The Unofficial "Don't Do This" Thread

[John Shuk]

Don't touch the tip of a bowl gouge to the wood before supporting it on the the tool rest. Especially if it a friend's Bowl Gouge with a handle turned for him by Michael Hosaluk. Go ahead and ask how I learned this!

[Stephen Hibbs]

If you were to sneeze and so hurt your finger, and if you were to use duct tape to seal a cut, don't touch your turning with that finger as the tape likes to make little blood resovoirs at the tip. Especially if you touch it while varnishing.

[Jeffrey Fusaro]

after final polishing @ 3975rpm, don't try to stop the lathe by grabbing the chuck.

WHOA! THAT'S HOT!....

[John Hart]

Go ahead and ask how I learned this!

Please John...tell us...How did you learn this?

[Earl Reid]

To avoid a trip to ER make sure outbd tool rest is bolted down, Also when using Ca don't glue fingers on both hands to layout table, you will loose skin and it hurts

Earl

[John Shuk]

Let's just say that the next time I went to his house to turn he had made me a 3 foot handle out of a 2x4 with a little rounded edge to it. Even has my name on it.

[John Miliunas]

Let's just say that the next time I went to his house to turn he had made me a 3 foot handle out of a 2x4 with a little rounded edge to it. Even has my name on it.

He let you back into his house and even turn on his lathe????? Man, mighty good friend, me thinks!

[John Shuk]

He let you back into his house and even turn on his lathe????? Man, mighty good friend, me thinks!

He is a very generous guy. With his time, his knowledge, and access to his shop. He lets about 5 or 6 turners come over about weekly and collaborate and turn. We all chip in for supplies but it is still very nice. It is also a nice chance to use a VB36 on a regular basis!

Something I heard when I started turning and something I have found to be true is that Woodturners tend to be very sharing people.

[John Miliunas]

Something I heard when I started turning and something I have found to be true is that Woodturners tend to be very sharing people.

Amen to that, my friend! AMEN! Found that out a long time ago and, as time has progressed, I have further found that it's the clowns with the spinny things who really excel on that note!

[Bruce Boone]

It's OK to glue a fingernail with CA if it gets split from hitting a chuck. It's NOT OK use accelerant on said CA when gluing a fingernail.

[Jim Dunn]

It's not Ok to suggest Tofu to Andy. Unless it's moxie coated.

[Jim Underwood]

Don't borrow a friends tool if you even think you might mess it up. (You will.)

Don't let the shavings pile up enough to block the cooling fan on a borrowed lathe that's plugged into an 50' extension cord on a circuit that runs 250 from the house, and then keep lugging it down after you hammered the blank onto the drive center...

Yeah, it cost me a few bucks. But the owner got a new capacitor and new motor bearings out of the deal. And this is why I think the Jet Mini is such a good machine. It stood up to my abuse and kept on ticking...

In fact, I'm not even sure it was my abuse that blew the capacitor. It was one of the old original blue Minis with a few thousand mile on it. But I was happy to replace the capacitor and bearings just the same. And even more happy that the motor wasn't bad!

Yup. I learned a lot that night.

[Bill Wyko]

Watch your pinki finger when you're sanding the inside of a vessel your whole hand won't fit in.

[Lisa Gilbert]

Okay, I thought I was too new at turning to have a "don't do this" but got one yesterday: No matter how cold it is in the garage, never let teenage boys glue up pen blanks at your kitchen island! (Silly me for thinking they'd put down newspaper first...)

Said boys' response to "Tell me that's not CA glue on my granite," was "Uh, oops?"

Thank goodness for the neighbor who had nail polish remover and saved the boys from an untimely death and their mom from life in the slammer.

[John Hart]

....Thank goodness for the neighbor who had nail polish remover and saved the boys from an untimely death and their mom from life in the slammer.

Ya know...I bet there'd be a lathe in the slammer. Not all would be lost.