Allow me to introduce myself

[Don]

Hey, Guys. Well the tag-line sounds a little pretentious. I didn't come up with it and I don't know if thirty five years is enough to be an expert at anything.

But, sad as it may be, it's true. I've been in and around woodworking in some measure since I was fifteen (don't do the math, please) so that would make me an old fart by most, and a young guy by a few.

However, I've seen and done a lot. I'm not going to say that I'm the master of this or that, my interests have been too varied to dwell on any particular discipline too long.

I would say that I'm a problem solver and that's led me to where I am today really. I've always had a knack for seeing several steps down the road of any particular issue, project or plan. That's made me valuable to those that would exploit guys like me. Not valuable enough treat me like the genius that I am (cough, cough) but I feel that I've done pretty well to basically come from a public edumacation.

My first real summer job, besides mowing lawns, was with a screen and cabinet shop. My buddies and I were proud to have a regular job at a dollar fifty an hour. Unfortunately the job was digging a basement up under a house that was already built. The land sloped down to a large creek and we dug and tunneled into the leeward side as the foreman poured concrete and shored up the house. We'd fill wheelbarrows and roll them down to the creek to raise the bank.

Back then, I wasn't the well proportioned, muscular and athletic guy that I am today. Then, more a sickly, knock-kneed, weakling. More than once I ran screaming toward the embankment, hundreds of pounds of runaway wheelbarrow on the ends of skinny wrists. It always ended badly.

But after a summer of mixing mud, carrying blocks, digging holes and unloading trucks, much like Conan, "that which does not kill us makes us stronger," I survived.

I burned the kitchen one school morning. Put on a pot of water for something or another and went back to bed. Had turned the wrong burner on under a pan of grease that mom had left on the stove the night before. Seeing that mom had some insurance money, $327 to be exact, the boss offered to teach me how to use the machines at the back of the shop. He would allow me to rebuild the cabinets, get a little experience, and save the family fortune at the same time. I took to it like a duck to water.

So much so, he hung a tarp across the shop to keep the customers from seeing the 13 year old boy happily sawing, hammering and nailing away. I think they have labor laws against that today.

Since that time I've worked in old school architectural millwork shops and even had my own millwork business during the eighties. I'll have to get to know you better before I tell you that story.

I've ended up on the end of the latest technology that this trade has to offer. Computers, CNC equipment, software. I've done a little of all of it, I guess.

Einstein said something to the effect, that he didn't have to know everything, just how to find out what he needed to know. I believe that.

I've always told the boys that it didn't have to be perfect, just so close you couldn't tell the difference. That's good enough.

Anyway, this is not about me, it's about you and what you're doing or hope to do. Hopefully this forum will become an extended family to you like FFCobra.com has been to me these last years. If you get a chance, visit that place too, you'll see what I mean.

Hope to hear from ya.

All the best, Don

Welcome to WoodworkingBuzz.com, the newest Woodworking forum and community. Use this area of the discussion forum to post questions to me directly.

[Polish Princess]

You sound like a terriffic guy, Don. I do have a question. I have an old (70's) double pane window in an upstairs room that has clouded over so badly you can't see out of it. It really looks GROSS! I want to remove it and replace it with a bay window, but the opening was not made for a bay window. What can I do?

[Don]

Dear Polish Princess, I feel your pain. I can see from your pictures that the project is going to require the efforts of a superhuman. First off your man will have to create an elaborate scaffolding system to work on the extremely inclined roof, that is unless you married a mountain goat. If he does not take the time to do this he is sure to fall to his death through the glass house below. Make sure his insurance is up to date. Tell him to post his progress here on the forum.

I’m sure he is waiting for cooler and drier weather; your area of the country is brutal this time of year.

Show him you are really serious about getting this done. You can begin by cleaning out the room in question; there will be a lot of inside and outside work. Then do all you can to support your knight in white satin armor (Sopranos). He does sound like a great guy; the picture of him leaping over tall building with a single bound is impressive.

You need to spend your free time resting; eating bon bons and doing charity work for the poor. The commission of a true Princess. In between those exhausting efforts you should be thinking about the next coming project. Your job will be to keep him on point and bring up your dissatisfaction on a daily basis; keep his priorities straight. God knows he can’t do it alone, that’s why he got married.

Thanks for sending your picture as well; you look to have several of the qualities desired by the superficial American male. Should we meet?

All the best, Sir Don

[Don]

You are extremly wise, Sir Don. I'd love to meet you. How about the park at County Dock when the flowers are in bloom and the music is playing. Bring your dog!

Polly

[Cocobolove]

First off let me apologise for my ignorance. I am new to this, and can't figure out another way to ask so here goes. How the heck do I post a new thread????

[Don]

Hey, Coco and welcome to the forum. In order to start a new thread you need to be in the "root" of the particular forum that you are wanting to post in. If you are reading this, then you will see in the bottom left hand corner of the screen the button, "Post Reply" which is your only option. If you use your brower to return or simply click the "forum" button in the menu above you will be taken to a list of forums. You need to be on a page like this, http://www.woodworkingbuzz.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=27 in order to see that the button has now changed to "New Thread."

Good luck and welcome to the forum.

All the best, Don

[JasonB]

hey Don! you said.....

"I've always told the boys that it didn't have to be perfect, just so close you couldn't tell the difference. That's good enough."

I have a similar saying that I use!

"If we strive for perfection the finished project will be good quality."


when I had my house built I struggled with the builder. They promised a "quality home" that I could be proud of. When I would call him about walls that were 1.5-2" out of plumb he said "qulity is an opinion" I told him "not true! quality begins at perfection, and if your subs and you would strive for perfection then I am sure I would be happy with the end result!" I believe this and I think every and any deviation from perfection is lesser quality. things don't need to be within 1/32 to be acceptable but thats what I strive for at work and because of that when I'm off a bit for whatever reason I'm still just as close or closer than others that I work with.
Anyways, my experience with that contractor that built my house really affected my ethics at work. I've always taken pride in what I do. but now I feel guilty when things aren't up to my tolerances and I end up redoing things sometimes. things that I know my boss would just let go..........

blah, blah, blah........LOL:o
I'll shut up now!!!

[Don]

Hey, Jason. As you have found, striving for perfection can ultimately give ulcers. Turning a blind eye toward knowing something is not right has the same effect. Somewhere between the two is a happy balance. As I've gotten older I'm a little wiser on which battles to fight. An out of plumb stud in the center of a wall (1-1/2" or 2" is a bit much) that will be of no consequence, not a big deal. An out of plumb stud on the end of a wall - I'm sorry, that's not going to work.

But you are wise in the method of how to arrive at good quality and what it means. Your builder is correct in his assessment of quality though. It's just that the two of you don't agree on the level of quality. Case in point, a person used to a Rolls Royce will look at a GM product and turn up their nose, a person used to driving an F1 racer will look at the quality on a Rolls and sneer. Someone making space shuttle parts puts them all to shame. It's a money thing.

But, like you said, we can control only ourselves, If we STRIVE for perfection with a healthy mindset in all that WE do then we can rest easy in knowing the quality is good. To the average outsider, the quality will appear great. Why? Simply because most are not willing to put in the effort to achieve it themselves but the recognize it as different and above the ordinary.

When I was in business it was a simple premise, give the customer more than they expect. This is easier than most realize. Many have low expectations to begin with - if you just gave them what the two of you agreed on most would be ecstatic. It's very easy to excel in this world today, do a little more than the next guy - he's not doing that much anyway.

Thanks for the note,

All the best, Don