The Fix Is In...

One characteristic that I see in a lot of woodworkers is that they like to show others their mistakes. I'm no exception. When I'm finished with a project and showing it to someone, a big part of "the tour" involves pointing out the flubs as well as the areas that "could have been better." There's something I like about doing it. What is it?

 I guess it's like therapy or trying to keep a clean "karma". I'd much rather show someone something that I did wrong and fixed than have them later look more closely and find it on their own and assume it was something I was trying to hide (in reality I was trying to hide it!).

In any case, mistakes are a big part of woodworking. I'd rather not make them, but actually it's pretty satisfying making a good "save" when things don't go quite as expected. It's really an important skill to learn, and I certainly provide myself with plenty of learning opportunities.

Like today...

I was using  a spiral-cut router bit with a guide bearing running along a fence to make a light pass (1/32") on the bottom edge of one of the doors I'm working on. The fence was attached to the door with double-stick tape. At least I though it was. I didn't get it stuck to the door well enough, and it ended up moving slightly and the router bit dug into the bottom of the door. Errgh. I always let out a big gasp when something like that happens, and I hope no one is ever around to hear it. It's pretty goofy.

Forced to come up with a fix, I had to fashion (and epoxy in) a half-circle shaped patch that would fit in the gouge (see the picture below). I'll let it dry overnight and then sand it and flush it up with a flush-cut saw. I think once it's fine tuned it will look just fine. We'll see.