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Common Mistakes!!

Started by Jayson, November 02, 2009, 09:03:46 PM

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Jayson

Made one last week and thought a list of common errors might be helpful for all of us. I was finishing lay out on a post and discovered first mistake, I didn't make sure I had the length needed (out of square end). Well I came up 1\2 inch short. Well the quickest and simplest thing to do was move everything 1 1\2 inch using my square. I could put one side on the existing mark and mark the other side. Long story short I moved everything and marked a brace pocket on the wrong side of square(the big mistake) when I brought the lines around. I  went to cutting, thinking why double check (third mistake) I just fixed it.  I have been offline a while, good to see alot of the same folks kicking tires around here still. Can't wait to see the replies to this one.

Jim_Rogers

I'll have to think on this subject for a while, but the first one that comes to mind is laying out a brace pocket to the wrong side of the line. Very common beginner mistake.

Jim Rogers
Whatever you do, have fun doing it!
Woodmizer 1994 LT30HDG24 with 6' Bed Extension

witterbound

Forgetting that you've burned a foot on your tape when you're doing your layout.

Jim_Rogers

Quote from: witterbound on November 03, 2009, 08:03:09 AM
Forgetting that you've burned a foot on your tape when you're doing your layout.

Yes this is a common mistake.

But this is how I overcome this mistake.

First, I don't burn a foot, I use 10" and convert all my drawing measurements into inches.
So instead of a post being 10' 6' long it is 126" long.

I move the beginning part of my tape to 10", and easily add 10" to the end.

So if the tape starts at 10" then it ends at 136" for this measurement and marks.

Once I have made the mark on my timber at zero (the 10" spot on the tape) and at 136" spot, I move the tape to then end of the tape and check the mark which was made at 136".

If it is correct then it should read 126". So I have "measured twice and cut once"....

This may seem like a lot of extra work but once you adopt this method it becomes very fast.

Whatever you do, have fun doing it!
Woodmizer 1994 LT30HDG24 with 6' Bed Extension

Brad_bb

I still want a good tape measure with an inch or so already burned so the zero starts an inch or more away from the tongue.  Maybe the tongue should be installed upside down so that you don't use it, but it still keeps the tape from retracting into the box.
I actually emailed two companies about this about 4 or so months ago, no response.
Anything someone can design, I can sure figure out how to fix!
If I say it\\\\\\\'s going to take so long, multiply that by at least 3!

jdtuttle

I built a beautiful oak bookshelf for my father in law 7 foot 6 inches long 7' 6". Only problem was It was supposed to be 76 inches. :D
He still liked it but couldn't put it where it was supposed to go cause it was too long. :o
Have a great day

bigshow

Burning a foot got me twice.  Mortises for kneebraces on wrong side of what i call the "money edge" - bearing surface for kneebrace - My knee brace mortise would be one whole length too far out - I got burned by that twice.  And, I got stung by a bad template....16 times!!!!!!!!!!
I never try anything, I just do it.

witterbound

I made the 3'2" vs. 32" mistake when forming my safe room door with ICF blocks.  Had to have someone use a concrete saw to fix that one.  Duh.

Jayson

I was not around for this one but imagine saying "Hey that don't look right" and realizing that was the only one that was right.....outta 60!!!

Thomas-in-Kentucky

Brace mortise on wrong side of line - BTDT 3 times in my frame.
Burn an inch, don't put it back - BTDT 2 times in my frame.
Pull measurement for brace mortise from wrong side of timber - BTDT.

assembly errors (never corrected):
Put brace in backwards - BTDT (instead of touching drywall, it sits 1.5" out from wall)

order-of-assembly errors:
dovetail floor joist can't drop into pocket because pocket covered by a post in that bent.

incomplete joinery discovered at raising (crane running):
through mortise doesn't go through - never mortised from backside w/ chain mortiser.
    (mortise finished with chainsaw on 20 feet of scaffolding!)
missing birdsmouth pockets on top plate not detected until we notice rafters don't fit!

design errors noticed at raising:
10" mortise in post, receiving 8"tenon (on 8" beam).  sol'n "faux splines"



ljmathias

That's all Thomas?  In that huge house?  At least you've learned the golden rule- we all make mistakes; it's fixin it on the fly that makes it happen...

I wish I could figure out how to get my brain to not make mistakes in the first place, to keep track of all those "I'll get back to that but the sub is here so I've got to do this first" undones, and foresee all those hidden mis-connects that don't show up till you actually start put it together....  I now look at these as learning opportunities, though of course I never actually learn from them; attitude helps with making the corrections on the fly.  Maybe a better attitude (my son's, who makes even more mistakes than me in his business cause he's always in such a hurry to get it done) is to see your mistakes as the best opportunity to be creative in your solutions.  I have to admit, he's extremely creative and always makes it work, although sometimes at a profit-loss.  Such is life among us humans.

Lj
LT40, Long tractor with FEL and backhoe, lots of TF tools, beautiful wife of 50 years plus 4 kids, 5 grandsons AND TWO GRANDDAUGHTERS all healthy plus too many ideas and plans and not enough time and energy

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