Sometimes, things work our really well, and my projects fly by. Other times, I make a blanket chest. I started this thing two years ago by gluing up the big pieces… the top (lid) and the bottom. Planed, jointed, glued, and sanded flat. Then they warped. I cut them apart and re-glued them two additional times. When they warped again, I put them into a pile in the basement until last month.
Then this guy I work with (Let’s call him Jeff) practically insisted I go to the Maryland Woodworkers Show, and I finally did. It was awesome! I watched a demo and got sprayed with man glitter (sawdust), and then I was hooked again. I decided to give the blanket chest another shot. Started off great. I re-sanded the big pieces nice and flat and moved on to another piece, which I promptly messed up. I wanted to use biscuits in the mitered joints of the base. I had the blade set too deep, and it poked through the front. I made another one. I moved on.
The sides will be raised panel construction. I set up my ShopSmith in “Shaper” mode (like a drill press), cut a practice piece like you should, and it came out perfect. Then, on the very first cut on the very first of eight raised panels, the motor (which is heavy, and on the fastest speed setting) vibrated itself a bit loose, and the motor dropped, gouging the bit into the panel. Oh well, these things happen. 
On about panel number 5, the bit dragged against the grain and tore a chunk out of the edge (where the guide bushing needs to ride). I patched this with a sliver of walnut, some glue, and high-performance wood filler, just to give a smooth edge for the bit to ride on. That worked. Phew!
“Panel-raising bits” are large, and they remove a lot of material, so I cut a little bit on the first pass, then lowered the bit to cut a little more… then on panel 7 or 8, I cut the panel with the wrong side up and ruined it. (This is a mistake, by the way, and not a mishap). I cut apart all of the problem pieces, glued new pieces on, cut them to size, re-sanded them flat, and cut them again. When one of those panels was going through, a big chunk got ripped off the edge.
That’s when I told my wife that she is not meant to have that blanket chest that I promised her when we got married 34 years ago. But, I did finally make progress (See wood shavings), and I finally did get to the point where I’ve now glued up three sides to go onto the finished base. I’m getting there. If true craftsmanship is the art of recovering from your mishaps, then over the past couple of weeks, I have given myself ample opportunities to improve my craftsmanship. Sadly, I’m not done quite yet. Stay tuned.
Michael Crowl - Author 