I finally figured out why my clinches were always a little off
For years I thought my hammer swing was the issue, but a client's horse in Boulder kept throwing shoes after I worked on it. The owner's kid pointed out I was holding the nail at the wrong angle before I started, which I never even thought to check. What's the most basic thing you ever missed that made a big difference?
Read a story about a baker who couldn't figure out why his bread crusts were always too hard. Turns out he was putting the water in his dough at the wrong temperature for years. Just a few degrees off. He was so focused on the kneading and the oven time, he missed the first step. Totally changed his whole process.