On 18 Jun 2006 02:57:22 -0700, "foggytown" wrote:

A couple of "confidence builders"..

I had the same problem with my wood turning... I found out that the only people
who find/mention small flaws are the people the have the same hobby... and they
aren't the ones that will buy your stuff, anyway..

Look at paintings and prints in a good quality furniture store... the miters and
joints in the frames are probably way worse that yours are... but they sell and
nobody cares if the lines show...

Striving for perfection is one thing. Being dissapointed when you
don't attain it is quite another. But how do you curb your own
excessive fussiness?

I'm getting more and more into making little wood boxes for jewelery,
trinkets, etc. Average size 6" X 4", but can be as big/small as
required. Here are some examples of what I've done in utili, oak, ash,
purpleheart, yew.

http://foggytown.spaces.msn.com/photos/?_c02_owner=1

I'd like to turn this hobby into some kind of earner by doing
made-to-measure boxes to order. My big problem is that I'm rarely
satisfied with my work and I assume that a potential customer will be
even more critical than I am. Friends & relations I've shown my stuff
to think its very good but I just can't get past the little
imperfections I know are the a slightly loose joint requiring some
filler; a blemish on the oil finish where a spot of glue on the wood
wasn't noticed; couple of small "hard" spots on the velvet interior
where some glue dripped.

Question for the wreckers here who do pieces for customers. Are you
ever truly satisfied with your work to the point where you think it
will probably be rejected? Or am I overestimating the capacity of the
public to be critical of something they can't do to begin with?

FoggyTown

Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm