"Measure twice, work once"

It's an old blacksmith's adage. Ever have one of those days?... Or weeks. I just made two screw-ups in a row in the same day. Luckily it wasn't on anything like an expensive custom barrel or a piece of high dollar wood, just $7 bucks worth of lock parts and probably that much in shipping. Measure twice, work once.

Sean

 

[Birddog6]

If I only measure it twice I will still screw it up !! :rotf: :rotf:

I measure it over & over & over til I beat it into my head it is right, then I cut it off too short ! :grin:

 

[George Holton]

Welcome to the club.

 

[bob1961]

ya mean ya cut it twice and it was still too short :rotf: :v ..........bob

 

[trent/OH]

Measure twice, cuss once.

 

[chuck-ia]

I am working on a blank, I think the tool I have used the most is an eraser, I must have measured and drew lines on the stock for the ramrod hole 15 times trying to find the center for the hole, just didn't look right. Finally I just marked the bottom flat in the center and drilled a couple 1/16" holes in the stock, laid a straight edge between the holes and drew a line, (after flipping the stock over of course). I have those days when I can not do anything right, it's best just to walk away, and do something else. flinch

 

WB-Two different parts back to back. Grrr. Had a drill bit wander on one and screwed up measuring on the other.

"Measure twice, cuss repeatedly."

Sean

 

[renovato]

It's especially frustrating when you take extreme care and still end up messing up something really simple. I laugh when I remember rebuilding my old garage door. It needed a piece of rotted lumber replaced. I measured the length of the opening, drew it out on the wood, went back and doublechecked the opening, double checked that it was the same as the mark on the wood. Cut it and it was about 1.5 inches too short! I did some cussin' alright.

 

[coehornboy]

My late next door neighbor, a "jack of all trades" and retired pre-WWII carpenter's mate in the Navy, always joked "I cut this board 3 times...and it's still too short" :shake: :haha:

There is nothing more frustrating than shearing off a screw, accidentally gouging a hunk of wood from a stock or rasping with too much enthusiasm, slipping with a chisel, mis-marking a hole to be drilled..(am I revealing too much about my shop skills?) :redface:

The same neighbor would also look at my "occasional" mistakes and state "it's nothing that can't be fixed with 1/2 half inch of putty" or "get out the caulking gun." :grin:

 

[Jim-Iowa]

I remember ol Sammy Beals who would never admit to being a carpenter. He preferred to be known as a barn mechanic. What was good enough for a house would not cut it for a barn. He insisted the measure of a craftsman was"how big a mistake he could cover up for the least amount of money".
Sure do miss ol Sam :grin:

 

[bramble]

Plink,
Just like you, I've had 'em shrink up on me after I cut 'em :rotf:
bramble

 

Sounds like a real character, a make do fellow. And I like the term 'Barn Mechanic'.

Sean

 

[timbuckII]

A little story about measuring: At one time I ran the wood working portion of a craft shop for the Army. I had a guy come in with a truck load of doors, maybe 14. He said he was having call to wall carpert in stalled and needed to cut 3/4" off the doors. I tried to help him get set up but he insisted that he knew what he was doing so, as long as he was working safelyI was ok. Anyway the guy finishes up cleans up and takes off, an hour later he's back and really PO'd. I asked him if he didn't cut enough off but got no answer, once again he knew what he was doing”¦.only this time he cut the bottoms off instead of the tops!