by Steven D. Johnson
Racine, Wisconsin
(Page 4 of 5)
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A Disturbing Psychological Phenomenon
Another internal conflict many of us seem to share is pride of accomplishment and
self-flagellation. What is it about woodworking, and woodworkers, that compels us to point out
every little flaw in a finished piece to friends, family, and fellow woodworkers? Do we take some
perverse pleasure in pointing out our mistakes or do we need the self-flagellation to spur us on to
greatness?
When I look at the galleries of work by truly phenomenal furniture artisans, I wonder if there
are enough years left in my body, enough patience in my heart, and talent in my hands to ever
achieve anything near the beauty of some of those works of art. And I also wonder if those
brilliant craftspeople animatedly show off the "flaws" in their work to every passerby. I rather
doubt it. But for some reason, a large majority of us mere mortal woodworkers do. Why is that?
Recently I built a nice chess set for a friend. With alternating squares of curly maple and
walnut and a hinged lid with divided storage inside for the carved wooden chess pieces, it turned
out pretty nice. When I showed up at his house with it wrapped in a large moving blanket, he was
intrigued.
When I unwrapped the piece, his joy was palpable. It turned out to be a great gift. He "oooed,"
and "ahhhd" over it, and his wife actually shed a couple of genuine joyful tears. They were both
overwhelmed with the thought and the time invested in creating such a gift. But then, for some
unknown reason, I felt compelled to point out a sloppily cut dovetail on one of the corners, and
explain how I "fixed" it with a sliver of wood and some walnut sawdust mixed with wood glue.
In retrospect, I am quite sure my friend would have never noticed the patched dovetail joint, nor
would he have cared to know about it. But I suspect that now, after I pointed it out, he sees it
every day. It probably stands out like a fly in the sugar bowl. Why did I do that? Why do we do
that? And I know you do it, too...
A neighbor's hobbies include gardening, bike riding, and probably more, but certainly do not
include woodworking. His only tools appear to be a department store coping saw, a handsaw, and a
hammer. Yet, knowing that I enjoy working with wood, he was as pleased as punch to show off the
wooden sign he helped his daughter make for a school project. Knowing that he painstakingly cut
every curve by hand with a cheap coping saw, I was thoroughly impressed. He actually did a great
job, but it only took a few minutes for him to start pointing out the flaws in his work, even while
I was complimenting him and his quality of craftsmanship.
This is not just a disturbing psychological phenomenon with down to earth woodworkers, neophytes
or beginners. At a recent craft fair, I listened while birdhouse builders, purveyors of trivets,
chopping block makers, and one guy with beautiful turned candlesticks all hawked their wares while
seemingly proudly pointing out the tiny flaws to every prospective customer.
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