$15,000 Table Ruined...and a Controversial Fix

Thank you for watching! Hope you enjoy...If you want to check out our woodworking plans or the Brass Chunky mechanical pencil...links are below: ▸ www.foureyesfurniture.com/plans ▸ Brass Chunky Mechanical Pencils - qwerktools.com/

As a welder/fabricator I once made a bad mistake that wasted two days of labor and a bunch of metal specially ordered for something to do with the shop, meaning it was not being made to sell. I felt bad about it and my boss said something like "If you never make a mistake you are not making anything worthwhile." This happened on a Friday and I had a date that night. I took her to PF Chang's and enjoyed the company and the food. My fortune cookie that I got with the check was word for word exactly what my boss had said only a few hours before. When I showed my fortune to my boss, he smiled and said, "Yea, I like PF Chang's too."

I just bought a new bit and realised i bought an upcut bit. Figured it wouldn't make a difference. Your mistake might just have saved me a similar mistake. Thank you. And thanks Dolores.

If I had $15k to spend on a table, I'd buy it. I love your honesty, and the craftsmanship you put into recovering this build is astounding. Life is full of mistakes and hardships. This table displays that fact in a most beautiful way.

Chris, I've been a custom woodworker for more years than you've been alive. One thing that I've learned is that mistakes will happen. Usually they happen to a greater degree the more you stress about the project, and if you aren't making mistakes, then you aren't doing anything worthwhile. It truly does suck that the client lost faith and decided to back out of the project on you, but I've learned that the honesty that comes from owning up to the mistakes is worth way more than any amount of money I've lost from the mistakes themselves. "Hangie" could have definitely handled the situation differently, but they chose not to, and that is their right to do so. Your commitment to finish the project and develop deeper character to move forward will make you a better maker in the long run, but also in the short term. There are many who will look at this video and move on, but there are also those who will look at it and choose you for their next project because of that honesty. Those are the ones you want to work for. Not because of the mistakes, but because of their faith in you. I am unsure of what direction I would have taken with the table personally, but it isn't my place to say whether you did a good job or not, anyway. I support you in the choices you made in the moment, and actually believe that the table turned out quite beautiful despite the setbacks. Keep on doing what you're doing, learn from, then move on, from the errors of being human. Push yourself out of your comfort zone in some way on every project and as often as you can. It will keep you on your toes, and force you to grow both as a maker, and as a human being. You're doing fine... and I certainly hope you said, "Thanks, Delores" for all the support and assistance that woman has given you.

The inlays honestly give the feel of extremely large bowties. Making three definitely made it feel intentional, even if it started out as a gaffe.

My father was a traditional wooden boat builder for all of my childhood. He would say the better the woodworker, the better they are at making their mistakes look intentional. I'd say you did well in that respect.

As a weekend woodworker I learned that the hardest thing in this hobby is accepting imperfections and own mistakes. Your videos teach me how to incorporate imperfections into the design part of the build. Thank you (and Dolores) for sharing this experience

I honestly like the final result better than what you were "supposed" to make. Those three stripes add a lot.

Every time I watch a Foureyes video I’m so impressed by the craftsmanship of course, but the storytelling and lessons both in a physical sense and a philosophical sense keep me gripped all the way through! This might be my favorite video I’ve watched on this channel!

"What's more important than people thinking I'm good, is people trusting that I'll always be honest." I watch your videos thinking, he does such great work and makes such interesting videos - but I'll never be that kind of woodworker; we're so different. Then you said this and I realized, we're more alike than I originally thought. Cheers to your integrity, and thanks Dolores!

Probably one of my favorite videos you’ve ever done. Ownership and honesty were on brand and totally respectable. It’s still a way cool table, just a different aesthetic now. Should def still sell it. It’s a sexy table.

I cannot believe Hangie didn't want the table after your fix, it's amazing and if I could afford it right now I'd buy it Thank you for showing your struggles and talking us through your problem solving after. Your proclivity for getting into the weeds of your design and thought process is my favorite part of your channel. Oh, and thanks Dolores.

The sketchup animation makes it a million percent easier to understand your work flow. Must take forever but it really helps. Deloris nailed it… so thanks Deloris

Thanks, Deloris

DUDE! This is a banger of a video. First of all, THANKS DOLORES! Second of all, this is the first video from you that I've watched all the way through, no skipping around. Third, I'm saving this video for when I make a huge mistake to remind myself to keep going and hell, make a couple more mistakes because everything is better with friends! Fourth, this table is really cool. If you think about the tree's perspective, it could be thinking "Dude, my wood is so twisted and gnarly and ugly, I really am a complete failure of a tree." But we see those imperfections and we see beauty because it's the TRUTH. The imperfections from the tree, mixed with the imperfections from your "mistake" makes it TRULY YOUR TABLE. Instead of just framing up and polishing what the tree produced, you ADDED YOUR OWN IMPERFECTIONS.YOUR LIFE. DUDE... YOUR SOUL. That table is fucking sick dude. Awesome table. Awesome video.

The finished table is excellent. I find it more interesting with the popsicle stick inlays than I did when it was 'perfection'. As a maker/designer/artist I have cried at 11 on a 12 unit project more times than I can count. You did the best thing. Some of my most creative and innovative works have sprung from the thinking done when I was trying to salvage the first 11 hours! Often the pay off was not on the project with tears all over it, but in new ways of designing subsequent projects. Also, Thanks Delores, I understood perfectly.

Maybe not with that base, but a brass inlay could have been a cool option too.

I’m not a wood worker, but I’ve been watching your videos for years because of everything in this video. First, there’s the honesty. Then there’s the story telling. Then there’s the occasional quirky stuff like calling in Delores to “hallway test” an explanation (Thanks, Delores!). Anyway… the point is, you’re a genuine person sharing a thing you love doing, and it’s impossible to not support that with a view. Thanks, Chris! I hope someone offers to buy the table—it’s still beautiful.

being honest with your mistakes makes you a better bussiness man. i always introduce my self with my flaws, and that creates trust. props to you for showing us this!