Practice makes ...

I spent a long time on the phone this morning with the father of a friend arraigning for some private woodworking instruction. It was a pleasant conversion, most of that nature are. He just picked up a used lathe, some turning tools and some passion for turning. We talked for about a half hour, mostly about sharpening and then about turning. He told me that he was practicing on some firewood. I love turning air dried wood. But then a bit of panic struck for me.

I studied classical guitar for several years in my youth. I've taught guitar, martial arts, computers, math, all kinds of stuff. I panicked when remembered some advice I got from a flamenco guitarist I studied with in my late teens.

He said, "Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes you better."

Later I heard it better as, "Practice makes permanent."

I gave him some turning exercises on the phone and we are getting together next week. Turning is a lot like playing guitar, you can produce some interesting stuff before having any idea of what you are doing. Both also share the possibility of hurting yourself by using poor technique.


Thanks for reading. Next post should be some pictures of recent projects.

Happy New Year!

W. C. "Bill" Sias, Joiner and Cabinetmaker.