school of hard knocks

[Sean Hughto]

Alright, so I'm only at this turning thing for coming on a year, Videos, a local woodworking club class and, of course, this place have helped a ton, but I've still made some mistakes and learned some lessons, and continue to. I thought I'd share a couple, and invite everyone to chime in with their own (so maybe I'll avoid yours before I get to it :D).

Here a a couple lessons bought at the expense of a couple blanks that had been cooperative and lovely up until ... operator error ...

1. If you are turning a thin walled bowl, shape the rim while there's still plenty of wood in the lower part of the bowl and then leave it alone! If you try to come back to it once the side are thin, you are very likely to be sorry.

2. If you are sanding on the lathe, don't get impatient and turn the speed to high, as speed generates a lot of heat, and that heat will cause cracks - sometimes cracks that won't break the bowl, but just make the end grain look full of hairline checks.

[David E Keller]

I'll second both of your lessons... It's really, really hard sometimes not to go back to that rim for a quick touch up.

I think I've learned that sometimes I need to stop, study, and reflect rather than just cutting away more wood.

I've also learned to practice finishing cuts in a given piece of wood before it's time for the real finishing cuts.

I've learned that a quick coat of thin shellac makes an oil finish much easier on most of the woods I've turned.

[charlie knighton]

don't oil sapwood if you what it to stay white :eek:

sanding dust will migrate from heartwood to sapwood if sanding with the lathe on, to keep sapwood white, hand sand with different sandpaper of the same grits

[Karl Card]

when applying a ca finish.... turn on a fan to let the fumes flow away from you....

If you have to push on your tools at all to make a cut, they are not sharp enough.. when you push thats when wood starts flying.

[Cathy Schaewe]

Agree on the don't get impatient part. That's probably the hardest thing for me.

I got tired of trying to hollow a vase this afternoon and got too aggressive, and have a ruined piece of wood and a purple and yellow wrist to show for it. Worse yet, it's not the first time.

And I'm sure I was lucky, at that!

[John Keeton]

If your piece all of a sudden develops a very slight "out of balance" feel to it, stop the lathe and check the integrity of the tenon/recess! That is often a symptom of a crack developing, and usually the first sign of a disaster in the making.

And, a woodturner simply can not have too many chucks!

[Chris Hayes]

Can I add a lesson that I've learned in the last year?
Speed kills -- Both in RPM and want to get things done quickly.

After watching one of the Discovery shows where a high speed camera was used, I saw where when something is spun up to a higher RPM the outer edge of the circular object starts to deflect and warp -- I've had numerous pieces die because I thought the opposite would happen (higher speed stabilizing the outer rim). Now I slow the machine down and take my time. That has caused more pieces to live and be able to be given away or used as toys (by my 3yr old) or sold (hopeful thinking).
My wife will be the first to say that I'm as impatient as a 2yr old...so I've had to slow my thinking down out there and take it easy -- if I rush things, things break. (the other aspect of speed kills).

Good post...

[Dick Rowe]

As a new bowl turner I have also learned many lessons the 'hard way' .. some (most) involved leaving the shop to change my underwear :eek:. Part of woodworking for me is learning how to fix the occasional 'oops' if at all possible within my current skill and experience level.

I recently was trying my hand at a simple purpleheart bowl and violated your #1 rule above .. making the bottom too thin before getting the sides/rim finished. I knew it was making a little noise, but I ignored it (BIG new lesson learned) until the tenon ripped off the bottom, stayed in the chuck, and flung the new 'funnel' out of the lathe (there's that change of clothing thing again) which left me with the following ..
153841

I decided to use the opportunity to try a hack fix by cutting a bigger hole in the bottom then turning a new tenon and inside filler from some 1" flat purpleheart stock I had laying around ..
153842

After epoxying everything together, I went back to the lathe to finish my bowl. I didn't like the new inside joint, so I decided to 'fix' that with the coffee/epoxy trick I learned here. It worked fine. Nothing fancy on the finished bowl for most folks here, but for me as a new turner .. I was happy ..
153843

So although turning can be punctuated with 'hard knocks', trying to make the proverbial lemonade from lemons can sometimes be more educational than a formal class.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I have to agree that being impatient and being tired is not a good thing in woodturning. After a time or two of "oh I will just whip this out quick or I will hurry and get this piece finished before I go in" has been my downfall more than once.:mad:

[Barry Elder]

First you need to find a wealth of "free" wood. Then allow said "free" wood to air dry. Then rough out between 50 and 500 bowls. Pack them in chips and allow to finish drying. While doing all this, learn to sharpen tools. Then finish turn 50 to 100 of the now dry rough outs. Now you are beginning to learn! There is an old saw that it takes 10,000 hours to become adept at whatever you do!

[Michael James]

a) do not use black dye to fill pores in mahoghany. It's just butt ugly, and
b) never, ever trust a hound to be done chewing on things no matter how old s/he is (2 bassetts, 1 ea)

[Tom Sherman]

Mike I also have two bassets 1 each and you are right mine are 4 and 7 years old and still have the chewing gean. The younger one still extracts all the stuffing from the toys that momma brings.:o When the older one was a pup she chewed up a cell phone.

[Neil Strong]

And, a woodturner simply can not have too many chucks!

Agreed, 9 already and 2 more on the to-buy list...:rolleyes:

Because, changing jaws is one of my most unfavourite workshop activities, just behind looking for lost jaw screws in the shavings...:D

.....