There are those who find and build from someone else’s set of plans
There are those who make their own, down to the last detail, set of
plans and build from them - exactly. There are some with The Gift (and
the discipline, experience, knowledge and skills) who can visualize and
construct the finished piece in their head while looking at candidate
boards/timber. And there are those who just wing it, starting with the
basics of an idea and evolving things as they go.

A pro will often develop a set a “product lines” of a dining table and
chairs sets, a bedroom suite, etc., in a style he likes and knows will
sell. He/she will basically build the same pieces over and over again,
varying the woods and maybe the finish, slowly refining his/her “style”
- and method of constructing.

But amateur/hobbiest woodworkers seldom, if ever, make the same design
twice. And I’m betting that few amateurs/hobbiest complete a project
without saying “I wish I had . . .”. Am also betting that few amateurs/
hobbiests make a mock up or a full prototype before making The Real
Thing.

That’s a pity since seeing an idea at full scale and being able to
tweek/tweak it, with little if any risk, can take a good initial idea up
a notch.

Now there are prototypes and then there are prototypes. You can do a
full scale basic mock up out of MDF and use a hot glue gun and pocket
screws to hold things together. With reversible “joinery” you can
experiment with parts placement and widths, edge treatments, shadow
lines and proportions. However, the shortcoming of an MDF prototype is
the joinery. It’s often the joinery that present the “challenges”.
THAT requires wood. Fortunately, construction grade 2x4s, 2x6s etc.
are, relative to hardwoods, fairly inexpensive.

Imagine doing a mock up in MDF, then a prototype in fir or pine and THEN
make the actual piece. Think of it - make your errors before you get to
the expensive stuff, figure out how to either avoid them next time or
fix them, THEN make the real thing. And you may be able to use the
prototype as shop furniture.

How would your last project turn out if you’d made a prototype FIRST?

Just something to think about.

charlie b