First Lessons Learned about Carpentry

April 30, 2023

I am a very novice carpenter, trying to build a small house all by myself. Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned in the past few weeks:

The most important tool in the carpenter’s workshop is a well-sharpened pencil.
There are no perfect boards, except maybe in Plato’s ether of the ideals.
It has been said, “Measure twice, cut once.” For me it is, “measure six times, at least once in each direction, and still cut twice.”
A good carpenter must know trigonometry better than an astrophysicist.
You must be more familiar with your architect and engineer’s drawings than your own children’s faces.
Battery operated power tools are a godsend.
You must make sure you put your batteries in the charger at the end of the day.
A portable greenhouse makes a great site workshop in the winter and early spring, but becomes an unbearable sauna as spring matures.
Carpentry is a dangerous profession . . . a Navy seal on a dangerous mission, a close second.

Mike

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