Oh just being an idiot again.....

[Dan Bombliss]

It's been a long while since I made that "stupid" a@# mistake everyone does everyone once in a while....

Well here it is...

First off, don't work on stuff at 1:15 am when you have to be up at 6:30, it makes you rush as I was going to attempt to fret my fingerboard as well.

Anyhow, decided to bind my headstock, after it was already perfectly flush cut, and could have been good to go. Bad idea??? Not yet, actually a great one.

So I spend the past 4 hours (Awful lighting, and shafty tools at my disposal today at home) using a hair curling iron to bend the maple binding. I finally have come up with my first headstock design that I'm actually really happy with, and to make things look good I put alot of time into the process. So after the 3-4 hours it look great, and I block planed the binding flush to the headstock and so I've got the overhead to deal with. This binding is maybe hanging over 1/32" and maybe 3/32 tall, so not much material.

"Hey, I've got a great idea... After spending 4 hours of tedious work, I'll save 5 minutes by flush trim cutting this maple using my template I can't center up anymore, despite the fact that I know it won't work, and that it would only take seconds to scrap."

Sure as shit, it didn't work, but since I'm as tired as I am, I didn't have any second thoughts.

So what happened?? -

Well, it flushed it up in 1 spot. Apparently the template was sitting in further than the neck its self and it made my headstock smaller, no big deal, right, just reshape your headstock? Oh, but wait, now my new bound headstock has a butchered maple binding all the way around with varying thickness from paper thin, to just where it should be.

I haven't been so close to crying in years. A headstock I could actually take pride in because it was mine, and it looked banging. Didn't even snap pictures because I was going to wait for the "clean" part.

Oh well, now I get to spend a few more hours fixing my mistake just to make it look "acceptable"

Long story short, don't be a dumbass. Unfortunately though, it takes being one to realize to not do it.

-Dan

[hummingbird]

I've come to the realization that in order to become a decent luthier we must pay our dumbass dues.

[johnnparchem]

Dan,

You do nice work I am sure you will make it right. Thanks for posting your story.

[nkwak]

Yeah, as they say never underestimate the power of a good nights sleep!

I've had my own boneheaded moments this week too which I'll share elsewhere.

[Tom West]

Dan: Not to fret..........!!! Don't think there is anyone doing this work who has not made a few mistakes..............I've made my share. The important thing is to learn from them and then press on to success.

[tippie53]

I can tell you that you learn more from failures than successes and since you learned something from it , it is no longer a failure but a learning experience. Now be kind share some before and after photos , this is not one us here that didn't have and AFM . You know that Awwww F^&^$ Moment.
Learn from others mistakes , you can't make them all yourself,.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

A few mistakes??? Oh how I'd love to make just a few mistakes!!
Dan, like John said, your work always looks great, you can fix it. Make it better than it would have been!!!

Kevin

[Ken Hundley]

I'd love to just get a few things right, let a lone make only a few mistakes. I'm wondering, can you route off the binding, and recut the binding ledge to fit the new profile? Then re bind it at a more decent hour (I should talk, right?). I bet it'll look great when you are done with it.