In Woodworking Mistakes

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SUPER GLUED

After making a small repair with super glue, I put the tube in my pocket and forgot about it. Later, when I saw the tube’s cap sitting on my workbench, I instinctively reached into my pocket— and discovered that my pants were securely glued to my thigh. I headed to the bathroom, and grabbed a razor blade to free myself. Hearing the commotion, my wife came to help. But when she saw my predicament, she just burst out laughing. Fortunately, with delicate slicing, I was able to complete the task. It would have been much worse if something else had gotten glued. –Jim McMichael

DIMENSIONAL DEMENTIA

After double-checking my cutting list for the bunk bed I was building, I cut all the lumber to final width and length. But when I started assembly, I discovered a problem: every piece that was supposed to be 39 inches long was 36 inches long instead. A quick calculation verified what I already knew: I had cut about $100 worth of 8/4 maple boards 3 inches too short. I checked my cutting list: I had correctly written “39 inches” as the length for those pieces, but just below, I had also written “36 inches”. Was I thinking about adding tenons or making the bed narrower? I have no idea. When little things go wrong in the shop (bump my head, smack my finger, drop a box of screws, etc.) I can handle it. But when this happened, I just went upstairs and stared mindlessly at the TV. –Raymond Ladouceur


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