A thoroughly rotten day

Bill Grumbine

Member
Messages
252
Location
Kutztown PA
It started out well. I had a hollow form of very heavily spalted piece of maple burl on the lathe. It was so punky I had to soak it with Minwax Wood Hardener. It had a huge bark inclusion that ran almost from the top to the bottom. I got it off the lathe and finished and it looks good. But things went to the bad place in a handbasket very quickly.

My next piece was some chestnut I had salvaged from the burn pile, old barn boards. I had it on the lathe long enough to determine that it was too splintery and stained all the way through. Back to the burn pile.

Next up was a roughed out piece of highly figured hard maple. After a short time I determined that it was going to be larger on the inside than the out in two places because of the warping. Another candidate for the burn pile.

So I tromped over to the barn an hauled out a piece of black locust that had the promise of burl in it. It was huge and wet, and weighed close to 70 lbs. I walked it back to the shop (about 200 ft.) and put it on the bandsaw. It turned out to be a huge cat's eye. Firewood pile, but not until next year it is so wet.

Back to the barn, this time with the truck. I am getting tired. Two bona fide burls go into the back, one cherry and one white oak. both are big as they go. I got the cherry on the lathe, and got a nice winged shape going. But the gremlins struck again. The faceplate got stuck on the lathe so hard that it took every ounce of my strength pounding on the tommy bar with a hammer to get the stinking thing off. The lathe and the faceplate survived (I was worried about the spindle for a while) but the bowl cracked. Firewood pile - again.

The white oak burl is still in the truck and it is staying there. No more turning for me today.

Bill
 
bummer dude! i`ve been dealing with smart boards all day too, at least smart enough to outwit me. here`s an example of a radius gone awry.....
MVC-043S.JPG
 
"Back to the burn pile."
"Another candidate for the burn pile."
"Firewood pile - again."
"Firewood pile, but not until next year it is so wet."

Look at it this way Bill...you'll be warm...even next year.:D
 
Bill, I think you are seeing this from the wrong perspective. I see that you were blessed with a day of turning and learning experiences. If it were possible I would have traded your day with mine. Me, at sat in meetings getting my bhind chewed for not controlling my suppliers enough (unfairly so) and then trying to get my own guys to get things done. It may be partly "greener grass" syndrome, but I would have enjoyed a couple of failures at the lathe today.

Oh, and the vision of you tromping to the barn is a little scarry but knowing you the immage was funny. :)
 
I'm with Jim on this one! I spent 8-9 hours defending a job I did. Reviewer ripped it to shreds. I only spent 8-9 hours doing the stinking job and now I have to spend all this time defending what I did. That means no no income today at all. So even though I have no desire to do woodworking for a living, I would have swapped today.:)
 
Ya know, some days are just better spent in front of the TV watching turning videos.

I can recommend a couple by a guy you might be familiar with;) .

George
 
Sorry about your misfortune Bill, but it does make for a funny story....sometimes you just gotta laugh at it all and hope for a better day tomorrow.
 
This is very interesting. Almost everyone I talked to today was having a terrible day. Heck, I started getting my hinee chewed before I set both feet in the parking lot today and it never did get better. Thought many times that I'd rather be at home in the shop. Oh well, Friday is yet another day closer. :D :D
 
Well Bill, look at it this way, my orbiting that almost finished bowl I was working on, don't seem so bad now :)

I guess your tails of misfortune have brightened my day........... somewhat! :p

A question, how did the faceplate get stuck on the lathe?

Just from the mass turning, tightened it too much?

Can this be avoided somehow (thinking plastic washer or something like that??) I'd really rather avoid something similar in my Dungeon.

Hope this day is better than the last.

Cheers!
 
Howdy everyone. I was hoping today might be better, but I am still fiddling around with the internet stuff I do every day since that has been going on and off... Maybe I should just go up to the shop.

Stu, I am not sure how the faceplate got so stuck. I have turned lots bigger pieces and very aggressively, and I cannot recall the last time I ever had a faceplate stick like this one did. I tried one of those nylon washer thingies once, and it introduced just enough wobble to drive me nuts, so it sits in a drawer somewhere, if I even still have it. It was just "one of those days". It was on the worse end of the scale I guess. I am off to the shop shortly here to see if things improve.

Bill
 
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