What are?

[TYLER WOOD]

BONKERS!!

I have seen several times on posts people turning bonkers. Is this something that flies off the lathe and goes bonk!! Or is it something you turn on purpose?

Please don't laugh, I missed the joke probably!

[Mark Pruitt]

Tyler, Bonkers are what you bonk people with! Seriously, they're simple spindle turnings that newbies create while learning the ins and outs of turning. You've undoubtedly created a few but you called them something else(?).

[TYLER WOOD]

Gotcha! Just turned the first on Tuesday night. While learning at my friends house. I would have never called anything but scraps

I better not let my wife know what you call them, she'll use them just for that for me spending my time in the garage

[Lloyd Frisbee]

Fishermen use them to bonk overactive fish they have caught.

[Tom Jones III]

I made one from scrap walnut to use as a mallet for carving.

I let my nephew make one and he was thrilled, of course my sister was not thrilled about a 5 yr old boy with a bonker.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Tyler....Last year when the idiots here decided I needed to become a turner.....they lathed me.....They very generously gifted me with a Jet VS Mini and tools. One of the first things I turned and termed...was a "bonker". Here in this part of Idaho we have salmon and steelhead runs and often when a keepable fish is caught, the fisherman will hit it with a Bonker that looks similar to a carving mallet. Lots of ocean fishermen use a similar device. The ONLY and official Idaho Salmon Bonker s/n #1 resides with Andy Hoyt...the insane individual who started my lathing campaign. We then had a bonker contest ....where turners here turned bonkers and entered them into the contest. If you do a search using Bonker as the key word I'm sure you'll find the bonker contest thread and see some really intriguing entries.

[George Tokarev]

Fishermen use them to bonk overactive fish they have caught.

Hereabouts referred to as "Priests," used to administer last rites to hissing, snapping pike.

[Jim Becker]

Fishermen use them to bonk overactive fish they have caught.

LOL! That's a great description of said fish! (Not that I like the idea of bonking anything to death...)

[Doug Collins]

I know if I had a big Pike flailing around in the bottom of the boat I'd sure bonk it. Those gill plates will slice you open.....

[Robert McGowen]

I hope this helps..........

One is two lbs. of solid red oak BONKER.........

The other is 40 lbs. of solid red fish BONKEE..........

[TYLER WOOD]

Is That Red Drum?????

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Just so Hoyt doesnt' get too riled.....round...turn....lathe.....gouge.....I thought I'd better put in a couple of turning terms.....

[Robert McGowen]

I just hope he doesn't notice what the bonker is sitting on! (stealth flatwork picture)

[Andy Hoyt]

I saw it Rob.

Go to your room.

[Lisa Gilbert]

Tyler, thank you so much for asking what I've been afraid to ask! My very first creation on my new lathe was a pastry rolling pin (pretty simple, but I've been wanting one) -- my boys and I had actually discussed putting it to use as a "bonker" in our home school classroom when they are getting lazy about their Algebra.... They seem to think it would be very effective.