Carpentry is a exercise in patience more than anything else. Patience may not be your strong suit. You may always want things to be done as quickly as possible. But the question is: What is the fastest way to complete the project the way you want it done? Also: How well do you want the project to turn out, or how long do you want it to last?
If the project that you are working on is one that you just need to throw together quickly to hold something together for a while until another solution can be obtained than how it looks or functions may not be the most pressing thing on your mind. However, if the project is one that you want to last and look it’s best, the finished product means something special to you.
It doesn’t take a seasoned professional carpenter to create something that is beautiful or well built. It takes a person who is willing to pay attention to detail and spend the time necessary to get it right.
I have seen work done by professionals who have all the fanciest tools where the end result looks terrible and I have also seen work done by someone who has never touched a piece of wood before and only has very limited tools create some of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. What is the difference? How does this happen?
The difference is the attention to details and the desire to have the finished product just so. Good looking, quality work comes from someone who knows how to slow down, think things through and take whatever time is necessary to get it right. All of the fancy tools in the world wont make a good looking product for you. All they do is make it easier or save time, That is all! (unless you are talking about spending thousands of dollars on CNC machines)
All of the tools that I use on the job are merely there to save me time. Take my air nailers for example, they are probably the biggest time saving devices that I have. Instead of two or three hits from a hammer to drive a single nail I can shoot one nail with the press of a trigger. But, on a roofing job, if I don’t take the time to make sure the shingle that I’m about to nail is lined up properly before I nail it, it doesn’t matter if I am using a hammer and nail or a roofing nailer, the roof will look terrible. And since I do not enjoy tearing things back apart and having to redo something over again, I know that the fastest way to get the job done and have it done right is to take the time to do it right the first time.
This is something to keep in mind when you are working on anything, not just carpentry. If you are looking for the fastest way to get something done, is it faster to have to redo something over and over until you get it right or is it faster in the long run to think it through and do what it takes to make it right the first time?
This is where being a patient person or not, really doesn’t matter, if you answer that question truthfully. If you don’t want to waste your time, why not do it right the first time?
Knowledge is another time saver really. That is one of the key things to being a professional, I have either seen it before or I know how things are going to work out ahead of time because of my experience. But that doesn’t mean that someone without the experience that I have can’t do the job just as well. Mostly, it will just take them longer to produce the same (or similar) result. It’s really all about the persons desire and determination. The knowledge needed to complete a project is always obtainable. It may take some time to study, but wouldn’t having some more knowledge about the task at hand make things go smoother and therefore, save time?
Maybe “patience” is the wrong word to use as far as what it takes to be a good carpenter. Maybe “Doing what is necessary to make it right.” or “Having the awareness to see what the fastest way to your goal is.” would be a better description. But, doing what is necessary or having such awareness tends to look an awful lot like patience when you think about it.