Project Design is the Obstacle for Me

[jking]

Does anyone else struggle with project design being the obstacle for starting & completing projects? I have a few various projects that have been on my list for quite a while, but, I haven't been able to get started on them. When I have a project that is not going to be from an existing plan, I always try to sketch some plans (or lay it out in cad). My problem is when I can't figure out how to handle a detail, or, I'm not sure how I want part of it to look, it can bring the whole thing to a screeching halt. I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist, and usually have and idea or feature that I want to incorporate, but, just can't quite figure out how to make it work.

Does anyone else have problems with this?

[Neal]

I'm the opposite. I usually can conceptualize the end project, but have a difficult time figuring out how I'm going to get it done. I can see the end result in my mind, and then I overload my brain trying to figure out how I'm going to get it done with the tools and skills I have.

[leehljp]

Well - yes and no.

For me, I look forward into the details, back up, figure it out and then move ahead. In the last 15 years, have made a large "2 router" router table, twin book cases, and a hutch for LOML; I spent a year or two getting plans in my mind with the overall dimensions of each. Then move to each joint, figure on it and how it affects the other dimensions and cuts.

IN the mean time, I am collecting the wood that is needed. When I was in Japan, I found a couple of boards, but needed 4 for the hutch. It took me a year to find 4 boards for the main carcass.

Hang-ups on details don't bother me so much, mainly because I my focus is towards the end results being as perfect as I can get it, and I am determined that I am going to get it right before I go forward. I enjoy that moment when I figure out the solution to the hangup in a detail. The solving of that problem gives me almost as much enjoyment as the finished product. BUT it might take me 3 to 6 months to get over a detail. Sometimes, when I figure out a detail, I have to back up and change something else to accomodate the detail changes.

I enjoy the challenges of the details personally.

[atgcpaul]

My problem is when I can't figure out how to handle a detail, or, I'm not sure how I want part of it to look, it can bring the whole thing to a screeching halt. I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist, and usually have and idea or feature that I want to incorporate, but, just can't quite figure out how to make it work.

Does anyone else have problems with this?

Big time! I have a huge perfectionist streak with my woodworking.

This is probably the number one reason some of my projects can drag on for months/years. Nearly all of my projects employ some new technical detail I've never used before or I haven't completely finalized what the final product should look like or I know it's going to be tedious. I jump in and get stuck at that spot.

In most cases, it's just about having the courage to just do it. It's not that I'm resigning myself to accept that a mistake could occur, but you just need to find the path forward, realize this isn't being presented to a museum, and just do it.

By the time you start doing it or finish doing, it becomes "Now, why didn't I do this earlier?"

[cwsmith]

My problem is two-fold.... I spend too much time thinking about it and working out the details in my head (before I actually do any sketching) before I commit to actually doing it.

Second is that once I commit, I have to totally immerse myself in it or else any distraction will take me away to a point where I won't finish it. This latter part is a real problem for me, as there is rarely time that I can totally dedicate to such things. So while there are things that I'd like to do, finding the time is always a problem.

But the design and layout, once I'm done with "imagining" what I want, usually follows with a quick sketch on paper and then details in either Corel Draw or Sketchup. While Corel works best for me in the actual dimensional details, I've found Sketchup to be terrific tool for gaining the actual "looks" and "working" details. With the latter you can rotate the project in any way and zoom in and out, even on interior components like drawers (like sliding the drawer in and out to ensure noting interferes with it).

Many of us often approach a project based on an existing piece that we've seen or perhaps a photograph, etc. For me, getting a digital image of that is a good starter; and, my flatbed scanner helps tremendously with that. From there, I can often trace over that and come up with rough dimensions and then work out the details in the two programs that I previously mentioned.