Bruce Ferguson wrote:
I think you should try to do your best all the time. People have different
levels of skill and one should work with in that range occatioally pushing
your self to advace, but that is not on every job or project. I have have
been working in my job occupation for a long time. When management wants
something fast and you throw it together or you repeatedly have to redo
things your craftmenship starts to slip and your work goes down. It has
happened to me. That gets to be the norm and you have to push yourself to
get back in the groove. I now try to do the best and temp work I make look
like temp work so it has to be redone. At the end of the day you are the
one who has to look at it and be satisfied.

I think there is room for individuals to set their own goals. Just as in
business there is sometimes a need to make absolute top quality
products, there is also more often the need for a level of quality that
can be achieved to a fixed cost. As unpleasant as the latter may be, at
many levels, it is a reality we often have to live with.

For the hobbiest woodturner it is up to them to set their goals and
decide why they want to pursue the craft. If that means hacking away at
a hunk of wood with dull scraping tools just for the sheer pleasure of
making rough shapes in wood, then why not? Ultimately that person may
set a new personal goal and improve their skills. Whether they will get
as much enjoyment from making the more perfect piece is hard to say and
will depend on their personality.

Let me tell you a story. I once tried my hand at golf. I quiet fancied
whacking a ball around a field. But everyone else took it so damn
serious. They worried about how they held the club and how many whacks
it took to get around the course. For me that ruined the experience and
I never went back. For me the 'doing' was much more important than the
end result. I should add that this attitude does not roll over into my
woodturning endeavours, where I set much higher goals, depending on what
I am making.

--
Derek Andrews, woodturner

http://www.seafoamwoodturning.com
http://chipshop.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toolrest/