I was thinking about this last night as I was wrapping my daughter's
birthday presents.

When I'm woodworking, all of my measurements are very precise, all of
my cuts are dead straight and I worry about being a few thousandths of
an inch off and everything has to be perfectly square. Yet when I was
wrapping, so long as I cut the paper reasonably straight and kind of
square, I was happy. The corners were sort of tight and as long as it
looked decent, I had no problem with it.

Is there anything else in our lives, as woodworkers, where we're as
exacting as we are when we're out in the shop?

Is there anything else in our lives, as woodworkers, where we're as
exacting as we are when we're out in the shop?

I write financial software at work. I also pay attention when I do my
own auto repairs, especially brakes. Other than that, I let a most
things slide.

brian

Brian Henderson wrote:

I was thinking about this last night as I was wrapping my
daughter's birthday presents.

When I'm woodworking, all of my measurements are very precise, all
of my cuts are dead straight and I worry about being a few
thousandths of an inch off and everything has to be perfectly
square. Yet when I was wrapping, so long as I cut the paper
reasonably straight and kind of square, I was happy. The corners
were sort of tight and as long as it looked decent, I had no
problem with it.

Is there anything else in our lives, as woodworkers, where we're
as exacting as we are when we're out in the shop?

Well, it's all about context. If you were in your woodshop cutting to
length a bunch of tomatoe stakes, I don't think you'd worry about a
few thousandths either way ;-) If you were a professional gift wrapper
then I'd suppose neatness and squareness would be a high priority.

Joe Barta

In article , Brian
Henderson wrote:

Is there anything else in our lives, as woodworkers, where we're as
exacting as we are when we're out in the shop?

I work to realistic tolerances...

--
Boycott Google for their support of communist censorship and repression!

Funny you should bring up wrapping presents. I'm well known in my family
for being positvely precise when wrapping, to the point that over the course
of several Christmases, I've now been given 100% wrapping duties for pretty
much anything. I never use scissors to cut the paper, rather, I run a
marking knife down the inside of a square crease, all tape is double-sided
and hidden.... etc etc etc...... The family thinks I'm sick. They may well
be right.

jc



"Brian Henderson" wrote in message
...
I was thinking about this last night as I was wrapping my daughter's
birthday presents.

When I'm woodworking, all of my measurements are very precise, all of
my cuts are dead straight and I worry about being a few thousandths of
an inch off and everything has to be perfectly square. Yet when I was
wrapping, so long as I cut the paper reasonably straight and kind of
square, I was happy. The corners were sort of tight and as long as it
looked decent, I had no problem with it.

Is there anything else in our lives, as woodworkers, where we're as
exacting as we are when we're out in the shop?

noonenparticular wrote:

Funny you should bring up wrapping presents. I'm well known in my
family for being positvely precise when wrapping, to the point
that over the course of several Christmases, I've now been given
100% wrapping duties for pretty much anything. I never use
scissors to cut the paper, rather, I run a marking knife down the
inside of a square crease, all tape is double-sided and hidden....
etc etc etc...... The family thinks I'm sick. They may well be
right.

Yes, you're twisted... but it's a wonderful thing.

Joe Barta

Dave Balderstone wrote:

Is there anything else in our lives, as woodworkers, where we're as
exacting as we are when we're out in the shop?

I work to realistic tolerances...

"Realistic tolerances" is very subjective and very relative. In that
light, EVERYONE works to realistic tolerances.

Joe Barta

Brian Henderson wrote:

Is there anything else in our lives, as woodworkers, where we're as
exacting as we are when we're out in the shop?

I write software to run phone systems. You generally want 911 to be
reliable...

Chris

"noonenparticular" wrote in message
. com...
Funny you should bring up wrapping presents. I'm well known in my family
for being positvely precise when wrapping, to the point that over the
course of several Christmases, I've now been given 100% wrapping duties
for pretty much anything. I never use scissors to cut the paper, rather,
I run a marking knife down the inside of a square crease, all tape is
double-sided and hidden.... etc etc etc...... The family thinks I'm sick.
They may well be right.

When I got married at the age of 32 (many years ago) my wife made certain
that I learned some essential skills in living with her.

One was that cheap chocolates were an insult. The more exensive the
chocolates, the more they are appreciated.

Two, flowers perform some kind of magical function. I don't understand it.
But flowers can work wonders.

And HOW TO WRAP A PRESENT!! This is a big deal. And no matter how hard I
try, my best efforts only produce perfection on a maximum of three quarters
of a package. Usually it is only half.

I gave up on that. Now I use gift bags, big bows, gift cards and special
cards desgned to hold money. And If I get a complaint, I ask for some money
back so I can get the damn thing professionally gift wrapped. Nobody has
taken me up on that offer yet.

"Chris Friesen" wrote in message
...
Brian Henderson wrote:

Is there anything else in our lives, as woodworkers, where we're as
exacting as we are when we're out in the shop?

I write software to run phone systems. You generally want 911 to be
reliable...

Chris

I can tell you some great stories about developing TAPI for Windows 95. The
Redmond WA police were so fristrated with Microsoft testers for forgeting
that their lines weren't behind a PBX and dialing 9 to get an outside line
and double 11s...

Brian Henderson wrote in
:

Is there anything else in our lives, as woodworkers, where we're as
exacting as we are when we're out in the shop?


One of my job functions is mask design. Let me tell you about tolerance...

--
Regards,

JT
Speaking only for myself....

I used to sweat about being "precise" in my woodworking. Then it dawned on
me that when you work on something, you get to know every defect very well.
But when someone else walks up to a piece of furniture (if that is what you
make), they see it, touch it, and sometimes admire it. But, they usually
never scrutinize it like the person who designs and builds it. So when I
completed our coffee table, I was so upset that I messed up the corner round
along the main edge of the table. I thought the indentation was so obvious,
and everyone would laugh at it. Well, after 4 years, till this day nobody
noticed the defect.

Now, woodworking is so much more enjoyable since I realized where it counts
to be precise, and where you can be a little less so.

Stephen R.

S R wrote:
I used to sweat about being "precise" in my woodworking. Then it dawned on
me that when you work on something, you get to know every defect very well.
But when someone else walks up to a piece of furniture (if that is what you
make), they see it, touch it, and sometimes admire it. But, they usually
never scrutinize it like the person who designs and builds it. So when I
completed our coffee table, I was so upset that I messed up the corner round
along the main edge of the table. I thought the indentation was so obvious,
and everyone would laugh at it. Well, after 4 years, till this day nobody
noticed the defect.

Now, woodworking is so much more enjoyable since I realized where it counts
to be precise, and where you can be a little less so.

Stephen R.


Yep, the hardest thing to learn when woodworking is to know when to
leave well enough alone.
regards
John

Brian Henderson wrote:

Is there anything else in our lives, as woodworkers, where we're as
exacting as we are when we're out in the shop?

Flying. I check my flight planning more than my cutlists, and put up
with comments about "anal" preflight inspection. G

Barry

Chris Friesen wrote:
Brian Henderson wrote:

Is there anything else in our lives, as woodworkers, where we're as
exacting as we are when we're out in the shop?

I write software to run phone systems.

Nortel? G

On 8 Feb 2006 12:46:47 -0800, "brianlanning"
wrote:

Is there anything else in our lives, as woodworkers, where we're as
exacting as we are when we're out in the shop?

I write financial software at work. I also pay attention when I do my
own auto repairs, especially brakes. Other than that, I let a most
things slide.

brian
==========================================
Lol... Yea Brakes should get maximum attention.... However
I do not think too much when I am only replacing the pads...
I just do it...

Bob G.

On Wed, 08 Feb 2006 20:42:09 GMT, Brian Henderson
wrote:

I was thinking about this last night as I was wrapping my daughter's
birthday presents.

When I'm woodworking, all of my measurements are very precise, all of
my cuts are dead straight and I worry about being a few thousandths of
an inch off and everything has to be perfectly square. Yet when I was
wrapping, so long as I cut the paper reasonably straight and kind of
square, I was happy. The corners were sort of tight and as long as it
looked decent, I had no problem with it.

Is there anything else in our lives, as woodworkers, where we're as
exacting as we are when we're out in the shop?

probably the same degree for most things, but I don't consider myself a good
woodworker... I do tend to have more patience in the shop than on a lot of
things, but that's probably because I got into wood to relax..

In my experience, the folks who's work I've really admired are basically pretty
anal in their wood and just about every facet of their lives... I'm not saying
that being a perfectionist is good or bad, just what I've observed..
Mac
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

On Wed, 08 Feb 2006 20:50:13 GMT, Joe Barta wrote:


Well, it's all about context. If you were in your woodshop cutting to
length a bunch of tomatoe stakes, I don't think you'd worry about a
few thousandths either way ;-) If you were a professional gift wrapper
then I'd suppose neatness and squareness would be a high priority.

Joe Barta

That is how my life is, Joe.. but we might be the exception...

People that do really good work tend to apply it to everything...
An example of that would be guys like Ken Vaughn... ever been to his site?

http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65j/index.html

His jigs and fixtures are nicer looking and more precision than any project that
I've been able to do so far...

I think that some people just like to do it "right".. and I know in Ken's case,
he makes his tools and jigs into woodworking projects... and maybe that's what
it's all about..

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

On Wed, 08 Feb 2006 20:53:00 GMT, "noonenparticular"
wrote:

Funny you should bring up wrapping presents. I'm well known in my family
for being positvely precise when wrapping, to the point that over the course
of several Christmases, I've now been given 100% wrapping duties for pretty
much anything. I never use scissors to cut the paper, rather, I run a
marking knife down the inside of a square crease, all tape is double-sided
and hidden.... etc etc etc...... The family thinks I'm sick. They may well
be right.

jc

JC.. forget the double sided tape...
I've used a glue stick for years and it drives them nuts trying to figure out
what holds their "tapeless" wrap..
Mac
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

On 8 Feb 2006 12:46:47 -0800, "brianlanning"
wrote:

Is there anything else in our lives, as woodworkers, where we're as
exacting as we are when we're out in the shop?

I write financial software at work. I also pay attention when I do my
own auto repairs, especially brakes. Other than that, I let a most
things slide.

Sure, but you don't place the brake pads with accuracy to the
thousandth of an inch, you slap them in, reinstall the caliper and
away you go.

On Thu, 09 Feb 2006 12:49:45 GMT, B a r r y
wrote:

Brian Henderson wrote:

Is there anything else in our lives, as woodworkers, where we're as
exacting as we are when we're out in the shop?

Flying. I check my flight planning more than my cutlists, and put up
with comments about "anal" preflight inspection. G

But it isn't like you're worrying about being a precise distance above
the ground or anything. Of course, you'd need a really, really long
tape measure...

B a r r y (in ) said:

| Brian Henderson wrote:
||
|| Is there anything else in our lives, as woodworkers, where we're as
|| exacting as we are when we're out in the shop?
|
| Flying. I check my flight planning more than my cutlists, and put
| up with comments about "anal" preflight inspection. G

My shop is in an aircraft hanger with a great view of a grass strip.
You'd have gotten a kick from watching the guy this past summer who
tried three times to get up enough airspeed to take off -- with a
completely flat tire.

The memory still has me ROFLMAO.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto

On Thu, 09 Feb 2006 07:53:01 +0000, John B wrote:


Yep, the hardest thing to learn when woodworking is to know when to leave
well enough alone.
regards
John


Yep ... kinda like the rest of life, aint it?

Bill

I'm a Drill Instructor. I am very precise just ask my Officer
candidates....:-)
Rich

"Brian Henderson" wrote in message
...
I was thinking about this last night as I was wrapping my daughter's
birthday presents.

When I'm woodworking, all of my measurements are very precise, all of
my cuts are dead straight and I worry about being a few thousandths of
an inch off and everything has to be perfectly square. Yet when I was
wrapping, so long as I cut the paper reasonably straight and kind of
square, I was happy. The corners were sort of tight and as long as it
looked decent, I had no problem with it.

Is there anything else in our lives, as woodworkers, where we're as
exacting as we are when we're out in the shop?

Morris Dovey wrote:

My shop is in an aircraft hanger with a great view of a grass strip.
You'd have gotten a kick from watching the guy this past summer who
tried three times to get up enough airspeed to take off -- with a
completely flat tire.

As anal as I am during preflight, I've left wheel chocks all over the
northeast and southeastern US.

Someone actually looked up the tail number and mailed one set back to
us. They're simply 2x4's diagonally ripped and paired up with a rope,
so we're guessing someone wanted to break our balls. G

I haven't left any in Canada, yet!

Brian Henderson wrote:


But it isn't like you're worrying about being a precise distance above
the ground or anything. Of course, you'd need a really, really long
tape measure...


Actually, sometimes you are, it's all relative.

There are times when you need to fly on precision that takes similar
effort to "half a 64th" woodworking.

Barry

On Fri, 10 Feb 2006 13:03:37 +0000, B a r r y opined:

There are times when you need to fly on precision that takes similar
effort to "half a 64th" woodworking.

As this thread has already gone OT, I'll ask: what are some examples of
such flying? Low level flying? Instrument landings in crappy wx? Night
carrier landings? Just curious...

On Thu, 09 Feb 2006 20:34:18 GMT, Brian Henderson
wrote:

On Thu, 09 Feb 2006 12:49:45 GMT, B a r r y
wrote:

Brian Henderson wrote:

Is there anything else in our lives, as woodworkers, where we're as
exacting as we are when we're out in the shop?

Flying. I check my flight planning more than my cutlists, and put up
with comments about "anal" preflight inspection. G

But it isn't like you're worrying about being a precise distance above
the ground or anything. Of course, you'd need a really, really long
tape measure...

If Lee Valley doesn't stock one, they will when the demand goes up.. *g*
Mac
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

On Fri, 10 Feb 2006 12:57:10 GMT, B a r r y
wrote:

Morris Dovey wrote:

My shop is in an aircraft hanger with a great view of a grass strip.
You'd have gotten a kick from watching the guy this past summer who
tried three times to get up enough airspeed to take off -- with a
completely flat tire.

As anal as I am during preflight, I've left wheel chocks all over the
northeast and southeastern US.

Someone actually looked up the tail number and mailed one set back to
us. They're simply 2x4's diagonally ripped and paired up with a rope,
so we're guessing someone wanted to break our balls. G

I haven't left any in Canada, yet!

damn... reminds me of my constant problem with the RV trailer....
You put a 4 x 6" under the tongue jack and jack it up... then you lower the jack
when you leave and drive away without throwing the block in the back of the
truck..

The next time you want to unhitch the trailer, you have no block and the jack
won't lift the trailer high enough to clear the hitch without it.. *groan*

Found 2 solutions to the problem, one woodworking related:
Cut a **** load of blocks and keep them in the truck..

Also, SWMBO shares job of checking before we leave to find the block on the
ground, the vent I left open, the power cord still plugged in, etc...
Mac
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

On Fri, 10 Feb 2006 00:02:13 GMT, "Rich" wrote:

I'm a Drill Instructor. I am very precise just ask my Officer
candidates....:-)
Rich

Do you teach them to twist left or right??


Sorry, as a former NCO, I had to say that... and it's on topic!

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

On Fri, 10 Feb 2006 15:22:05 GMT, Australopithecus scobis
wrote:

On Fri, 10 Feb 2006 13:03:37 +0000, B a r r y opined:

There are times when you need to fly on precision that takes similar
effort to "half a 64th" woodworking.

As this thread has already gone OT, I'll ask: what are some examples of
such flying? Low level flying? Instrument landings in crappy wx? Night
carrier landings? Just curious...


Crowded TCAs? Like LAX, SNA, LGB?

Australopithecus scobis wrote:
On Fri, 10 Feb 2006 13:03:37 +0000, B a r r y opined:

There are times when you need to fly on precision that takes similar
effort to "half a 64th" woodworking.

As this thread has already gone OT, I'll ask: what are some examples of
such flying?

Low level flying?

Of course.

Instrument landings in crappy wx?

Another, but GPS greatly simplifies things.

Night carrier landings?

I've never done one or ridden along on one, and don't plan on it. G

Others:
- gusty crosswind landings on tight fields
- "suddenly defective" aircraft
- flight in very busy controlled airspace, like the NYC metro area
- with an FAA or Designated Examiner on board

Precision aside, an enjoyable, safe flight usually is the result of
proper planning, setup, and the checking of available information, just
like a precise woodworking operation. For instance, a trimmed,
stabilized, precisely flown airport traffic pattern makes for an easy
landing, just like a properly executed rip on a well-adjusted saw.

Barry

In article ,
B a r r y wrote:

Brian Henderson wrote:

Is there anything else in our lives, as woodworkers, where we're as
exacting as we are when we're out in the shop?

Flying. I check my flight planning more than my cutlists, and put up
with comments about "anal" preflight inspection. G

Barry

People who complain about pre-flight checklists should be offered the
chance to walk. From about 5k ft.

Flying, like woodworking, involves large amounts of kinetic energy
which, improperly managed, is just a statistic waiting to happen. Many
interesting events in both fields are punctuated by people saying "Oh
****, what just happened". This is usually preceded by the person doing
something they've done a thousand times, and this time they didn't run
their safety check first.

It would not be at all unreasonable to print up safety checklists for
all my power tools and place them prominently by the power switches.

Short version
1). Make sure thing does not Kill You.
2). Turn on.

Make the young woodworkers read and follow them. Make them use hand
saws etc. for failing to follow them.

May be wise to add label to arbor nut wrenches too... Hold power cord
in other hand.

All old pilots I know are anal about their checklists.

--
Dana Miller