DOH! I made a woodworking mistake! How do I fix it?

Everybody messes up- don't worry, you can patch it!
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[StumpyNubs]

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[TaylerMade]

as a retired furniture maker i agree whole heartedly with its "not a mistake if you can fix it". because by this reasoning i have never made a mistake lol.

[gateway]

I'm using hickory for the first time for a French cleat wall. Every thing you have said about hickory is True! Splinters, brittle and variations in coloring have complicated what should have been a simple job. But, as sanded and finished with Watco tung oil in natural color, it has turned out fantastic. 2 final coats sanded with 600 grit sand paper with oil as lubricate makes the hickory look like fine

[rickstowell]

We can all learn by our mistakes...and how to cover them up or correct the situation. These should all be learning items, and it nice that you choose to help everyone learn how to do this, GREAT!!!

[jimm]

You are correct. The real talent is just as you describe in this video. Mistakes are a given making them go away is experience. Thank you.

[waynelewis]

As my old mentor Mr Burdick used to say, “You don’t judge a carpenter by how many mistakes he makes, but by how well he covers them up.”

[patchesofgreen]

Don't be so modest. We've learned volumes from your videos. You are a master by my estimation. It is a rare gift to be able to explain clearly.

[ThekiBoran]

When installing base or T&G planks marking an x on the off cut side is super helpful and it literally takes a quarter of a second to mark it. Been doing it since my apprentice days.

[debbiebissel]

A craftsman is not someone who doesn't make mistakes it's just they learn how to ( unmastake) something as good as possible. Thank You Jake Bissel.

[donaldbiehl]

The Swiss cabinetmaker I worked with once upon a time always said “a mistake is something that can’t be fixed”. This guy never looked busy but pumped out the work without breaking a sweat.

[MrMarkpeggy]

Thanks for the great video James! 👍I hope that your hand is healing up well.

[jamescunningham]

James,
I want to thank you for all the helpful hints and tips you share. I appreciate your contribution to the craft. You make a difference.
Jim Cunningham

[bigburlymikesmswoodworking]

Just yesterday I plowed out some dados in some plywood panels and didn't realize until after I cut them all I had the table saw set at the wrong mark (I measured using the ruler on the table saw instead of measuring from the dado stack itself). Now I'm having to fill the grooves with a piece of oak I had lying around and trying again. Baltic birch plywood ain't cheap, man. Luckily, this project is for the workshop so I'm not worried about having a small strip of oak showing.

[dc]

I don't know about sore thumbs but that patch looks awesome.

[kevinbowker]

I always enjoy your videos! Thanks for the tip, James.

[denbarris]

Sometimes a patch or repair can become a FEATURE.

[erichendley]

What's truly funny, is that I just got in from my shop, from having to make a patch because I had a brain fart too. I know that even masters make mistakes, everyone does, but still, it most certainly does not change the fact that I called myself some pretty horrible names, wondering how the h e double hockey sticks I was going to fix such a blatant error on the face of a piece, with wood that I had no more of, other than a few small offcuts. Thankfully I was able to overcome, and I did not have to cut off an entire section of a piece that was already put together, and now my patch is almost invisible. It always pays to stop, take a breather, think about it, and figure out a work around. Thanks for this video, I very much appreciate that others show their brain farts and how they overcome them.

[McFlysGarage]

Wood working, prop building, welding, and more always have great ways of hiding your mistakes.

[chucks]

I just recently got into woodworking and I've learned more from just a couple of your videos than I got in two years of woods in high school. I actually wanted to learn back then but my teacher was a couple years from retirement. All we learned was to stand beside our work benches and sweep the floor while he would read magazines in his office. After watching this video I can't help but think of you as the Bob Ross of woodworking. No mistakes just happy little accidents.

[FranksDIY]

Great tips. I love the collection of tools you have on the wall