Thread: Novice seeks advice.

Gooday

If it something to work on: its a bench.

If you can sit on it: its a chair.

If it keeps food off the ground: its a table.

if you sleep on it: its a bed.

As long as it does what it was supposed (or intended) to do you have succeeded.

Hi Jimmy,

You have asked a few questions, I'll attempt to answer them in turn

1) How much weight are you talking about? If I were you perhaps a dowel joint is a better way. Mark out where you want your holes then place a peice of masking tape and use it as a depth market before you drill the hole. You don't really need a dowel jig if you have a steady hand but it helps.

2) The whole idea of joining thinner panels together is that wide pannels (say around 240 mm) are subject to warping and cupping depending on the way they were cut at the sawmill. The easiest way to joint these up is to use your biscuts here. To finish it off run the plane over it to get rid of any high points then finish with your random orbit sander.

3) As for glue up of your projects. It really depends on what you are doing. For example if I was building a carcas then I wouyld glue up the sides first then glue the rest together to make the carcas.

Hope this help you out.

Martin.

P.S. I agree with , as long as it does the job then it's a job well done

hi mate-I still remember the abortion of a thing I made first, back in the early 80s - it was intended to be a Hifi cabinet & if the simple criteria of keeping stuff off the floor was all it took, it was a success.

Once finished I hated it - instead of starting again, that eyesore stayed in my lounge room for over a year. Each day I looked at it's faults and resolved to do the following:

I'd seek out pieces that I really liked & think about what elements in their form/material etc. attracted me - then I would make pieces "after the spirit of the original" - not copies, rather pieces recognisably of the same style/period. Funny thing happened: it took no longer to make something of lasting beauty (to me) than the hunk-a-junk..... The moral: explore what is beautiful on your terms and learn to "see" what the ingredients are. It will make for a lifetime of satisfying making, as a hobbyist or professional craftsperson…. And good on ya for having a go!

www.geocities.com/seriph1 to see some of my stuff

If it something to work on: its a bench.

If you can sit on it: its a chair.

If it keeps food off the ground: its a table.

if you sleep on it: its a bed.

As long as it does what it was supposed (or intended) to do you have succeeded.

Even if it doesn't work at all, it's fun trying.

A boomerang that doesn't come back:

is a stick.

P

Thanks for the replys and encourgment guys. Growing up I was labelled one of those guys who wasn't any good with their hands. I believed this until the age of 30. One day I got sick of paying others for substandard work and had a go at all sorts of things things about the house and, unbelievebly did a half decent job. Tools - where had they been all my life.....

boy do I know what you mean....... years ago I was told I "just wasn't creative" by someone in authority over me - hit me hard.

It's mad how much we allow others to affect how we feel about ourselves!

Like you, I have spent a lot of time re-doing tradesmen’s' work.....I'm not sure what it is, but from Plasterer and painter to re-stumper and tiler - they turned up late, went to other jobs, often left with no work done at all.....and when the work WAS done, it was of such a low standard that I couldn’t help thinking "how do you buggers make ANY money?"

It's one of the great mysteries of life.

oh and these days? I work in design - restoration architecture, graphic design/creative writing and 18th/19th century European country style furniture reproduction prototyping ....... but I lived in the non-creative "reality" for years.

Keep at it mate and have a ball! Oh yeah while I think of it - I believe you will find many craftspeople who are not only eager to help, but almost totally self-taught or taught through their own drive to learn......is there any other way really?

.002c

Originally posted by bitingmidge

A boomerang that doesn't come back:

is a stick.

Does that mean that when I throw a stick & my dog fetches it back that it's a boomerang?

Does that mean that when I throw a stick & my dog fetches it back that it's a boomerang?

No,

If your dog fetches it back; it's a ball.


Cheers,

P

Originally posted by seriph1


oh and these days? I work in creative writing

No kidding, would never have guessed.

nothing like a neighbour taking the p1ss as a definite indication that we are in Australia



(I am in Kilmore)


success

Maybe because were are all tall, bronzed Aussies,with broad shoulders that we can take it so well.

Cheers, Bruce