[nadcarves]

As you get older, you realize there are certain things that seem to work, or indicate a direction...I find that many people complain about the absolute chaos that exists on my work bench..I worried about it, then I realized a magnificent truth....If you can't make a mess out of something as simple as a work bench, how are you ever going to put character in a carving?? I see these very neat, good carvers..They even have tweezers to pick up the stray chip that fell off the "chip collecting napkin"...Look at their carvings...The figures are on tranqualizers................Zombies,,,now that's a word you haven't heard in a while!! Think about it, am off to write the Patent Office..Am patenting another mistake....didn't think there were any more to be made..But, what do I know??? NAD

[knightflight]

Nad, love your post. Here's a quote to go with the theme:
"To swear off making mistakes is very easy. All you have to do is swear off having ideas. ... Thomas Edison I also read somewhere that for an artist a messy studio is the sign of a busy mind.

[Canopener]

Nads;
My second law is; "The amount of space you have to work in,
is equal to the mess you make".
First law is; "If there is a way not to do something, I'll do it that way first".
Anyway; My vote is for the cluttered bench!
Jim

[carver6]

Boy if a cluttered work bench is the sign of a good carver..........I must be GREAT. Have been thinking about raking everything into a wheel barrow and taking it to the burn pile, but then I'd be back out there digging thru it when I couldn't find something unless I burned the mess right then. (Don't think I could ever strike the match.)
Garon