Of course, like all woodworkers, I could show you every place where I made a mistake, where the final project is not perfect - but I won't.
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My Five-year Desk Project
BUT THERE ARE NO WORDS
Got one of those Weber grills. Very excited to immediately use but of course I need the instructions. But the instructions have no words–just a bunch of pictures with numbers and arrows. I cannot translate those arrows and numbers into actual assembly. But, fortunately, I am the parent of two young women one of whom is home. In less than 15 minutes, it is assembled and will be used at once. I am a Luddite.
Assembly Isn’t the Problem
The problem is not the assembly. It’s the document purporting to be assembly instructions that makes the process maddening. Originally written in an obscure language, it’s been clumsily translated into English, rendering it completely opaque. The consumer vents her frustration by throwing the directions away and pursuing an intuitive approach, based on a no-doubt misleading photo (if any) on the outside of the box.
Business has largely given up on attempting a verbal description of what to do, substituting pictures, drawings, or cartoons to guide the hapless consumer. Alas, this does not help the process. The artwork becomes an IQ test, viz. “What does this picture depict”? “Is this the view from left, right, or inside the product?” Or perhaps, “Is there any significance to the intersecting arrows on the page?” And “Why is one arrow red and the other blue”?
You get the idea.
Finally, my favorite end to the saga: Why do I have this leftover part which is neither described nor shown with the instructions — and for which I have no clue as to why it was in the box in the first place?
If I Were A Carpenter
It was quite a job putting the bed frame together, although I don't remember whether it required any trips to the hardware store.
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