I look back at some of my very early projects (and even later ones with which I've had difficulty) and have developed a motto:

* do the best you can with your skill level today

* learn something from your work

* let your next one show your improved skill

 

and 

* it's not a mistake, it's an opportunity for a design change

 

 

And I have a poster in my shop to remind me:
Skill is made, not born in us, and it advances best through difficulty.  -- Charles Hayworth.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 16, 20196 yr by kmealy

I always try to keep improving and learning from my mistakes.  Most amazing is how much I have learned from visiting woodworking forums.  I always keep an open mind.

It's never good enough. But, there's always tomorrow. 

Most of what I accomplish is through mistakes! 

I always make mistakes, mostly small ones typically not very visible, usually because my mind wonders, or I get in a hurry or too muscly with a hand tool. 

I just putter along...

“We don't make mistakes, just happy little accidents.” -Bob Ross

 

As a friend and mentor said to me back when i was learning COBOL...

 

Get it right the fourth time. 

COBOL  -- never did like it.

 

Edited June 22, 20196 yr by kmealy

So since I’m kinda still in the  “I don’t even know what I don’t know” stage, my projects are kinda simple, and the work isn’t too embarrassing to give away as gifts. The raised platform I made for the Missus’s sewing machine is acceptable, functionality-wise, but I could have made it MUCH better, the Crosses are still not done, the Mangers have not fallen apart yet, but there was a vast amount of improvement between #1 and #2 LOL. Some people can read, watch a video and be competent right oughta the gate. I WISH I was like that. I gotta get a glimmer of how to do it, try, make about every mistake possible, produce some firewood, maybe make half the mistakes again, settle down, try to finally get what passes for a brain into learning/thought mode, and maybe stuff starts to sink in. The worst part about this process is, it’s still fun for me  , so not much incentive to change. The bright side for me, as far as this topic is concerned, I only have one direction to go LOL. Can’t really get any worse, I gotta improve, or at the very least stay where I am.  

54 minutes ago, Artie said:

So since I’m kinda still in the  “I don’t even know what I don’t know” stage, my projects are kinda simple, and the work isn’t too embarrassing to give away as gifts. The raised platform I made for the Missus’s sewing machine is acceptable, functionality-wise, but I could have made it MUCH better, the Crosses are still not done, the Mangers have not fallen apart yet, but there was a vast amount of improvement between #1 and #2 LOL. Some people can read, watch a video and be competent right oughta the gate. I WISH I was like that. I gotta get a glimmer of how to do it, try, make about every mistake possible, produce some firewood, maybe make half the mistakes again, settle down, try to finally get what passes for a brain into learning/thought mode, and maybe stuff starts to sink in. The worst part about this process is, it’s still fun for me  , so not much incentive to change. The bright side for me, as far as this topic is concerned, I only have one direction to go LOL. Can’t really get any worse, I gotta improve, or at the very least stay where I am.  

* do the best you can with your skill level today

* learn something from your work

* let your next one show your improved skill

My father in law was an accomplished woodworker.  He sad many times, “I don’t make mistakes, I make kindling.”  Words to live by.

Have to admit, I make lots of kindling !

3 hours ago, Ron Dudelston said:

“I don’t make mistakes, I make kindling.”

Yeah, and sometimes I should have stopped and just burned it to begin with...  

@Artie You gotta stop beating yourself up. We all make mistakes , even Sam Maloof made them . So learn from your mistakes and get better the next time. Believe me for those doing some of the work you see on here did not get there the day after yesterday. Like you said some pick it up by watching the video one time and some say on the 10th watching "Oh I See the Light".

     Keep plugging and Don't Give Up.

Many of my early mistakes were caused by my own impatience. I will do something that has an amount of risk to the project, to keep working on it. "I don't need to glue it, it will hold", "It looks strong enough"   Now I am far more apt to do it right the first time. 

 As I have aged, it don't bother me at all to pause..........and take a nap

John Morris once accused me of having a "Just don't give a darn" attitude. He's about right. I sure don't get up tight about mistakes. There's always more wood. I used to consider mistakes educational. But, now I have problems remembering my lessons. 

3 hours ago, Ron Altier said:

"I don't need to glue it, it will hold", "It looks strong enough" 

My experiencer is similar.  Of course now I have to decide, maybe this is over kill,  do I really need studs every 12 inches???

Edited June 23, 20196 yr by Woodbutcherbynight

14 hours ago, Gerald said:

@Artie You gotta stop beating yourself up. We all make mistakes , even Sam Maloof made them . So learn from your mistakes and get better the next time. Believe me for those doing some of the work you see on here did not get there the day after yesterday. Like you said some pick it up by watching the video one time and some say on the 10th watching "Oh I See the Light".

     Keep plugging and Don't Give Up.

You are 100% right, I am a plugger. I’m kinda the poster child for the saying. “50% of life is just showing up” plus I’m kinda stubborn, not always an asset, but sure is sometimes.

3 hours ago, Artie said:

You are 100% right, I am a plugger.

Nothing wrong with being slow at getting a task done.  My 1st year home from Iraq and with wrist and arm pins I put up a 100 ft long concrete block wall 2 blocks tall across my backyard.  I went 8 bricks each section until I got to the end.  I am able to lay 8 bricks a night and still be able to function with my injuries the next day.  Took 3 months.  

Edited June 23, 20196 yr by Woodbutcherbynight