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Woodworking has probably been one of the most important things to add during my career. I went from being and feeling like I knew how to do most everything to b

Woodworking has probably been one of the most important things to add during my career. I went from being and feeling like I knew how to do most everything to being forced into confronting the fact that just because I'm experienced, I don't know everything. I make so many fucking mistakes when I'm woodworking that, when people ask about what I make in my woodshop, I just respond "sawdust and mistakes, mostly". I'm not comfortable not knowing what to do; I've been building on a really stellar foundation for so long that when I need to do something outside of that universe - not situated over that foundation - I tend to flounder, get frustrated, and feel like the dumbest man alive. Woodworking made me confront the fact that while I may be really good at building scalable systems and high quality code, that doesn't mean I'm the master at everything, and I'm *going* to find things I need to stretch to learn. It's made me get comfortable with making mistakes again (well, as comfortable as I can be, I reckon). It's also made me comfortable with realizing when I'm hitting my patience limit and walking away instead of banging my head against the wall for hours. A bit of distance, let my subconscious chew on it for a while, and revisit it later, rather than just trying to put my head down and shove my way through. Long story short, you should all pick up woodworking, or metal working, or throw some pottery or paint or something. Get comfortable with being a rank amateur fuckup and revel in the process of learning instead of fabricating without a hitch. I know that I, for one, really needed it.

Pr0ject217 4y ago
>Get comfortable with being a rank amateur fuckup and revel in the process of learning instead of fabricating without a hitch There's still a long road ahead for me to coming even close to mastering software engineering. Perhaps one day ^_^
Animats 4y ago
> that doesn't mean I'm the master at everything And then you see someone who is the master at everything in construction.[1] [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKYFdwWx2QU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKYFdwWx2QU
- juhanima 4y ago
  The way she goes about it, using power tools without goggles and gloves is just horrifying. It's a lovely concept, showing what can be done with the materials and tools available. But I wouldn't recommend such a cavalier approach to anyone in real life. This seems very staged to me anyway, with the result not matching to the process shown. Also the structural integrity and endurance of those constructs seems a bit questionable.
  - ilyt 4y ago
    Ah, yes, that belt sander is totally out to get ya if you don't have gloves, and that nail gun is gonna kill you without googles lmao. > Also the structural integrity and endurance of those constructs seems a bit questionable. Eh, I've seen shacks built worse in worse climate that are older than me. Aside from some things being a bit weird (why those protruding concrete blocks for wood beams instead of just digging a hole for concrete + sticking beam deeper ? Humidity maybe ?) I don't really see an issue, it looks like it is in place that won't exactly experience hurricane winds > This seems very staged to me anyway, with the result not matching to the process shown. Well, it was probably like a week long build so some things were skipped
  - VectorLock 4y ago
    Like those very popular "we built an elaborate swimming pool in the middle of the jungle" videos that were debunked.
    - monkpit 4y ago
      What about them was debunked? Were they just made with machines?
      - function_seven 4y ago
        Yeah. I can't find anything right now, but there have been many takedowns that show the excavator tracks in the background. Also videos that show the aftermath of these "hand-dug pools", where you see a bunch of them clustered in an area (again, with evidence of earth moving equipment). Other absurdities are when the pool is filled with thousands of gallons of water, one bucket trip at a time.
gjvc 4y ago
Long story short, you should all pick up woodworking, or metal working, or throw some pottery or paint or something. Get comfortable with being a rank amateur fuckup and revel in the process of learning instead of fabricating without a hitch. I know that I, for one, really needed it. Learning a trade, even if it doesn't become a profession is something which is very under-rated.
mytdi 4y ago
>"sawdust and mistakes, mostly" Love that phrase. Will share it with my father who has a woodshop. Also agree with your thoughts about woodworking. I also started doing some wood work, I got myself a desktop CNC and some other basic woodworking tools.
- isbjorn16 4y ago
  my other pithy statement that I stand behind is my poorly routed sign that says "Glasses and Mask, Jackass" and sits right in front of the door entry to my workshop. haste makes waste, but even worse, it can make for blind people with breathing problems
- tharkun__ 4y ago
  I would go as far (as I did) and recommend not buying any expensive power tools at all. Hand tools! CNC? Table saw? What's that? A basic woodworking tool is a good 50+ year old hand saw that can sharpened by hand. I have like four. I actually ground the teeth off completely on some of them and created a new set of teeth from a completely smooth straight metal edge. Very satisfying! This is what I learned it from (well this and a many of the other videos on his channel): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTqZTGPPRj0&list=PLqyeNiM0BJuUxO2ljEAiFSNvT07FixkB2&index=5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTqZTGPPRj0&list=PLqyeNiM0BJ... What's a planer? Who's got money to buy that or space to put it. Or the dust extraction you'd want? Buy an actual 50+ year old hand plane or two! I have 3 and each one has something that's broken. Be it a handle, a screw that's not original etc. Dunno about the US or other countries, but here in Canada https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/hand-tools https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/hand-tools can also be good to buy new if you are so inclined. I have a mix of new tools from them and old tools from Ebay that I restored.
  - logical_proof 4y ago
    Don’t act like re-toothing a crosscut saw is some easy process and everyone has all the tools available :) at a minimum you need the correct needle files, a saw set, a bastard file, some kind of vice preferably a saw vice, and the skill on what pitch and yaw to file at. Hand saw sharpening like most woodworking is a lovely ‘rabbet’ hole. Edit: this was meant as a bit of tip of the hat to anyone who can sharpen a crosscut panel saw, not snark.
otikik 4y ago
The gate drug to woodworking is doing small repairs around the house. Hey I changed a lightbulb, let me replace that door knob, oh I need a chisel for that? Bam
- alonmower 4y ago
  The added benefit of arriving it via this path is that getting really handy teaches you a lot of valuable lessons applicable everywhere else in your life (ones that extend far beyond knowing when contractors are taking advantage of you). e.g. things in the world aren't as permanent as they appear to be, you have agency to change and improve things, taking a step back to take two steps forward is sometimes the right path, etc...
digitalsushi 4y ago
I have a woodshop and I develop software for a day job. The best piece of tooling I can suggest for a wood shop is a wood stove for heating it. I have reached 100% efficiency with my materials usage and it brings me a great satisfaction to so easily maintain such an impossibly high result.
- wtfmcgrill 4y ago
  Burn the evidence eh?
- semireg 4y ago
  I admire this comment in the many dimensions it was intended. Likewise, I heat the home office with the burning cycles of an intel Mac constantly compiling an electron app.
  - m463 4y ago
    As winter gets colder, you could try a G5 PPC :)
  - jader201 4y ago
    Shows how much I know about woodworking. Until I read your comment, I hadn’t realized the parent comment was satire. Instead, I was amazed at some new technique I hadn’t heard of before of heating wood that would make woodworking easier.
- dekhn 4y ago
  And here I have been throwing away my failures in shame.
- oakashes 4y ago
  Just be very careful when you are applying finish, volatile solvents and flames are a bad mix!
culopatin 4y ago
This has been welding for me. The amount of failures, small and big (like when I get under the car to mount the exhaust and I find that the second turn is actually 90 degrees off) and small (like when I’m using the last piece of stainless with the last c and I have and I forget to turn down the amps and blow a hole right through both). It always takes me a few days of procrastination and thinking about going in the garage before I finally go and do it, by then the race is too close and I end up rushing. All that because I don’t want to confront the failures. What’s funny is that when I complete whatever I do, the reward is so good that I don’t know why I can’t remember that feeling when I start the project.
michelb 4y ago
Very much reflects my personal experience with woodworking and pottery/ceramics. The lack of a proper undo/rollback is both frustrating and wonderful.
manv1 4y ago
Agreed. It's fun and frustrating how ridiculously hard it is to measure and mark wood for cutting consistently. I've been off by 1mm because I accidentally cut on the left side of the mark instead of the right side of the mark. Or I have a table leg that's not quite square to the floor because I forgot to square the table saw blade. Arrgh!

Pr0ject217 4y ago

>Get comfortable with being a rank amateur fuckup and revel in the process of learning instead of fabricating without a hitch There's still a long road ahead for me to coming even close to mastering software engineering. Perhaps one day ^_^

Animats 4y ago

> that doesn't mean I'm the master at everything And then you see someone who is the master at everything in construction.[1] [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKYFdwWx2QU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKYFdwWx2QU

juhanima 4y ago
The way she goes about it, using power tools without goggles and gloves is just horrifying. It's a lovely concept, showing what can be done with the materials and tools available. But I wouldn't recommend such a cavalier approach to anyone in real life. This seems very staged to me anyway, with the result not matching to the process shown. Also the structural integrity and endurance of those constructs seems a bit questionable.
- ilyt 4y ago
  Ah, yes, that belt sander is totally out to get ya if you don't have gloves, and that nail gun is gonna kill you without googles lmao. > Also the structural integrity and endurance of those constructs seems a bit questionable. Eh, I've seen shacks built worse in worse climate that are older than me. Aside from some things being a bit weird (why those protruding concrete blocks for wood beams instead of just digging a hole for concrete + sticking beam deeper ? Humidity maybe ?) I don't really see an issue, it looks like it is in place that won't exactly experience hurricane winds > This seems very staged to me anyway, with the result not matching to the process shown. Well, it was probably like a week long build so some things were skipped
- VectorLock 4y ago
  Like those very popular "we built an elaborate swimming pool in the middle of the jungle" videos that were debunked.
  - monkpit 4y ago
    What about them was debunked? Were they just made with machines?
    - function_seven 4y ago
      Yeah. I can't find anything right now, but there have been many takedowns that show the excavator tracks in the background. Also videos that show the aftermath of these "hand-dug pools", where you see a bunch of them clustered in an area (again, with evidence of earth moving equipment). Other absurdities are when the pool is filled with thousands of gallons of water, one bucket trip at a time.

gjvc 4y ago

Long story short, you should all pick up woodworking, or metal working, or throw some pottery or paint or something. Get comfortable with being a rank amateur fuckup and revel in the process of learning instead of fabricating without a hitch. I know that I, for one, really needed it. Learning a trade, even if it doesn't become a profession is something which is very under-rated.

mytdi 4y ago

>"sawdust and mistakes, mostly" Love that phrase. Will share it with my father who has a woodshop. Also agree with your thoughts about woodworking. I also started doing some wood work, I got myself a desktop CNC and some other basic woodworking tools.

isbjorn16 4y ago
my other pithy statement that I stand behind is my poorly routed sign that says "Glasses and Mask, Jackass" and sits right in front of the door entry to my workshop. haste makes waste, but even worse, it can make for blind people with breathing problems
tharkun__ 4y ago
I would go as far (as I did) and recommend not buying any expensive power tools at all. Hand tools! CNC? Table saw? What's that? A basic woodworking tool is a good 50+ year old hand saw that can sharpened by hand. I have like four. I actually ground the teeth off completely on some of them and created a new set of teeth from a completely smooth straight metal edge. Very satisfying! This is what I learned it from (well this and a many of the other videos on his channel): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTqZTGPPRj0&list=PLqyeNiM0BJuUxO2ljEAiFSNvT07FixkB2&index=5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTqZTGPPRj0&list=PLqyeNiM0BJ... What's a planer? Who's got money to buy that or space to put it. Or the dust extraction you'd want? Buy an actual 50+ year old hand plane or two! I have 3 and each one has something that's broken. Be it a handle, a screw that's not original etc. Dunno about the US or other countries, but here in Canada https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/hand-tools https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/hand-tools can also be good to buy new if you are so inclined. I have a mix of new tools from them and old tools from Ebay that I restored.
- logical_proof 4y ago
  Don’t act like re-toothing a crosscut saw is some easy process and everyone has all the tools available :) at a minimum you need the correct needle files, a saw set, a bastard file, some kind of vice preferably a saw vice, and the skill on what pitch and yaw to file at. Hand saw sharpening like most woodworking is a lovely ‘rabbet’ hole. Edit: this was meant as a bit of tip of the hat to anyone who can sharpen a crosscut panel saw, not snark.

otikik 4y ago

The gate drug to woodworking is doing small repairs around the house. Hey I changed a lightbulb, let me replace that door knob, oh I need a chisel for that? Bam

alonmower 4y ago
The added benefit of arriving it via this path is that getting really handy teaches you a lot of valuable lessons applicable everywhere else in your life (ones that extend far beyond knowing when contractors are taking advantage of you). e.g. things in the world aren't as permanent as they appear to be, you have agency to change and improve things, taking a step back to take two steps forward is sometimes the right path, etc...

digitalsushi 4y ago

I have a woodshop and I develop software for a day job. The best piece of tooling I can suggest for a wood shop is a wood stove for heating it. I have reached 100% efficiency with my materials usage and it brings me a great satisfaction to so easily maintain such an impossibly high result.

wtfmcgrill 4y ago
Burn the evidence eh?
semireg 4y ago
I admire this comment in the many dimensions it was intended. Likewise, I heat the home office with the burning cycles of an intel Mac constantly compiling an electron app.
- m463 4y ago
  As winter gets colder, you could try a G5 PPC :)
- jader201 4y ago
  Shows how much I know about woodworking. Until I read your comment, I hadn’t realized the parent comment was satire. Instead, I was amazed at some new technique I hadn’t heard of before of heating wood that would make woodworking easier.
dekhn 4y ago
And here I have been throwing away my failures in shame.
oakashes 4y ago
Just be very careful when you are applying finish, volatile solvents and flames are a bad mix!

culopatin 4y ago

This has been welding for me. The amount of failures, small and big (like when I get under the car to mount the exhaust and I find that the second turn is actually 90 degrees off) and small (like when I’m using the last piece of stainless with the last c and I have and I forget to turn down the amps and blow a hole right through both). It always takes me a few days of procrastination and thinking about going in the garage before I finally go and do it, by then the race is too close and I end up rushing. All that because I don’t want to confront the failures. What’s funny is that when I complete whatever I do, the reward is so good that I don’t know why I can’t remember that feeling when I start the project.

michelb 4y ago

Very much reflects my personal experience with woodworking and pottery/ceramics. The lack of a proper undo/rollback is both frustrating and wonderful.

manv1 4y ago

Agreed. It's fun and frustrating how ridiculously hard it is to measure and mark wood for cutting consistently. I've been off by 1mm because I accidentally cut on the left side of the mark instead of the right side of the mark. Or I have a table leg that's not quite square to the floor because I forgot to square the table saw blade. Arrgh!