The woodworking community is bombarded and really saturated with the shiny, the fancy, and the alluring.
It comes to you in the form or a catalogue, an irresistible deal at your local dealer, or a flashy ad on a website.
It’s the latest. It’s the greatest. It’s a must-have for anyone who’s “serious” about their woodworking.
By now, you’re completely aware of what I’m describing. It’s all the jigs, gadgets, and so called time savers that are produced and paraded in front of a salivating audience eager to acquire anything that appears to offer a shortcut or advantage. You, my dear woodworking friend, are the audience.
I’m not condemning them. I’m not even saying they’re bad. In fact, some of them are downright genius. The problem is when you give in to the thinking that your work isn’t complete without them.
Essentially you begin to hide behind them out of the fear of learning to do it the “hard way.”
It’s almost as if you’re stacking the boxes they came in between you and your workbench. Seriously. Go do that.
Take all the boxes your jigs and fixtures and gadgets came in, line them up going away from your workbench, and then stand behind them. Can you reach your bench? Can you even see your bench? Chances are, you’re probably in the middle of your driveway, parking lot, or neighbor’s yard.
All these fancy toys prevent you from connecting with your essential tools, materials, and ultimately yourself. The more you collect these marvels of woodworking mastery, the more you prevent yourself from forging a deeper connection with your work, and ultimately you rob yourself of the fulfillment and passion you are seeking in the first place.
The time spent learning all of these things could be spent learning the process with the tools you already possess. In fact, the longer you spend honing the skills to master your craft, the fewer tools you find yourself using and needing. I know that’s the case in my shop. I spend more and more time at the bench than in front of a machine. You can see this shift happening in Shannon’s article.
The lack of confidence you have in your abilities cannot be compensated by placing your trust in another fancy jig. That’s only going to keep pushing you further away form the goal. You acquire confidence through consistent practice. Repetition. Like anything else in life worth gaining, you do it over and over. Simple as that.
If you’re going to trust the outcome of your work to the ability of an expensive time-saving shiny object, then you failed to trust yourself. If that’s going to keep happening, then it’s time to close up shop. You’re done.
What’s your take on this? Have you experienced this disconnection?
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