Anatomy Of A Building Mistake

[Geico266]

I've been trying to "pin down" what happens and how I make mistakes building my RV so I can minimize them and make fewer ones.

Am I getting too excited not to READ the instructions? Lack of concentration? Lack of comprehension? Attention to detail? Looking ahead too far and not paying attention to the task at hand? Working too many hours at once? Quality control of tasks completed?

What have you guys noticed as your "cause" of past errors (Only if you have made a mistake ) and how have you adjusted your building techniques?

[airguy]

Most of mine have come about as a result of looking briefly at the drawings and reading the next step, and then "Oh, OK, that's simple enough..." and plow forward while missing some small detail.

[N395V]

Without a doubt most of my mistakes have followed not thoroughly studying the drawings and instructions for the task at hand.

Followed by making a small modification that, at the time seems like a really brilliant idea only to find out 12 steps later it is causing a problem.

[RVG8tor]

My troubles have been not reading the plans and noting small issues. While working on the elevators counter weights I say I had to cut a notch in a counter weight, there is a nice picture on the DWG, what I missed was the not that said only trim right weight. I did one and thought heck I have all the tools out I will just get the left one out of the way now, oooops. It would have helped if the title of the DWG was "right elevator weight" but there is a note that I missed that tells you only to do the right counter weight.

What has helped me a bunch is reading as many other builder sites as I can, in hopes of learning from others. Waiting to get the correct tool has helped. Every time I have tried to just do with what I have I have buggered something up and ended up getting the proper tool. It is hard to fight the urge to keep moving, instead of waiting for something.

[Loman]

I find I make a lot less mistakes when I turn off the shop radio. This is especially true of talk radio.

Since I noticed this, I only have it on when I am doing something repetitive.

[wvshooter]

I think it's all about the drawings. I'm plans building a Mustang II and even though I'm fabricating over 90% of the parts from raw stock I'm sure I'm spending 50% of total build time studying the drawings. Once you understand how parts work together your mistakes should be minimized.

[G-force]

I made the counterweight mistake as well What helped me catch myself from a couple of mistakes is to read ahead in the plans, far enough to the part where you are doing the next step with the parts you are currently working on. Instead of blindly following the instruction, find out and understand why it needs to be done and what other parts it affects or meshes with.

[aeronut67]

What a great thread! I've always been interested in what makes people think the way they do, how they draw different conclusions then me from the same text or task. I have a problem with following directions. I'll start reading and somewhere I'll switch to my " I get it " mode before I finish. Building the tail section was my test. Could I do it without making critical mistakes or deviating from the directions? The key for me was recognizing my habits ( good and bad ) and being more open to help and constructive criticism. Believing we can al learn something from everyone and a positive attitude. This site has been a great source of inspiration and a wealth of information.

[Geico266]

I think I'm seein g a pattern here! Inattention to the details of the prints, distractions (radio or TV), and the "I've got it" moment a tad too soon.

Slow down, turn off the radio, and read the instructions twice. Maybe?

[airguy]

Originally Posted by Geico266

Slow down, turn off the radio, and read the instructions twice. Maybe?

And absolutely no drinking while building!