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+-- Thread: Qualty craftsmanship vs waste of time (/showthread.php?tid=7378985)
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Qualty craftsmanship vs waste of time - BrentDH - 08-03-2025
This is more of a philosophical discussion than an actual question about a specific problem. How does one determine how much time to spend on unseen parts of a project? Is making the back of a project look the same as the show face demonstrating high quality craftsmanship or is it a waste of time? If it is a waste then how bad can the back look?
I know I struggle with striving for perfection and then beating myself up for coming up short. In fact, I have a saying posted on the wall of my shop that I think came from someone on this forum. It says:
“The pursuit of excellence is gratifying and healthy.
The pursuit of perfection is frustrating, neurotic, and a terrible waste of time.”
So when you are building a piece of furniture that will be against a wall do you spend time sanding all of the boards to make them flush with each other? Do you stain the back? Do you sand to the same grit as the front? I am just curious about how others decide where to draw that line.
RE: Qualty craftsmanship vs waste of time - MarkSingleton - 08-03-2025
The joinery effort remains the same for an 'against a wall' piece. Obviously you want it all square and true, etc. I think the big difference is the finish/paint etc.
While I would might paint the back, doubtful I would bother with stain. For instance, I have some built in bookcases that were assembled as units and then slid
into position. The backs needed no paint, and got none. Nor did I bother with smoothing the wood on the backs.
RE: Qualty craftsmanship vs waste of time - Tapper - 08-03-2025
When Vince Lombardi took over as head coach of the Green Bay Packers, one of his first messages to the team was (paraphrasing) "Gentlemen, we will strive for perfection in every thing that we do, realizing we will never achieve it, but along the way we achieve excellence. And excellence will win championships."
The rest as they say, is history. My father was a perfectionist and I did inherit that gene. I always strive for the best I can do. I think my standards are high enough that I'm generally satisfied with my work. Each individual has to decide what level of work pleases them and how willing one is to invest the time and effort to get there.
Doug
RE: Qualty craftsmanship vs waste of time - BrentDH - 08-04-2025
To be more clear, I am asking about things like furniture that the backs will be seen by anyone moving it around, not cabinets or built in’s that are permanently mounted to the wall.
RE: Qualty craftsmanship vs waste of time - tomsteve - 08-04-2025
the back of my 60 year old production dresser isn't finished. drawer sides either. underside of my 30 year old kitchen table, chairs, and end tables in family room aren't finished.
time is spent in production of what I build to make sure it will be solid for years to come. finishing- insides/ undersides/ backsides I don't go crazy on. it doesn't add value, IMO.
RE: Qualty craftsmanship vs waste of time - Bill Holt - 08-04-2025
Except for drawers, back sides and undersides get minimal sanding, then the date, two scriptures (Phil 4:13 & Col 3:23), signature, and one coat of finish.
I want the back or bottom of the piece to say something about the builder. Not, he was a perfectionist, but he loved building,
RE: Qualty craftsmanship vs waste of time - DogwoodTales - 08-04-2025
Your answer is *42
With that said, in a seminar to the Cincinnati Woodworking Club, Glenn Huey mentioned that when he's building traditional carcasses for a customer he hand cuts all of the dove tails. Even the ones that won't be seen.
He does that because it's the quality he puts into the project he's building for the price he's being paid to build it and he doesn't want the customer to ever find machined dovetails or other 'cheap' joinery even in the normally unseen parts of the project.
RE: Qualty craftsmanship vs waste of time - fredhargis - 08-04-2025
It's a hobby for me, so I don't feel I'm wasting time trying to do my best on all the parts. My best almost always falls short of perfect, but I still enjoy doing it.
RE: Qualty craftsmanship vs waste of time - Bill Wilson - 08-04-2025
This is so much a question of personal tastes and goals that it's really hard to answer. If woodworking is a hobby for your enjoyment, do it to a level that promotes that enjoyment. If striving for perfection is your goal and you get joy and satisfaction from that, then take it as far as you want. If falling short of some arbitrary standard of perfection just causes you stress and disappointment, then you may need to examine your priorities.
As a hobbiest, only you can determine what is "good enough". If you let others set the bar, then you will likely always be chasing the elusive. That's OK, as long as you understand perfection is a goal rarely reached. For many, the challenge of striving for that elusive standard is what they like about woodworking. As or me, I ascribe to the old saying; "Don't let perfect be the enemy of good." But that's just me. I don't make commissioned pieces or otherwise sell my work. I woodwork for something to do and to make stuff I enjoy, that I think others will enjoy also.
As to the specific question at hand, if a piece will always be against a wall, unseen, I likely won't spend as much time on it as I do the show face. Where do I draw the line? Depends. I guess I'll go far enough that if anyone does pull the piece out away from the wall to move it, my work doesn't look like a total hack job. But I'm not going to lose sleep over it.
RE: Qualty craftsmanship vs waste of time - tablesawtom - 08-04-2025
(08-04-2025, 01:18 PM)Bill Wilson Wrote: This is so much a question of personal tastes and goals that it's really hard to answer. If woodworking is a hobby for your enjoyment, do it to a level that promotes that enjoyment. If striving for perfection is your goal and you get joy and satisfaction from that, then take it as far as you want. If falling short of some arbitrary standard of perfection just causes you stress and disappointment, then you may need to examine your priorities.
As a hobbiest, only you can determine what is "good enough". If you let others set the bar, then you will likely always be chasing the elusive. That's OK, as long as you understand perfection is a goal rarely reached. For many, the challenge of striving for that elusive standard is what they like about woodworking. As or me, I ascribe to the old saying; "Don't let perfect be the enemy of good." But that's just me. I don't make commissioned pieces or otherwise sell my work. I woodwork for something to do and to make stuff I enjoy, that I think others will enjoy also.
As to the specific question at hand, if a piece will always be against a wall, unseen, I likely won't spend as much time on it as I do the show face. Where do I draw the line? Depends. I guess I'll go far enough that if anyone does pull the piece out away from the wall to move it, my work doesn't look like a total hack job. But I'm not going to lose sleep over it.
Well said, couldn't agree with you more. If it isn't fun any more then it is just another form of work and then I would find a different hobby.
Tom