Pro Woodworking Tips.com-Professional or Amatuer woodworker page three

Professional or Amateur woodworker page three

What's the difference?

All of us involved in this woodworking craft, whether a professional or "weekend warrior", are fully capable of producing works of art. Formal training is not a requirement, just a convenience. There are so many sources of information available to today that anything you' de like to try, all the information you could possibly want or need is as close as Google. It won't teach you what my friend, Bob Caughie, The extreme master plasterer, would refer to as "good hands", but it will teach you everything else. The good hands part comes from practice, and the unwillingness to settle for less than right, will result in professional work.

Through a sale of an ezee-feed unit at a trade show, and now a member of the woodworking forum here, I met an attorney who took up woodworking as a way to escape the stress of his everyday profession. We have developed a friendship via the internet, to where now, he is one of my closest friends. He would refer to his woodworking projects, as that of a "wannabe". Or just not up to par with his woodworking hobby, YET. He finally sent me a few pictures of his work, and again mentioned it's not the work of a pro, but he is just learning.

Guess what, I was blown away by his work. It looked every bit as "professional" as most of the cabinet work out there. And he could easily go pro if he wanted too. The "secret" to it is, what are you willing to settle for. If perfection is what your striving for, you'll only ever get close, but damn close. (and all the little boo boo's you know about, generally go unnoticed by others).

In summary, if you want professional results from you woodworking hobby, study the project, plan ahead, and give it your best.
The title of professional dosen't mean the work will be. The care put into it is what makes it so.