Hey, Walt! That is what I do. I call it working by Gestalt. I start 
with only a vague idea of what I want the finished project to look like 
using a rough sketch as a guide, then work towards that. Along the way 
different things occur to me (the Gestalt) and I often get sidetracked, 
but always manage to get back on track.

I had to work from prints all my life, and i don't want to do that in 
my retirement. I am not getting paid for this, so I can do it my way. 
:>)  And If I fail, I can bury my mistakes, or use them to cook steaks 
with.

On Jun 26, 2007, at 7:44 PM, Walt Cheever wrote:

> Jack reveals his secrets:
>
> Oh great Galoots:
> I realized that I have forgotten my manners and failed to post a bio.
> My name is John (Jack) Butkus and I am the product of three generations
> of carpenters.  (There were a couple of farmers, toolmakers and
> blacksmiths dangling from the family tree too.)  Unfortunately, despite
> having sawdust in my veins, I became an architect rather than being
> wise enough to apprentice under my father first.
>
> ####################################
>
> Hi, and a delayed welcome to the porch from a fellow architect 
> (retired).
>
> Much to my amazement, I found that my architectural thought mode gets 
> in the way of successful woodworking projects.
>
> To make proper drawings, you have to plan the darn thing town to a 
> gnat's kneecap, and explain and dimension the he** out of it.
>
> Much to my amazement, I found that successful projects resulted from 
> making sketches, establishing the major dimensions and going 
> cut-to-fit from there on.  I like this way best.
>
> In retirement, I found its lots more fun to make my own stuff, than to 
> tell others how to do it.
>
> Welcome aboard.
>
> Walt Cheever
>
Jim Thompson, the old millrat in Riverside, CA.

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