the corner on a table top the first time you did it? I'm willing to bet you were better the second time you did it. If for no other reason than to cut down on the swearing and the sanding. The same is probably true for the first set of mortise and tenon joints you cut. Some were probably pretty loose. The second set was better, and the third set was better yet.

In woodworking unlike most other things in life, you can evolve at your own pace. You can decide that this project will include hand cut dovetails, or perhaps circles cut out on a band saw. You can decide that turning table legs like you did on your last project wasn't as much fun as you thought it would be. Your course is up to you.

As near as I can figure out, the only requirement that there is to be a woodworker is that you want to work with wood. All else follows from there.