PDA

View Full Version : I Can go Thinner!



Robert Vroman
11-19-2012, 2:38 PM
Yeah, you know where this one is going. I was basically done with a small hollow form that was destined to be an ornament. Getting inside a 3/4" hole to determine depth can be tough, and I thought it felt a bit thick.

We all know the unbreakable rule that as soon as we say "I can go thinner", or "just one more cut", it is time to put the tool down. In fact, all such phrases are modern English interpretations of the Latin phrase "Utpay ethay ooltay ownday upidstay!"

This is exactly what was going through one half of my mind, "stop, put it down, you know the rule, so follow the rule". However, the other half was saying "you can get one more cut out of that!". Unfortunately, as evidenced below, I listened to the wrong half, and what I think makes it more bitter is that as I was turning I was literally thinking about the rule. And the kicker is, it was indeed thin enough!

What a waste of a nice burl piece over shear stupidity. :mad:

This leads to the question, which is perhaps more philosophical than skill related, why do we do it? :confused: We know better, yet we do it anyway. Is it to push the envelope? Some intrinsic need to break rules? Do we get lucky enough sometimes that those successes make us try again? Whatever it is, I get to do it all over again.....

steven carter
11-19-2012, 2:52 PM
Been there, done that, have the T-shirt. If we don't press boundries, we don't improve. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it!)

Mark Hubl
11-19-2012, 4:12 PM
Broken a few eggs myself. Always feels like an aha moment.....that is until the next one.

Jon McElwain
11-19-2012, 5:42 PM
I finally got a laser setup that has drastically reduced my "pierced" turning frequency. Of course, the other day the dang-nab batteries wore out and so I decided to finish freehand. Went right through the side of my first attempt at designing a profile in AutoCAD, transferring the profile to a piece of 1/4" plywood, and turning to match. The outside was perfect and I had even 1/8" walls. Until the walls got a little thinner at the widest part of the turning - just a little more... 9" dia hollow form lost to the scrap pile.

Bernie Weishapl
11-19-2012, 7:24 PM
Yep been there done that. Bummer.

Joe Meirhaeghe
11-19-2012, 10:08 PM
Welcome to the Club. :D

Mike Cruz
11-19-2012, 10:18 PM
The good news is that you were only wrong about it not being thin enough in one spot! You were correct that you could take away more on the rest of it...right?:o

Doug Herzberg
11-20-2012, 8:04 AM
Your Latin class must have been different than mine. Strangely, I understood every word. Looks like it would have been a beautiful ornament. Sorry for your loss.

Jerry Marcantel
11-20-2012, 8:56 AM
Robert, been there twice, but my shapes wouldn't allow for my suggestion to you. It is now a perfect opportunity for a design change. Clean up the edge and inside, and make an acorn type lid for it and all you wasted is time. Take the top half, and put a pedastal on it also if it's large enough. ........... Jerry (in Tucson)

Steve Schlumpf
11-20-2012, 10:53 PM
I agree with Jerry - clean up the edges, throw some other wood in there and finish it! Could be a great segmented piece!!

Robert Vroman
11-21-2012, 1:52 AM
Thanks for the ideas all. My plan was to throw it in the scrap bin, but I will set it aside and see what I can do with it.