The Biggest Mistake I Never Made... Fixing My Screw up... :(
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- čas přidán 16. 07. 2024
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I’ve been remodeling homes for 46 years and have been a self employed contractor for 35 of them. One of my early mentors said something that I’ve never forgotten. Dwight Nelson told me that all carpenters make mistakes but a craftsman always fixes them, no matter what it costs themselves. He also told me you always have to nail on the last board before the job is done. When I have one of those ‘ Oh no ‘ moments, I remind myself I’ve finished every job I’ve started and I’ll finish this one too. Great video, thank you.
Retired second generation carpenter here, age 72. My father always said "It's not a mistake until you can't fix it." a mantra I needed many times in my career. Your work is astounding, your attitude the best. Thanks for posting.
It would have been a mistake if it was unfixable. If it only required a 2x10 to fix it qualifies as an adjustment. Nice work though!
Sounds a bit like my uncles definition of mistake = something you can't fix.
that is a great quote. hope you don't mind others using it!
There are no problems...Only solutions.
MJAC: Thank you so much.
My dad was also a very smart and very humble person, and I have only good memories from him, but I've looked for some words to put on a sign I'm going to make, and if you don't mind, I would like to use your dad's vise words.
The is going to hang over my DIY workbench in my tiny newbie woodworker shop-/shed here in Denmark.
It will be my very first attempt to make a sign, and it will certainly not look like a mass-produced one, but look as what it is (will be): My very first attempt.
It will look homemade, out of square, etc. but I promise, it will be a perfect sign, as all mistakes and flaws will be intentional .... 😉
Right now one of my legs is killing me when I walk and I have to sit down a lot - which isn't easy for me, as I've always been a very active, and now, 59 years old, living alone in a house with a big garden, cats, hens, etc, and being early retired, I help neighbors taking care of their gardens, dogs, children, and I have 2 elderly people in my village I drive to the groceries, banks, etc. every month. and having a little spare time, last year I decided to take up woodworking. I did a little +30 years ago. And watching a lot of woodworking videos here on youtube made me decide it was time to be more serious about it.
Another vise word is (something like) "You have to work with what you got", and always being poor, it's a mindset I'm used to, and with my leg changing my daily life right now, I've been given the opportunity to do something I haven't had the time (=patience) to learn; How to sharpen my old chisels properly!
And living alone, and nobody preventing me from having, cleaning or using my tools inside my house, I can sit here at my coffee table and make my new sign:
"It's not a mistake until you can't fix it" and be more serious about fixing some of my mistakes in life ...
And hopefully have the sign ready for next month, when my wonderful neighbors will come and help me set up my table saw, bandsaw, etc. in my "woodshopshed" ....
I just wish for one more thing: I'll be able to find a retired carpenter (wood worker) here in my small village, who would like to show me a few tips and tricks, what to do and not to do.
Directly from me, PIa, here in Denmark, I wish you all the best, MJAC ❤
That feeling of panic and stress. There’s not a carpenter or self employed person watching this that doesn’t know that feeling when you realise something has gone wrong. You’ve made a mistake. It’s gut wrenching. I’m not sure which is worse the at first the loss of money or the customer finding out. When things calm down and you can think more clearly you go about trying to work out where you went wrong and it’s here when you recognise your mistake you work out the solution. I love being a carpenter, I don’t like making mistakes but would I change any of them, no I wouldn’t. Getting over the problem and finding that solution is also a great feeling. Another problem solved. What you learn from it is and about yourself gives you massive confidence for the next project.
Well done and thanks for sharing.
From Ireland.
Absolutely
I am so glad to hear other people discuss things that went wrong- it takes a lot to own up to mistakes, and others can learn from them. Spencer's channel has helped me a lot, and I've been a carpenter for over thirty years. I know that feeling of stress and not being able to see the solution at first, because your brain is focused on the fact that you screwed up. Just let it go, and let your brain sort it out- I agree, it is a great feeling when you find that solution!
After 37 years, I too can so identify with you more times than I care to admit!!!! God has given me wisdom and delivered me from these"mistakes" more times than I can count(very few have resulted in remakes... But they do happen!). So glad there was a way to rework it with no appreciable compromise!!!!
I have found I have to bring a stringer or skirt board for each run to verify before the build in the shop.....
Great job! Do be afraid to share mistakes as they are often the best learning tools you can share for prevention of future "opportunities"!
Every craftsman or professional worth a damn will experience this panic from time to time during a lifetime career. When this occurs most of us immediately jump to the worst possible outcome: when this mistake is exposed, you will be professionally embarrassed, ruined, and bankrupt. I found that when I come to terms with that as a possibility that I can survive, I can breath and remember that (i) I have insurance for my unfixable mistakes, (ii) the worst case almost never occurs, and (iii) with hard thought and effort, in the vast majority of the cases the error can be completely fixed or at least substantially mitigated.
Never forget...we are not Just contractors... we're problem solvers...
You have always impressed me with how humble you are, this just reinforces your character. Thank you for sharing.
Anybody that does custom work knows that feeling very well, I have walked into jobs and realsied very fast that my piece of work is the wrong size. I was always taught To never report the mistake until you have a solution.
My Dad who was a Master Cabinet Maker Carpenter told me anyone who say’s they don’t make mistakes hasn’t worked long enough. There’s always a way out and to be humble. You can learn from the guy sweeping the floor. Keep up the good work graciously sharing your talent.
The guy sweeping the floor is either the newest employee or the owner of thw construction company.😊
I'm a 5th generation carpenter with almost 30 yrs in the trade. I was installing a $500k kitchen with hand carved walnut decorative panels. I was just setting up to cut one of the panels on the table saw when the designer pulled me away to ask some questions. Got back to work and didn't realize that I had flipped the panel when I was distracted. My gut was twisting as I realized my mistake almost immediately. Thankfully I was able to biscuit the panel and fix it. But telling the GC I was almost in tears, as craftsmen our reputation is so valuable. I understand exactly how you felt in that moment!
I can understand your panic. It's really quite easy to make a mistake like that or cut something an inch too long or worse, an inch too short.
I’ve been a carpenter for 47 years and I could feel the sensation in your gut when you tried to place them. Like a bomb going off. But when we’re composed the simplest answers appear. Ya did good and all is well
My dear friend, my dad was a carpenter all his life. He taught me that if you can fix it, it is not a mistake. I followed in his foot steps, only after a while, I found the I liked the finish work best. I was 16 when I started, and I am now 80. I still do a lot of handrail and stair well remodeling. I admire you and your talents and ability..Watching you Is fantastic. You are like 6 of the people that I taught, they all out shined the teacher. I am very proud of each one of them. Like you, they have taken what they were taught and greatly improved and expanded and improved. I wish you well in the years ahead of you and your family.
I'm a third generation carpenter have been building shop built stairs for 40 years so I could literally feel your pain!!! My dad used to say it's not if you make a mistake its how good are you at fixing them.( dad was a true Craftsman so didn't make many) we all make them and I think you're a gifted young man that can truly be called a carpenter!! Thinks for your channel and God bless
Well said!
Yes , well done . And looks the business
"The difference between a Master and an Apprentice is you don't see the Master's mistakes.
Second generation carpenter as well. All through my apprenticeship I would hear “It’s not wrong if you can fix it.”
thats how i learned. a carpenters not judged on what he can build, but what he can fix.
I am a retired finish carpenter. I was smiling as I watched the video. Been there done that. It is interesting how the room can feel to hot all of a sudden. My friend and fellow carpenter and I have said a few times, “ You will never know there was anything wrong with this when I get done with it”.
There have been a few nights with a lot of tossing and turning, often with an solution in my head when I woke up in the morning.
My biggest scare was not a finish job. I had a sub pour a foundation on a job I was super on. The next day a city official called to tell me the porch was over the property line. I was drive when he called and I about wrecked my truck. I too am a Christian and out loud I said, “Dear God what am I going to do”? His response was, “You can’t cut the tree down”. It is hard to describe the relief. It was the city arborist for another job. He was calling to tell me that the old house, built before set backs was built on the property line and the tree belonged to the city.
I had a supplier tell me of a job where they supplied iron balusters. There were two finish carpenters working on it. One started on the landing installing and one started at the bottom installing, they were almost done when they realized they were given two different types of balusters and they didn’t match. That one had to be a tough one.
OK one more. A couple of my friends are master stair builders, that’s all they did was stairs. At the time it was probably a $35 - 40,000 stair case that swept up from both side with ascending volutes. They were all done and one of them had gone on vacation. I was doing the rest of the finish work. The contractor came by the job and called a couple of us down to the foyer and asked us if we saw anything wrong with the stairs. After a little bit of staring we realized that one of the newell posts was the same turning but different spacing on the flats. The guys had been short one baluster. They called and ordered it delivered. It was only off by one number on the box. The newell was set in Bondo. It was another one of those you’ll never know there’s anything wrong with it when they got done
Killer job on the stairs by the way.
Jeff Booth says intelligence is "error correction".
It happens all the time.....u get 999 things out of 1000 right....but the small oversight on that 1 thing...can really ruin your day. I could feel the pit in your stomach. Thanks for posting Spencer. Keep up the good work. I've learned so much from your channel.
I’ve been a contractor/carpenter for 42 years and, believe me, I understand the panic you felt. I have made mistakes that put my mind into a vortex of doom. Thankfully, I’ve managed to solve the problems and did it undetected. Never was a solution dangerous , half-ass or unsightly. However, the belly aches and feeling of stupidity were epic. As you, or any crafts professional does, I shoot for perfection and hold myself to the highest achievable execution of quality. If one doesn't do this kind of work one will never know all the thinking/ foresight it takes to do projects like this. It’s very gratifying but not for the weak. And.....the time constraints...the “seeing into the future” as regards establishing an accurate estimate of time....the hours it will take....so I can be fair to myself and the customer when assigning an up-front cost/bid is, for me, the hardest part of the business. I can predict material costs very accurately. Estimating the time it will take is tough. To sell a job hourly is a rare opportunity. I can count on one hand the number of times that I have experienced the luxury of bidding hourly. I’ve taken on some ...in my mind...very complex jobs, explained the complexity to the customer, and was allowed to charge hourly. These same customers never bitched about the final costs and they hired me to to additional complex jobs for them. That all said, self employment is a maximal challenge. I can’t imagine doing anything else. I can’t imagine being an employee type. Thanks for sharing your experiences and thanks for your candid information. Merry Christmas. Dave Heitman in Omaha dba Dave the Carpenter. Semper Fidelis
Vortex of doom pretty much sums things up. Nicely said.
@@emmetband4931 came here to say exactly that. Never heard it put better.
👍
Yeah, ‘Vortex of Doom’ describes it perfectly. We’ve all been sucked into that vortex unfortunately - some more than others 🙄
Too bad there isn’t a bar in the Vortex of Doom, it would make the experience a little more bearable.
I was going to comment, but cannot add to this one, it's very good.
Working alone adds a level of difficulty in not having someone to talk the problem out loud with. As soon as we speak to an issue vocally, the subconscious mind starts to kick in devise solutions and alternatives, much the same way we find answers the next morning when we walk into the shop. When working with a small crew I've learned the value of having a 2nd set of eyes on a problem, but have worked alone for much of my many decades.
I felt some of that anxiety when you were explaining how you had discovered the mistake.
I overlooked how low a veranda beam was when I started deck framing. I also felt so stressed that I couldn’t think of a solution.
But, I slept on it, and came up with a solution that the client was satisfied with.
It’s was a good reminder to take a step back and look at the whole job before I begin, and I’m only as good as my last mistake.
The ONLY reason I clicked on this video is because it describes a problem you run into and how you handled that. I really appreciate this, makes a much better learning than how people do this perfect. Thank you man.
The mark of a good carpenter is how you fix your mistakes. I've learned having a helper or second carpenter helps greatly to reduce mistakes as no one sees everything.
For 50 yrs. The mark of FINE carpenters had never changed. How to fix your f ups
Spencer, I’ve been watching your show for a couple years now and I am in awe of your abilities for someone who appears to be young. I’m 62 years old I’ve been a carpenter for 40 or 45 years. A lot of framing early on and mostly finish for the last 20 years. From 1995 till about 2005 all I did was build stairs in tract housing and apartments. Without exaggerating I can say I have built between 600 and 800 sets of stairs. Including spirals, commercial, and residential. Both rough framing and right down to finish. Your solution for this problem was perfect spot on, watching the video when you first mentioned the problem I knew what needed to be done before you explained how you fixed it. Always remember it’s easier to pad out the landing or the second floor a little bit then to have your stairs built too long. Many times I always left myself a half inch of play so all I would have to do is pad my landing or my second-floor out with a piece of half-inch plywood.
I really enjoy your show and have learned a lot From all of your techniques. Also most of my career I have been a one-man band much like you, but it’s 62 years old now I need a little help. Oh well what are you gonna do. Keep up the good work.
B Wojak, I've been a cabinetmaker and involved with most trades for 40 years. But I've always stayed away from stairs. I admire guys like you that do this kind of work. I use sketchup for drawing all my projects in 3-d. Just wondering if you use any similar drawing aides?
@@tomruth9487 no I’m old-school I just use a set of plans or sometimes have them sent to me in three D.
Also I would like to say that I have never built “ shop built” stairs before. I’ve always built them on site. I think Spencer is pretty impressive by building them in his shop
@@bwojak3226 I figured you might be old school. It's interest as with building and and woodworking so many ways to do a job. Good luck to you, thanks for the reply.
As a high end finish carpenter with 38 years experience, I can tell you that those earth shattering moments diminish in severity over time due to the fact that one gains so much confidence in ones ability to fix almost any eff up.
You're not a Master Carpenter until you have mastered your mistakes! Field work is all about solutions. Thanks for sharing both your mistake and your solution.
What a stand up guy you are. always love everything you produce. this was the best cause we all have been there. thank you
i know the exact feeling man. im a journeyman sheetmetal worker in PDX. in my company im regarded as the "layout guy" and im usually the guy who measures the wall to order our panels and when needed i field modify the panels for penetrations. the last job we were on the panels were special custom color made and assembled in canada (10 week lead time) and THOUSANDS of dollars per panel. all the panels came out spot on but the center panel which happened to have a off-center column i had to knotch for. no big deal seeing as i had already done 6 that day. immediately when i finished the final cut in the panel i realized i mirrored my measurements and because it was offset it was exactly backwards. the amount of guilt i had was disorienting. my general forman and project manager were on site as well. i immediately owned my mistake and walked through why and how it happened. everyone was irritated but because of my reputation and the way i handled the mistake we got through it and was able to get the replacement the following week 3 days before the job got turned over to the owner. everyone makes the mistakes and regardless of your experience never be too arrogant to stand back and take a second look at your work.
That right there is what separates the men from the boys, so to speak. Make a mistake, fix it, and go on about your business. No blaming someone else, no quibbling, just "I messed up, so I'll make it right." Always respected you and your work, Spencer, even more so now
@Ben Shell Spot on!!!
It's very refreshing to hear so many craftsmen and tradesmen saying how they've made mistakes, it's sent their mind into that " vortex of doom "... As someone who owns their own company I give myself such a beating when I make mistakes. It's easy to make yourself feel worthless ( even though I know I'm good at my job )... We've all been there, I'm just glad I'm not alone...and neither are you!
You said it perfectly, Its about how good you can fix your mistakes (or somebody else's) that makes you good at what you do. In my years of being an Autobody Refinisher (painter) I had to create an illusion so my customer couldn't see where I had painted, and Spencer I was good at it. I also had my Sunday's when I had to go to the shop and fix a problem that could not wait til Monday.
I still think you're one heck of a carpenter my friend. Peace and Love from Texas and HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.
I have worked extensively with ...
.. woodworkers, welders and seamstresses. Adam Savage does a great job explaining how these craftspeople are actually using the same talents.
Over time you notice that these talented craftspeople have a mental toolbox that is filled with solution of how to correct errors.
As my mom always says, “panicking never helps solve anything.” (When I feel panic I just let it happen, once it is over I move forward to solve the problem. Never try to solve problems while feeling panic.)
I was super impressed at how you were able to get all the stairs into the house by yourself, you made it look so easy. And then to think to use the winch was another brilliant idea. Work smarter, not harder. You embody that saying. I love all the work that you do on your channel. Thanks, and keep up the great work.
Hey Spencer. I have 5 months working for a Local contractor. He does concrete, framing and remodeling. I'm still in the learning process of course but Carpenters like you inspire me to keep on learning every day. The job itself is tough and sometimes the people you work with make it hard as well but the art of it is awesome and the sense of accomplishment after a good days work is always the greatest feeling. Thanks for showing us both the good and the bad of your day to day.
Thanks for that. I was a chef for many years and HOW many times did I have to come up with solutions to my mistakes!
Man I hear ya, 100%! It's an absolute crushing blow, when all that time and effort seem to just vanish in the blink of eye. Nice save on this one man, sometimes all it takes is some deep breaths and a cup of coffee to get things lined out. The only real mistake, is one that can't be fixed.
I work for a stair and rail company. The landing measurements, stair measurements and the communication about them can get mixed up sometimes. I can imagine it would have been a head rush seeing that! But ya it happens with our crew even after 20 years and 20 people going full out every day making and installing. I do the railing installs only. Love the work. Thanks for the content. It wouldn’t be insider without some insider ha.
I am a cabinetmaker, have built everything from Christmas ornaments to custom doors, kitchen cabinets, huge wall units/ entertainment centers, custom conference tables to 24’ x 40’ cope and stick store front. I was building a 14’ x 10’ custom entertainment center floor to ceiling and wall to wall. The wall had a 6’ x 5’ niche that the unit stepped back into. It was broken down to 12 boxes of various sizes and depths all with interlocking face frames. All of the bottom cabinets had mission style doors. It took quite a bit to lay it out and make a cut list. When all the parts and pieces were cut and machined I was pretty proud of myself, now had to assemble them. Went well and rather quick. Assembled all the units together in the shop to make sure everything fit as planned and was quite surprised everything went together perfectly, the width of the unit was within a 1/16” and height was perfect. Broke It all down, stained and finished, looked great. It installed on site even better than in the shop. Got all the trim up, doors on and started installing the glass shelves. Got to the last cabinet and realized that one of the sides with line holes for shelf brackets was upside down which made the line holes off from side to side by 3/4”. It was a disaster how could I have done something so stupid such a careless mistake everything was marked top! I couldn’t drill more holes I certainly couldn’t take the entire unit apart to remove 1 side and flip it. Fortunately the unit was for myself and and the fix wasn’t noticeable at all. The shelf brackets had a 3/8” offset so 1 side of the small cabinet the shelf brackets were flipped upside down and the offset was perfect. When looking at the unit the brackets were behind the face frame. I probably would have not let it slide if the unit wasn’t for myself!
As a cabinetmaker, one of my biggest worries is if my line boring machine will get the shelf holes in the right place every time.
"The truth will set you free", you can't dwell on these things, fix it and move on. Nice confession, nice recovery, and excellent composure. This is what memories are made of!
One Difference between amateur and Professional? Knowing how to cover up your mistakes! Great Job explaining the mistake... we have all been there.... but you recovered well!
I make mistakes all the time. It's knowing you can find a way out of it that makes you a pro. A driver for the local lumberyard came into a house I was working on and asked "What does it take to be a trim man?" My response was "You have to have the balls to cut it." Without the self confidence of knowing that, no matter what, you can make it work in the end, it's going to be a hard path to follow.
I couldn’t agree more. I’ve only been on the remodeling/carpentry/woodworking scene for a couple of years working by myself mostly, still have miles of road in my career and countless things to learn. However I have learned that lesson at this point, at some point you just have to jump in and figure it out as you go. Planning is always important, but there are some things that you can’t plan and you just have to roll with the punches so to speak. Knowing that somehow you’ll work it out is definitely an important thing to have.
Talent , Tools & Time, baby!
My father always said we all make mistakes , and the sooner you own your mistake, the sooner you can fix it . Great work.
Great video. 40 years as a union glazier. We had a saying, the only difference between a journeyman and an apprentice is a journeyman knows how to fix his screw ups. And dont forget, this wont be your last screw up! Your just getting better at fixing them!
Pouring my own foundation walls for my house using plywood forms I made myself. Day of the pour a corner blew out. I thought it was the end of the world for about 10 minutes. After that, I reasoned through it, I got to work, rebuilt that corner, lost minimal amount of concrete and completed 400 linear feet of concrete pour.
We all learn from our mistakes. I once put a 2" finish nail from under a $20,000 conference room table, out through the top of the table, where it should have been a 1 1/4" nail. I always check what size nails are in the nail gun. Another great video Spencer.
One job from many years ago was putting in laminate countertops and right in the middle of the peninsula, I grabbed a screw that was 1/2" too long and ran it straight up through the countertop and blew out the laminate 😭
Haha. I've been there too...back in my old cabinet/laminate top installation days. Pretty much a right of passage. LOL
@@InsiderCarpentry lol, unfortunately it was a custom order color too
@@stevebengel1346 Guilty as well...
David S, that's an awful story but easy to do. So what was the outcome?
You absolutely killed it.
I am a 30 year cretehead, I have
experienced that moment when this planet stops revolving! I have worked more than a couple Sundays:) nice work, great attitude!
What's the difference between a good carpenter and a bad one? A good carpenter knows how to hide(fix) their mistakes and a bad one doesnt! Awesome job man. Thanks for all your advice!!
A man who has never made a mistake has never made anything.
Taking a step back, a few deep breaths and thinking through a solution was definitely the right thing to do. In the end the solution was pretty simple and the finish jobs looks amazing.
Have made so many mistakes. Slept on it and in the middle of the night I always wake up with a solution. Similar to your experience.
Once in a hurry I drilled tile in the wrong spot thinking I was installing a full sliding shower door but turned out the be a fixed screen set up.... At least I didn't have long to worry about someone seeing as the client saw immediately and unloaded every word they could think of at me... So just had to stand there, take it, then get out the tile tools and fix it. They apologized later but it was a tense couple hours. Mistakes happen. Pride can be found in how one handles it. No hiding it, no lies, no excuses just take the hit and get it fixed. Been a follower for a long time Mr Spencer, you da man
Every day is a school day and that includes mistakes. Always found the best way to solve a problem is to sleep on it. Usually wake up in the early hours and shout I KNOW WHAT TO DO. 🇮🇪
Been there and have done that same thing. At the time it feels like a complete failure. I remember thinking how in the heck could I have done something so wrong. It happens all the time to the most experienced. Great video and solution
I've been doing carpentry for 20+ years everything from footings and forms to finish. The best piece of advice I have ever been given was from an old timer. " It's not a mistake if you can fix it". I find this especially helpful with sheetrock. Frame a roof with multiple hips and valleys with intersecting ridges, no problem. Sheetrock, I turn into Cletus from the Simpsons'.
I saw the owners out of the corner of my eye once while installing some crown to inspect the house and I shouted to my partner, " I've cut this piece three times and it's still too short !" Their reaction was priceless, you got to have fun sometimes.
The best thing you can ever do is become silent, just sit quietly . The fact that it occurred on Saturday was a blessing. 🙏🏻
There’s not a man on the planet that hasn’t made a mistake, but it’s the better ones that rectify it and no one knows 😉 It looks superb a credit to you well done 👍
I built a whole kitchens worth of custom cabinets once, When I was designing them I was going to use dados but then changed my mind and used pocket holes instead but forgot to change my measurements to compensate..I didn't realize my mistake until I was installing them!...what a nightmare.
I will confess my worst mistake....to date. I built an entire kitchen for a client using oak that was milled from his homeplace. The cabinets were installed and I built the raised panel doors in my shop after I had installed the boxes. The doors were finished and I went to install them and as I placed the first door it fell through the opening into the cabinet. I had built every door to the exact measurement of the openings and forgot add for overlay. I know what you felt. We all do it because we are human. Thanks for sharing. Mike
Great work my friend.......... I always said, "your skills come out when ya off the paved road" you are skilled madman. Real Nice work!
I knew right away to extend the landing.
“The best carpenters can fix there mistakes”.
Glad to hear you got through that. You do phenomenal quality.
We learn more from our mistakes (or failures) than from our successes. An awful lot of woodworking and carpentry seems to about solving problems. You will never again forget to include that bottom joist in a model! Great work!
It's hard to single out just one. Lol But I learned from every one, and they made me a better carpenter. Can't even tell you how many nights I went to bed and dreamt about a problem and woke up with a solution. Sometimes you just need to walk away for a minute, hour or day.
I LOVE your candor and openness about a mistake! The BEST--now I want to watch you more, not less! Thanks for honesty. "The only people who don't make mistakes are those who don't do anything!"
I was asked by a contractor friend of mine if I could install stair railing in a new construction home build he was doing. I had never done that before, however watched several episodes of tips of the trades, many here in this very Chanel. Felt confidant I could do it. Client wanted two balusters per tread so ordered all the materials and headed up to the job site. I quickly learned that I couldn’t get two balusters to work with the building code spacing of 4 inches. (Which I had to confirm with my friend) so had to first convince the client to have 3 balusters instead of desired two. Than had to order more material which stalled my install. When time came for installation round 2 every went smooth until I stepped back and realized that the two rails were not inline at the middle post. I ended up having to redo the whole bottom half to correct the alignment. Which delayed the job for a second time. Luckily this job didn’t have a concrete time line but Expensive lesson learned. I’ll be sticking to stand alone furniture and built in cabinetry from now on.
That's part of construction that a lot of people don't think about until they're in it. Anything that one trade does that has a problem automatically Cascades down to everybody behind them that's going to have to do work on that project.
I built two beautiful free standing cabinets…measured everything perfectly where they were going to be. The day I delivered them was gonna be a simple in and out drop off. Put them in place, get paid, and on to the next project. Only thing is I forgot to measure the hallway they were to go through to get to the room. Same feeling I had that you did. After stepping back and taking a breath, I ended up bringing the cabinets back outside and around the back side of the house and took out the window to get them in. What. A. Pain. Lesson learned.
As we say here in Spain "your face was a poem"(min.5:00)when you realized your mistake.Many of us know this feeling but we also know the satisfaction after fix it.
By the way,congrats for the amazing job in this house
Good guy-calling into Sunday school teacher saying not going to be there-Perfect church member! Nice stairs!
Good on you to show the real way things work. It’s not how you handle success but adapt to your short falls. Mistakes is how we grow.
You are the MAN Spencer, congratulations on a job well done. After some 55 years in the trade I’ve experienced the same kind of trauma many times. All you needed was perspective regarding the situation at hand which you got by removing yourself from the job to allow your subconscious mind to solve the problem. You’re a stand up guy to tell your story and admit your mistakes but the real value you bring is in the solution, not the problem. I admire you skill and tenacity in all your videos and love to watch them every chance I get. Keep up the good work and God bless you!
*_"...allow your subconscious mind to solve the problem."_*
This is a highly effective technique to problem solving. People are inclined to stand there getting flustered, racking their brain and overlook the obvious in the panic over what will happen if it isn't fixed right now. If possible, just relax and let your brain churn it over in the background while you do something else. I had a situation last year regarding a lock on an ill-thought out OCD "have to do it right now!" third-party "design", for want of a better word, that had already been built without consideration to that aspect, but after just leaving it alone for some time, a tidy solution to the problem came to mind.
New to your site. 72 year old retired teacher, quilter, DIYer. We had a motto in my classroom...."Mistakes make new learning." Its OK to make mistakes and then you problem solve to fix them. Sometimes you need input from others. That is how we learn. You are awesome!!!!
It’s great to hear that u share ur mistakes with ur subscribers.. carpentry is a learning process for all that do it for a living.. iv been doing carpentry for 38 years .. there is not one day or job that I’m not learning something new .. staircases looks great
Spencer: Thanks for all you do. I've been at this for over 25 years now, and we've seen all kinds of troubles with stairs and landings. The utter fragmentation of the trades has meant that the handrailer/stair installer most often has no contact with prior trades, and has to deal with framing, especially at landings, that won't work as presented. The framers do not understand landings as regards placement of newel posts, in particular. It's not as simple as it seems it should be. A proper stair design, even a simple one, starts with the handrail and works backward, first to the stair geometry, and then to the framing. Many, if not most, architects don't really understand stair and rail design in depth. The placement of risers in relation to landings in a switch back stair is a prime example. Another all too common example is a right angle turn. Location of the bottom riser of the upper set is important to getting the newel in the right place for both rail center lines to be located half a baluster width inboard of the tread/return joint.
I don't think you made a mistake in your building of the stairs. If anything, you thought you had screwed up, but it turned out you were mistaken. The only thing I might have done differently would have been to pack out the first floor landing instead of the mid run landing. In the case of your stair, the choice of which landing to pack out was fairly inconsequential, primarily because of the nature of the handrail. A rail like that can be made to conform to many different situations.
I note that the newels in level runs in the upstairs penetrated the floor and came down over the skirt. This should be avoided, but needs to be appreciated in the design phase. Often it's too late when we get there. Newels can penetrate at turns, and indeed this was traditionally a deliberate choice, as the open stringers were to be tenoned into the newel.
It seems to me that your initial design intent was to have the bottom riser of the first floor in the same vertical plane as the top riser of the basement set. This approach is natural, and was most often the choice in traditional work with a well and wreathed rail, as it allows for a continuous rail with no newels. Any other placement of the risers often necessitates a ramp in the rail. It also often works well when using two newels in a switchback turn. This is why I say that packing out the bottom would have been my first choice. In the old days, landings that are to have the risers situated as I describe were not framed straight across, but had the area where the upper set would land bumped out to accommodate the heel of the stringer.
I've yet to meet an architect that understands much of anything in regards the fabrication side. They generally concentrate on abstract wank.
My biggest mistake was putting my job before my wife and son several years ago! My ex was always impressed by projects I’d done or jobs I’d worked on and I always told her “there’s nothing I can’t do”. Well unfortunately I wasn’t able to fix my broken marriage! Truth be told, I wasn’t the only one responsible to fix what was broken but if I hadn’t let it get to that point it wouldn’t have needed fixed. I did what I could to fix our marriage but it wasn’t enough but the one thing I wouldn’t give up on was the relationship with my son!
Chin up pal...
I hear ya . Years ago I was working a 7-4 and doing construction evenings and weekends,getting home late every night.
One day my brother n law told me when I die he’s going to put on my stone wish I would have worked more and spent less time with my family. The next day I quit my 7-3 and made sure I was at every child’s game or event.
What! Does that have to do with the carpentry mistake, completely different, she didn’t deserve you anyways
Been a carpenter for 47 years. The old timer that I learned from always said, if you aren't making mistakes you aren't trying. A that the only difference between himself and me was he knew how to fix his mistakes. That and he said that you learn more from your mistakes! He was so right! He was about the same age I am now. Boy he was so right, when he said in the trade your always learning something new!
In the 35+ years, about to retire now, I been in your spot. like many people said. "the difference between a good carpenter and a great craftsman, is making something look great when you know it is not. good job. easy fix.
Is called improvisation, and you pulled it off perfectly! It's just part of the trade, and I'm glad for you, that it was fixable with minimal effort. My biggest mistake was my entire life before I was saved by grace! Leave it to THE carpenter, to make right, that which was wrong...
Thank you for this video...this is a testament to your skill and indebtedness to your profession!
And a Sunday school teacher on top of it.
I just had this discussion with a customer a few weeks back when something went wrong. 20 years ago if something goes wrong it was a complete catastrophe. I was in total panic mode. My boss used to go 'calm down, calm down, what happened' lol
After many catastrophes in 20+ years, many on my own, any time there is a big mistake or unforseen issue I don't even blink. I take a deep breath, and get to working out a solution because one big thing you learn is there is always a solution. It may take some time, some materials, and some money but there is always a way to fix it. That's when the max creativity comes into play and often times some of the coolest flourishes that people love come from creative solutions.
We’ve all been there but only the real carpenters can fix them before anyone else notices. That’s when I step back put the screw up aside and brainstorm solutions. Braver man than me to shop build stairs anyway. Always a class act thanks for the video
When something like that that happens it's like all your blood drains from you, an adrenaline rush in reverse! But there's always a solution and like the saying goes
The man that never made a mistake never made anything! All the best ,Liam
Oh man, its one of the worst feelings as it just sinks into your brain that something is wrong. Suddenly your brain is running a million kilometres a second trying to come up with a way to fix the issue.
I’m in the HVAC trade, but I occasionally get into the carpentry realm at my own house or in doing side jobs. I understand the level of planning and anxiety and effort that goes into something like this. You are an outstanding carpenter and problem solver! Well done!
Something I learned only a few months ago
‘It’s only a mistake if you can’t fix it’ you fixed it and a testament to your skill. Thanks for sharing Spencer
i remember my first 'in shop' build which included oak balusters and hand rail. I remember thinking I maybe had bit off more that I could chew. Don't remember how long I worked on it but the install day came and much to my amazement it all went together without an issue. I just finished a family stair case job for my nephews new home. Out of all the carpentry things I have been able to do I get the most satisfaction from designing and building stairs. Your job came out well and even though there was a bump along the way you managed to fix it in an appropriate way...good job.
Working on a aircraft carrier with a few years under my Sheetmetal belt, I was part of about 15 man crew. Walking along our work area I noticed the fire locker foundation had only been tacked in. Wondering why the mechanic had only tacked it, I decide to increase my skills as a fillet welder and go ahead and weld them up. Knocked that out, and the next day the boss came by checking my job, and noticed the fire locker foundations had been welded solid. Of course he ask the mechanic which installed them why were they not tacked as they should have been. The mechanic with his 30 plus years was perplexed as to that as well. They came to where I was working, the only other mechanic in the area and ask if I knew anything about that foundation. Beaming with some inter pride of a job well done, and ahead of his schedule I admitted I had knocked it out. Well he about blew a gasket as you don't weld unless told to and these were ONLY tacked so they would stay on location. The issue being they would be moved for other equipment but now they are welded down solid. I had to cut them up which cost time and we all know...time is money. Lesson learned. Thirty some years later, boss came and got me, said I need your help. I go and look and a couple of young apprentices had welded two foundations to the deck. They are looking at me ( long faces ) and I look at the boss, what's wrong, looks pretty good. Well turns out the locker ( like most ) gets bolted down to the foundation. All the away around on the inside. No problem as we know going in, flip the foundation over, put your nuts and bolts on for what will be the back row, the back being the part against the bulkhead. Tack the nuts, flip it back over and pull the bolts back out. Well turns out the two apprentices did weld the nuts on as once the foundation is in place you can't reach them. Problem is...they welded the foundation in backwards, the weld nuts were now on the front side and nothing along the back. Boss looked at me and ask if I could tack the nuts on the back, with about half inch clearance from the bulkhead. I ended up sliding a mirror underneath, bent the last one inch of the rod, struck the rod on the nut and got one tack before rod burned to the break. Had to do two rods per nut and about 18 nuts across. Got her done...Boss look it over a couple hours later and told me thanks....I think we both had a flash back of when I screwed up. Looked at the two apprentices, and they smiled, said thanks and lesson learned.
cool story bro
You had the same boss for 30 years ?
@@xavytex Yes....you can get loaned out, but they can call for you back anytime. I had 3..4 bosses through out 34 years. Like they called on me to work cats on a overhaul job. The reason being those which had worked the older cats had moved on. One had quit, one moved up to Supervisor etc. I went over and the supervisor had never worked the cats...told me, only thing I know about flight deck this is where they set my furniture. He worked all the living quarters on 03. So I took it from there. Finished Under budget, and ahead of schedule.
I have alot of respect and admiration for you Spencer! Maybe even more so now... than I did before. Once again your story comes at a perfect time. Today, I made a mistake cutting stringers. I cut the pattern wrong and never caught it. In your video when the severity of your mistake started sinking in I swear I could see you start to hyperventilate. Just as I did when I realized I had 4 stringers cut wrong. You talked about that comfort that we settle in to and how it's a dangerous place to be. True story! Anyways, I said all that to say this... Parallels in lives are not coincidence but part of God's grand design. I was feeling pretty down on myself for making such a rookie mistake till I watched this video. The timing was once again impeccable. Not only are you a great teacher of the art of fine carpentry but a true vessel of God. I wasn't surprised you teach Sunday School... I thought to myself how lucky are the children who get to spend time with such a great guy. Thank you for being you my brother in Christ.
You are the Payton Manning of finish carpentry. I enjoy the heck out of watching you work. God bless!
Compliments on being open and honest about your flaws as well as your accomplishments. Many people will not admit something if they screwed up. Not sure if this is my biggest screw up but I still remember it after many many MANY years. I used to install handicapped lifts. Back all those years ago I had a boss, nice guy, who came with me to the house I was installing it in. Beautiful house, all white (including the CARPET). Do not remember if he knew the guy or came to collect the money for the unit and sat and shot the bull with him while I installed the stairclimber. I could do one in four hours. OK, so these units had support feet that would clamp on the rail and then screw into the tread. Four screws in each foot. A foot every second or third tread depending on different issues. So I have all the feet clamped to the rail, the rail placed exactly where I want it for clearance and ready to screw into the tread. Hex drive sheet metal screws (hold much better than just wood screws) I start to impact one into the tread. I stop (thankfully) as the thread caught this type of EXPENSIVE WHITE CARPET and pulled the loops out of the carpet. So I am about two and a half inches on the nose of the step with a nice, very exposed, part of the under lay of carpet. Obvious as all get out. Boss still talking in other room I lay my toolbox on the step to walk out to my work van. Thankfully I had some contact cement from something else I had used it for and came back in, checked to see if they were still shooting the bull, carefully put contact cement on the little loops and the underlay and waited couple minutes then tacked everything back in place. It all stuck, lift got done. NEVER HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT IT. One thing that probably saved me was the fact it was so close to the rail that even if someone was walking up the stairs doubt they would ever walk that close to the rail. WHEW! Trust me, there are more since I have worked since very young and made many many mistakes and learned from them what to do and not to do. Anyone who says they never make a mistake working I highly doubt they actually work at all.
We all make mistakes. The stairs look absolutely gorgeous. I'd like to see more videos on mistakes. Those types of videos can help others think ahead and avoid the same mistakes. Also, help to see how to trouble shoot a mistake from a video. Thanks for sharing
On a addition I ordered all the wrong trusses. The addition came off the house had the correct 6/12 pitch to mate the house but the stand was an inch and a half lower than the house. An older carpenter told me to just simply add another top plate on the addition then install the trusses. Worked perfectly
Maintaining your composure, taking a few minutes or even a day to walk away, breathe, accept the mistake, and move onto resolving it is one of the most important skills a craftsman has to have. That moment of, oh %?!$, has to be followed by a moment of, it’s ok, I can fix this. The faster you move past the place you want to beat yourself up, the faster you’ll figure out a way to resolve the problem. Planning is everything in trying to avoid mistakes but sometimes those mistakes happen or others don’t go along with the original plan and you’ve got to improvise. I really appreciate your honesty and willingness to expose yourself to criticism and while you look at it today thinking, it wasn’t that bad, we all know exactly how you felt that day and have been there ourselves. Well done finding a way to fix it. That’s part of what makes you one of the best.
No problems...just solutions. Beautiful job!
The solution may have been straighforward and simple enough to accomplish, but that in no way detracts from the moments prior to that solution being figured out. Good on you, cooler heads prevail, we do our best thinking when we need to.
The trait of a great craftsman is the ability to un-screw yourself and still make the project look like it was done right from the beginning
I built my first house as an A frame with no prior experience. But I loved working with wood. Chose A frame cos we could move in with just lower level finished. Our 2nd baby meant I had to build upstairs. Did not know what “riser/tread” meant but asked about. No CZcams back 1979, no CAD drawings. Needed two stage stairs with first landing 4 steps up. Had to design handrails too. In Australia we use Cypress Pine to defeat termites so I ordered all Cypress post, planks to be cut into steps, planks for risers. Planks for stringers.
Spent days working out how to notch out stringers. No routers just chisels. Finally did it!!!!! Couldn’t believe it!!
But over the next weeks all the timber dried out and all my super tight joins opened up. That’s my staircase mess up. Learned about wedges, and learned that life isn’t always fair. But we filled it with love for 20yrs and developers moved in and flattened it for industrial use so my staircase no longer there to bug me. Oh, next house I built was also Cypress but all single level. All 5 bedrooms now empty sept the one I use.....but the memories...
The problem is never the problem .. the problem is how you handle the problem … Good job problem solving… glad you left for the day and pondered your solution options and returned the next day, fresh and positive of a working solution..
When I was a young Painter years ago I had a complicated 2 story house to do and picked up the paint. I had four 5 gal buckets and 1 single gallon can. I checked the color of the single gallon can to make sure the color was right. It was. I was almost done when something seemed wrong to me and I checked the color again and it was wrong. All the fives were tinted wrong. It was a monumental mistake but really it was the paint store that’s messed up but I knew it still would be a fight with them to fix it and worse I’d have to go over this huge Monster again.
It was a huge amount of work.
The home owner drove up and never said anything about the color being off so I decided not to say anything and see if I would escape this huge mistake., I was a nervous wreck until I got paid and drove off. They loved the color and I got away with it. I’ve been a contractor over 40 years and this is the only time something like this has ever happened. It’s always something out of left field 😂
Your story got my heart pounding; especially the waiting part until they OK'ed the work. I do commercial construction, and some mistakes require inventive solutions. You're never totally relaxed until the building owner, the architect, and the GC have all finished inspections.
That said, I always feel bad for someone else when a torrential rainstorm hits, and you see a waterfall inside the building. Happens more often than you might think. Saw one at UNC University that was like a sheet of water, and dumped inches of water into a building where we were doing finish work........
glad it wasn't anything I did for a living where the mistake was made. People were scrambling on that one.
Dave Paulec, I was painting a small house for a long time customer. A week before she had a color person come in and pick the colors and the many gallons of paint were there all ready for me. I had spent months working on the house remodeling every room. It was an older craftsman style home and so there were not that many windows. I looked at the colors and decided they were ok but all were too dark considering the low natural light in the house. On a crazy decision, I decided to cut all the colors 100% with white and didn't say a word to anyone. I was nervous when the owner came to see the house. Her first words were that she loved it. I was relieved of course, but then she said "wait, those are not the right colors". Oops, I thought to myself, then I told her the true story. She didn't really care and all was well, but I was really glad it worked out in the end. That same client had me pick two colors for the outside of a large Victorian home that was part of a school project she was doing. The painter called me the day that they were going to start to paint saying the trim color and they siding colors didn't have enough contrast. I asked him if he thought it might be ok anyway and he said yes, so they went ahead with the colors. It turns out, like with your painting story that the paint store didn't get the colors quite right. I mean they were close, but not exactly like the color chips. Anyway, the house looked great on an overcast day but the colors were looking pretty much the same on a sunny day. The client was not that happy with me as she had paid a lot extra for a two color job. In the end there was a problem with the paint job and the house got repainted after a year and I was able to correct my mistake. Another lesson learned for me.
Oh you took a big chance on that one! Glad it worked out.
Wouldn’t the correct thing to do have been explain the mistake to the homeowner and offer a discount if they can live with the incorrect color? Most times a reasonable person will say something along the lines of I think I like this color better and there is no need for compensation. You then walk away guilt free, and the homeowner will highly recommend you the next time a friend needs work done.
@@sarahdeshay1394 , It's hard to argue against honesty. When it comes to very slight changes in tone, versus possibly losing your entire profit margin, it takes extraordinary honesty to fess up. Sometimes one might wait a few days or weeks, then do a call back, and state that an error discovery was made in the shade, with the offer to redo the work. That gives time for the customer to see the work, and by then, they will know if they're fine with the job.
I encountered a mistake I once made in building a fence, and although I highly doubted the customer would notice, I immediately went and got him, to show him. He was fine with it, as you could only see it on the inside of the wood fence. I will say I've done a huge amount of work for him ever since, and that was my first job for him.
That's one reason I prefer commercial construction to residential construction. Generally speaking; commercial construction is more give and take when it comes time to sell the work.
We're all too familiar with that panic.
My BIG mistake. I told the client I could install a hollow door as a saloon door (swings both ways). I didn't know I needed a solid door. When I went to install the bottom spring bracket I cut out a section of the bottom of their door and realized it was completely hollow and wouldn't support the bracket. And I had just ruined a door the client had acquired. Luckily I had seen a solid saloon door in the dumpster at another house I was working at. I called the contractor and he said I could have it, I cleaned it, painted it, and had it installed that week. Unlink some mistakes, this one had to be admitted to the customer.
Another is when I was digging to install stair posts and hit the water main. I had to pay for a plumber to come and fix it.
A saloon door? Really? Welcome back to the 70's
Your honesty shows that you are humble. You will go far with whatever you want to do.
Fixing a screw up is just about as satisfying as getting it right first time. Well done
As self taught on most of my woodworking I was really surprised at how much really goes into stairs when I built my first set. Rise and tread math yay!
I cut a $1000 beam 10” short. I found out it was short after the crane placed one end and the other was hanging in space. That mistake cost the boss quite a lot, but he barely gave me a hard time.
He knows it won't happen again! Good boss!!!
One thing I like about you Sir is that you are honest. God Bless you.
Nice work! Any carpenter that tells you he never makes mistakes is full of it but the difference between a good and bad carpenter is looking over your work making sure you don’t have mistakes and if you run into something you swallow your pride and fix it! When I run into a headache problem and can’t come up with a solution sometimes I just step away from it and come back fresh usually works good for me! Thanks for sharing!
Definitely felt for you. The moment of realization at that point, was too overwhelming to be able to see anything else but "oh No!"
Been there many times in my 38 yrs of carpentry. As you were trying to say, "a good carpenter is not one who makes no mistakes, but one who knows how to fix them."
I deeply appreciate all you've documented as I work alone too.
Do you ever wonder what Jesus built, the tools he used, and what His work might have looked like?
It's a worthy trade, I'm honored to be invested in it.
1st Thessalonians 4:11&12!
Best wishes brother! david per Wood and Nails
Yes, I've wondered what Jesus built. Thanks for your thoughts and posting the verse.
Legend has it Jesus built a staircase in shop once.... once.
And he never spoke of it again.
Just started to watch your channel, what a great videos you're making, and the explanation, expirience, just great Thank you learned a lot!!!
Concentric radial stairs were my biggest screw up while doing finish work at Cache Creek Casino in Esparto, California. The treads were not a consistent radius and I thought I could scribe them in- however the more I cut off the worse they got! This was in 2002- prior to CZcams. I hid the stairs just like you did and thought about it all night. Finally I called a friend of mine in Maryland who did trim for boat interiors. (Had to wait until 4 am to reach him at 7 eastern). He explained tick-sticking to me over the phone! I immediately went to the job and started experimenting and it worked! I have never been so relieved! That was 20 years ago and I have shown that trick to a lot of guys over the years. The guy I apprenticed under used to always say “don’t let a piece of wood beat you down” - but it still happens to this day…
Big thing to admit but at least you were able to fix it. You are a champion for recognising and acknowledging a trueism we learn from our mistakes. Thanks for sharing.