Thread: Words of wisdom and encouragement needed

Originally Posted by shaaler

Cheers Paul I have been looking for places but I could find anything. I will call them today

Paul

I called the number and the group no longer exists, I have also tried the men shed which won't accept females into the group and the tafe no longer does woodworking courses...

I'm sorry hear about that. I think while we continue to search for face to face get together locally. We can get you going by getting some online woodworking classes for you.
I found Paul Sellers has been instrumental in my own rekindling of interest in woodworking. He has an online broadcast training program with a free membership option. Go to his website and join up.


I'm sure other members of this forums will have more ideas.

Originally Posted by justonething

I'm sorry hear about that. I think while we continue to search for face to face get together locally. We can get you going by getting some online woodworking classes for you.
I found Paul Sellers has been instrumental in my own rekindling of interest in woodworking. He has an online broadcast training program with a free membership option. Go to his website and join up.


I'm sure other members of this forums will have more ideas.

This is great thank you very much. I'm always happy with online training

May I suggest that you send a private message to "kekemo" who is a woodworker that has just returned to the forum. She may be of assistance in providing some encouragement

Seldom is any project "right" on the first go. It probably takes me 3 repetitions at some project before I get it down and can run it off about right. That means you need to figure out what to do with the others.

Thats the danger of looking at finished stuff on Pintrest, woodworking magazines, and even here on the forum.... Nobody shows the "warts"... And so you think nobody ever makes a mess except you... Nobody shows the 5 versions of this project that were a mess.... And they don't show how they had a professional finisher do the final finish. Nope.

For example... Once I got better at woodworking - I noticed that the TV shows had some work they were doing an to demonstrate some operation and then they would pull out a finished piece to show how it was supposed to be. Watch carefully, notice that they frequently make severe mistakes on the work they are "demonstrating." Holes in the wrong place, cuts too deep, out of square, whatever..... But they have the premade version to show what its supposed to look like. Probably made by a professional who never shows his face on TV...

The other thing you will notice is creative camera angles, lighting, and backgrounds. These also serve to put the best face for public display and hide all the warts.

But last.... Good work can take a lot of time to get it right. Don't loose heart over this.

For example.. I made a simple stained oak shelf over the kitchen sink to match the cabinets. 1 straight piece of oak lumber, 2 cast iron shelf brackets, 8 screws, some stain, and some clear varnish.... It took me MONTHS to get it "right enough" to go in the kitchen. The rough work was done in about a day - cut, square up, round the corners, rout a decorative outline, rough sand to 220.... The finish took me over 2 months. Stain, knock down rough, stain again to fix the light spots and blotches. Varnish, dry, sand, varnish, dry, sand till the finish was nice and smooth with no drips/runs/orange peel... Over 2 months of that to get a finish that looked right against the kitchen cabinets...

Same thing for a simple white flat VCR/DVD player shelf for under the TV.... That one was painted white... Cut out of a simple pine shelf board... Routed to match the fireplace mantle.... Took me 2 months to get the finish right so it matched and looked attractive with no drips, runs, uglies, rough grain, etc....

Originally Posted by truckjohn

Good work can take a lot of time to get it right. Don't loose heart over this.

For example.. I made a simple stained oak shelf over the kitchen sink to match the cabinets. 1 straight piece of oak lumber, 2 cast iron shelf brackets, 8 screws, some stain, and some clear varnish.... It took me MONTHS to get it "right enough" to go in the kitchen. The rough work was done in about a day - cut, square up, round the corners, rout a decorative outline, rough sand to 220.... The finish took me over 2 months. Stain, knock down rough, stain again to fix the light spots and blotches. Varnish, dry, sand, varnish, dry, sand till the finish was nice and smooth with no drips/runs/orange peel... Over 2 months of that to get a finish that looked right against the kitchen cabinets...

Same thing for a simple white flat VCR/DVD player shelf for under the TV.... That one was painted white... Cut out of a simple pine shelf board... Routed to match the fireplace mantle.... Took me 2 months to get the finish right so it matched and looked attractive with no drips, runs, uglies, rough grain, etc....

too true

Originally Posted by shaaler

I called the number and the group no longer exists, I have also tried the men shed which won't accept females into the group and the tafe no longer does woodworking courses...

bummer


but as offered previously, if you can post a photo of one of your projects that doesn't meet your imagination of what it should look like, we can start to offer suggestions and tips to help you make the next project better.

Shaaler, what are your passions?

What one thing would you like to perfect?

This is how I started. For me it was joins. Litterally joining things. Then it was flatness. Followed by precission. It sound weird, but I broke the needs and skills of woodwork into discrete disciplines.

Originally Posted by shaaler

This is great thank you very much. I'm always happy with online training

I also suggest you invest in some written words.

The Essential Woodworker by Robert Wearing (Lost Art Press) should be a required text for all beginning wood workers -- it's available from Henry Eckert Fine Tools (in Adelaide) https://www.henryeckert.com/index.ph...product_id=198.
to paraphrase the introduction -- The Essential Woodworker is really a pre-textbook. It is aimed mainly at those working alone, who often work in total isolation without any personal attention from a master craftsman or experienced tutor.


I'd also like to suggest, The Woodworker - The Charles H Hayward Years - Vol 1 and 2 (also from Lost Art Press), but at $179 AUD I'm a little reluctant.
https://www.henryeckert.com/index.ph...roduct_id=1297


There are a myriad of other woodworking books, but without a grounding in the basics of tool preparation, material preparation and joint layout they may assume too much prior knowledge and skill.

Hi Shaaler,

Maybe it helps to think about when you learned to drive - or ride a bike. At first it seemed impossible - accelerator, brake, clutch, indicators, mirror, gearstick and steering wheel. Who could ever get to use all these pretty much at the same time? But with practice it became easier then natural. It's the same with woodwork -except you can burn your failures! Pick something small and make it, then make it again. You'll be surprised how much better the second one is. GO SLOW. Almost all of my faiures have been because I've been impatient and not taken things slowly.

Finally, don't lose heart. Ask here how to do specific things - I think this forum is exceptional for the friendliness and helpfulness of its members.

Good luck and keep at it!

brian

UPDATE

So I've taken on everyone advice. I looked in to classes in my town- no luck so I decided to take a step back in time and go to that ancient place..... the library lol
I found books on the basics in using hand tools, design and tech and structuring designs. So have decided that I'm going back to the very basics. I'm going to start off with basic toys, the kind you make in yr 8/9 wood classes.

Thank you all for you advice and I will post updates soon.

Good on you.

get the basics -- sharpening, stock preparation, marking out, sawing up to a line -- right, and all else is just an extension of those basic skills.

Ha I know the feeling It can get frustrating but you just gotta push through and it'll come to you.

Check this link out its online classes with practical work, they cost about $175 but might be worth while for you.

https://www.handtoolschool.net/produ...-fundamentals/


Joel

I know exactly this feeling. I got it heaps and I still get it at times.

Best way to describe it is like falling out of love. Start off really enthusiastic and keen. Do things as best I can, but then halfway through I make a mistake or realise I could have done it a different way which would look much better. In some projects it becomes a chore to finish them off. But I have a personal rule about finishing projects.

For example I spent every weekend for about 2-3 months making a dining table. Now I want to remake the top in a modified design because I thought of a way that would be more beautiful. My family think I am mad.

The thing is that only the builder knows the faults. For everyone else they only see the finished product.