When will I learn..lol

Mark E Smith

Member
Messages
190
Location
Arkansas
OK going to tell on myself in an effort to teach why you always measure and layout all your pieces prior to cutting and assembly. In the shop and making some drawers for some existing cabinets. So I needed four drawer fronts, decided on some nice cedar, figured 1x8x8 piece should do the job just fine, cut to width 21 inch, no need for any other cuts, 8 inch height is perfect, simple easy, just cut, sand put some boiled linseed on it, what could be easier,and screw it onto the drawer, then I made the fatal mistake...thinking eight foot is plenty for four 21 inch fronts, I started my first cut a little down the board to get to a nice looking grain pattern (about 15 inch down the board to be exact) now did I measure to make sure I could still get 4 fronts ...no I did not, just started cutting and doing drawer fronts. Now for you guys that can do the math ahead of me, you know what happened...lol...yep got three perfect drawer fronts with nice matching grain patterns then ...opps ...you guessed it, board is two inches short for that last drawer front...aaaarrrgggg off to lowes to get another section of cedar 1x8 hopefully with some kind of grain pattern that may be close, or might have to just remake all the drawer fronts, think maybe I'll mark the cuts for all the drawer this time....lessen learned this time I hope..
 
This is one of them deals where it was too simple and got in a hurry, didn't lay it out first. only measured the first piece used a stop block for the others so they would all be the same length. (translation no marks on the board for cut lines) I always make a one inch trim cut to make sure I am dealing with a square edge, the pretty grain just jumped out at me as I was getting ready to make that trim cut and I thought, hey got plenty of wood here lets get this pretty part for my first drawer (mistake was I deviated from my original plan) and didn't check it out before acting on it. Works out to a $21 dollar goof, cost here in Arkansas for a 1x8x8 cedar board, wood has really got expensive lately
 
So, it's NOT that you had a slight issue, but how you recover from it. OK you got a new piece of wood for the drawer fronts - BUT - now, what are you going to make out of the other board that you have pre-cut for something else. THAT - is the REAL - answer.
 
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