In the design phase, we can waste endless time searching for the perfect plan, but it’s the sketch on paper that marks the true beginning of the project.
I’m in the process of building a miter station in the garage. I’ve scoured the Internet to find designs and build plans, and typically I’m a fan of buying plans because it saves a lot of time. But in this case, there are some funky considerations in my garage– a protruding foundation on the floor and electrical conduit spanning the back wall. These make it it difficult to fit pre-built pans.
So it’s time to build it myself.
Stuck in Research
My usual approach is to start the “research” online because I’m sure there are some great designs out there. This usually entails Google Image searches, YouTube searches, sifting through blogs, Pinterest, and all the rest. There could always be a better design out there. An infinite amount of time could be spend looking for the perfect design.
But, of course, looking at designs is not the same as actually doing the work. Rather it’s the building of the project itself where the learning of the craft happens. That’s when they are no longer ideas; that’s when the art bursts into the world. Not in the idea world, but in the real world.
Just Start With A Little Hand Drawn Sketch
For me, I’m in my head too much– thinking way too much about the design. I start imaging how big it will be, what wood I have on hand to use, and the potential structure. In this case, I have some left over Dug Fir 2×4’s and 3/4 finished plywood. Oh, but I’ll probably need more wood, so if I’m going to the lumber yard, maybe I’ll just pick up some more 3/4″ plywood and make the carcass out of that. Now I have two completely different build designs in my head! Oh, but what about joinery? Pocket holes or a dado stack for half-lap joints? And so forth. This kind of ruminating is exhausting.
To overcome the mental overload in the design phase, I’m learning to just start with the physical act of drawing on paper. A rough sketch of what the thing might look like is the key. That is when the project comes alive. That is actually starting the project.
So there is an important time sequence between “researching” all the possible designs and actually getting out the tools to build. The goal should be to reduce this duration of time between “research” and actually starting the project. And the first step to actually starting is with a sketch. Once you have the sketch, it’s hard not to grab the tools and start building.