Measure Twice, Cut Once

I tend to try to remember things without writing them down. Just ask my wife when she gives me a list of things to pickup at the store. She’d always ask do you want to write that down. I’d always say, no it’s just 4 or 5 items I can remember that. Needless to say I always forget something. Now she just hands me her list.

This time it wasn’t remembering something it was doing math in my head, which is just as bad. Last weekend I started to work on the form for the bent laminate apron, for the small table I’m working. I knew what the finished radii were for the apron. I then had to compensate for the cork I was going to line the form with. I though it’s only a 1/8” I can do that math in my head. I don’t know what happened. Where I need to subtract a 1/8” I added and/or where I needed to add a 1/8” I subtracted. In any case, the measurements were off. Luckily this wasn’t a big deal, it was only a couple small pieces of MDF I had to through in the trashcan. I’m really glad I found my mistake before I got all the way through my glue-up!

What I learned from this? I failed on the Measure Twice part. Even though I was dead on in laying out the wrong measurements. I really need to write everything down. I think I’m saving time by doing stuff in my head. In reality, it has cost me time and money more than once. I think I have finally learned my lesson. I may even start to make grocery lists now :).