I have a new best friend. His name is Cyanoacrylate. Sometimes he goes by CA for short. On weekends, he is called Crazy Glue but that is just his stage name. He is known as the shop problem solver. Of course, I am kidding but there have been many times that I have reached for some CA glue to fix something as I build. The benefit of this type of glue over the hundreds of others is that it is super strong, it sets up quickly, and I can move on with my project within minutes.
As I was fixing my latest little trip up, it got me thinking about problem solving in the shop. All makers do it because nothing ever goes to plan, and nothing is ever perfect—that is the beauty of a handmade piece. The character that mistakes or challenges add to a piece help develop the full story and speak to the experience of making. But what is more important is how those mistakes and challenges add to the craftsmanship of the piece. I wish I could remember or find where I heard this, but I it has been said that it is not about the number of mistakes made but how they are fixed that defines the craftsman.
The reality is that we cannot build something by had perfectly. If we could, we would not need machines. We cannot always start from scratch when we make a mistake. In the woodshop, the material itself can be very expensive or, in some cases, one of a kind, and starting from the beginning or replacing the material is not an option. Or, we are too far into the process to turn back. In other cases, embracing the mistake might be more appropriate and allow you to show the handmade nature of the piece. It really depends on how that mistake is viewed by the maker and what it will take to fix it.
And that is why I use glue. Our modern glues are actually stronger than wood. Often, you can take the broken piece and glue it back together without compromising the look or integrity of the object. I recently was working on finishing the front of the cabinet for this project and a large splinter broke off and left a large gap on a very visible place. My first thought was to sand it and just blend it into its surroundings and allow it to be a flaw that adds to its character (we all justify things…cut me some slack!). Then I found the small sliver and grabbed my bottle of CA glue and accelerator and tried to put it back in place. It worked wonderfully. You would be hard pressed to see where that mistake occurred and if it was not just a blemish in the wood. Problem solved.
But it is not just when mishaps occur that a woodworker become problem solver. As I outlined in a previous blog about new tools, there are always many different ways to approach a task in the woodshop. It is knowing which tool to use and which tool will accomplish what you need more effectively. In the example mentioned above, the splinter came off because I use a hand plane to try to flush a drawer divider, but my experience with hand planes is still quite limited and I have not experienced every scenario in using them. So, in this case, I tried using a new technique and it caused a mistake. It really is the learning process in any making. You try something new, you make a mistake, you fix it, and you move on.
Really, that is what it is all about—how do you improve your skills in both using tools and materials? You make mistakes. And in turn, you improve your skills in fixing your mistakes.