Lessons From Woodwork

In woodturning, we begin to shape a piece of wood with a gauge, jokingly but accurately referred to as 1-grit. This converts the awkward shape of the piece into 99% of the final form.

Then we use rough sandpaper…maybe 100-grit.

When only cuts of the 100-grit are left, we go to a higher grit, maybe 150.

When only cuts of the 150-grit are left, we go to 200…then 400…then 600.

The process continues until it’s smooth.

If we skip steps, there will be scratches that remain from earlier grits. It takes a seemingly infinite amount of sanding with 400-grit to remove a 100-grit scratch. The process goes much faster if we work through the grits in smaller steps and for long enough to remove the scratches of the previous grit. If we discover a deeper scratch late in the process, we have to go all the way back to that grit and restart from there.

By doing the job right, fully and completely, at every step and by progressing in small increments, we get it right.

What are the 1-grit approaches to your training (sleep, think, eat, move) that you’re skipping? What 400-grit approaches are you using with the expectation to overcome 100-grit scratches?