half-way panic

[Brenda Tindale]

Hi, I'm just starting out with woodworking, have made a couple of simple projects, but find I lose all confidence about half way through a project. Just wondered if others hit this wall, too.

[Anthony Lanting]

Brenda- My wife often refers to my workshop as "The Sawdust Factory" since so many times she asks me "What are you making?" and I tell her SAWDUST. Sometimes I mess up so bad I cut my work into shims and guides. Just keep trying, I keep my old failures and figure out how to make them better.

[Jenny]

Brenda - (Nice to find another female on here!)
You can always post pictures of how the project is going and ask for help when you don’t know what to do next. There is probably someone on here that knows.
I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

[DAVID CZUPRYN]

Hey,Art, your info should be in a trade magazine! When it came to my shop, I not only hiried a certified electrician,but also showed him what tools I'd be operating,but also what circuits I wanted to design just fr those power tools, He offered the following statement: "People think because it works,it's both safe and done right. Not always the case." Sometimes it pays to be "long winded". Thanks for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us.

[Art S. Hamilton]

While we're on the subject...

One of the factors that I've seen bring an end to even the best of power tools is a lack of supplying adequate
voltage to the machine. I've walked into many scenarios where a make-do circuit is expected to produce a
cut. A reasonable owner's manual will have a chart that will identify the cable size, over a given length of run,
that the machine needs to run at it's intended speed under the load of a cut.

These sizes can seem a bit overkill, since the 16 gauge cord, 100 miles long, that ran the electric lawn mower
for twenty years worked just fine, didn't it? In fact, the heavier the gauge of the cord, the more performance and
life span you can expect from whatever you're powering up. This, obviously, does not mean that welding cables
are appropriate for a Dremel. The point is that a bit of knowledge now will ensure a realistic setup for your
fledgling shop. There are two terms to be familiar with: line loss and voltage drop. They mean about the same
thing.
Whether your tool requires 110 or 220, the supply breaker has to be designed to supply the amps to the
receptacle you're using, say on average, 15 amps to a 110 volt circuit. IF the breaker is in good condition, IF
the length of run to the shop is within the electrical code length for the size of house wiring, IF the receptacle
has tight internal connections and tight-fitting sockets, IF the extension cord has blades in clean, good
condition, IF the power tool cord is in proper shape, you may be able to have this 15 amps available to the
motor. However, if this same breaker also supplies a couple of lights, a space heater, and a ventilation fan
then life as we know it, in the Evergreen Forest, won't live up to expectation.

When a motor starts up, it briefly draws a lot of current (amps), to get it rotating to speed. This is called in-rush
current, and you'll see lights dim as this happens. Then as it spins up, all seems fine, until the load is met, and
then the motor slows down, sometimes to a point of burn-out, e.g.- "I smoked the angle grinder". Damage to
motors, including burn-out is OFTEN not just someone forcing the tool beyond it's design, it is a voltage drop
because of a weak link somewhere along the line that is doing the same thing as pinching off the garden hose
with a car and wondering why the sprinkler is so wimpy.

I get long winded, so I'll stop. Buy heavy duty cords, find a way to dedicate electrical loads across several
breaker circuits, have a qualified person with knowledge and a decent voltmeter, measure what you have
available to your various receptacles while under load.

Don't read into this that you shouldn't be having fun and learning your skills. I assure you that what I've offered is
fundamental to your attitude and long term investment of your upcoming power tools. Many get far less than what
they could for project enjoyment because the tool just doesn't seem up to the job.

[Don Grubish]

When it comes to power tools, I always mutter to mysef, "respect the machine," because a power tool will always win out vs. human flesh. Always know where both hands are and will be throughout the process. I've got two brothers and a father who have all cut themselves on a table saw. Each one required stitches.

Respect the machine, NEVER rush through a cut/drill/sand/routing, and you'll be fine. Oh yeah, and wear decent eye and ear protection at all times.

[DAVID CZUPRYN]

Hi,Brenda, I've been working wood,most of my life:I'm 60.I approach a new tool cautiously,also. NO ONE is"confident",using a tool the first time,even they've used that same kind of tool before !!! Each tool has it's own personality,and "feel".Every new tool,requires a Break In period,with a new user. You"ll do just fine. Stay with it.

[Brenda Tindale]

Thanks to all of you for your input. I invested in good tools, have a small shop all to myself, and have the full support of my husband in this hobby. My problem lies in the fact that I'm not confident when it comes to using the tools for the first time. After I've gone ahead and done the new element of the project everything is fine, it's just forcing myself to make that step. I guess the comfort level will grow as my skills do. In the meantime, I'm loving it, and making all kinds of sawdust! Thanks again.

[Don Grubish]

I used to run into problems when woodworking too, but what I've found is that usually there is a way around the problem if I just think hard enough. If you run into a problem, just set it aside for 24 hours and come back to it. Usually in that amount of time your mind is refreshed enough that some answer will pop up and save your work piece. Besides, Batman's father said it best in Batman Begins:

"Why do we fall, Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up." You'll find your way out of the bat cave too, Brenda! Just keep at it.

[Art S. Hamilton]

Hello. Brenda.

You've asked a valid and interesting question, and to answer carefully would require more information
than your short statement offers.
Do you have a comfortable location to practise woodworking in? Do you have adequate lighting, can you
leave a project set up while you do other things, do you have a reasonably good basic tool set, do you
have a workbench or kitchen table that will let you lay out your components for an organized look at the
needs of assembly and materials? Is the project something you pre-plan, so you can can come across
some of the obstacles then instead of at the point of no return? Are you naturally a person who likes to
complete a started project, can you picture the end result and where it will be used? Are you okay with
the math and measuring aspects, have you budgeted for the time it may involve including setbacks or
damaged materials? Are the ideas your own, and at some point it seems foolish or aukward looking,
or are you following another's plan and it gets confusing, perhaps because some procedure involves
tools and knowledge levels you don't possess yet?
I've monkeyed around with projects for a lot of years now, and there have been many times I felt like
I was wasting my time, my life, our money, for no certain visible finish. But I perservered, would get
past the frustrations, try again, and again, and...get it?

I'm going to just assume something with you. Maybe what you need is a vote of confidence. Brenda,
if you learn some basic skills SAFELY, you will be able to apply them to anything that it is possible to
craft. If your tools are dull, nothing will ever go truly well. If you can't see what you're doing, find a way
to better your environment. If you want to make an heirloom, collosal, wonderful, amazing, enviable
award-winning masterpiece, get a prescription for a vitamin that contains huge patience, a undying
will to improve, the vision to sketch or CAD your idea, the discipline to keep trying, and a belief in
your potential. If, on the other hand you want to make birdhouses and lawn ornaments, the previous
sentence applies equally so.
I charge you to write back with your progresses, others may be encouraged to perservere because
you did.

Art Hamilton

[Brenda Tindale]

Thanks for the encouragement, guys. I really hope I can make more than just kindling...I have high hopes and lots of plans.