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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Oberon, NSW
    Age
    63
    Posts
    13,354

    Unhappy One of those days...

    Well... it's been one of those days.

    A mate had started on a couple of end-grain breadboards, laminated up from 2" lengths of 1"x2" stock, and asked me to thickness them. OK... but as both top'n'bottom were wonky I thought that instead of packing them on a sled to run through a thicknesser I'd make my version of Scooters' router sled and flatten one side before running 'em though the thicknesser. A sheet of MDF, a couple of chassis rails, make up the sled... what? Lunch already? Back from lunch, clamp in the pieces and spent about an hour flattening both breadboards. Hmmm... a little bit of tearout, only to be expected when routing end-grain. Nothing that can't be fixed with some judicious sanding. Ahhh... but will the thicknesser be any better? Not to worry, if it's too bad I can flatten the other side on the router sled as well.

    (That's as good as the day got. From there on, it's all downhill.)

    Go to run 'em through the thicknesser and spot that they're exactly 5mm too wide for the blades. :mad: Hang on... if I turn them 90° and run 'em through so the glue-lines are parallel to the blade, they'll just fit! So this silly bugger fires 'er up and does just that. Set the height to start, power it up, feed the first piece into the roller and am just pulling my hand back from the wood when... BANG! CLUNK! and the breadboard (which can be measured in Kg) comes flying back out the feed, hitting me square across the palm, forcefully knocking my arm out of the way before bouncing around off the walls and floor. (Thank God I was standing to one side at the time!)

    Worse, the thicknesser is making a god-awful CLACKETY-CLACKETY-CLACKETY-CLUNK-CLACKETY type noise. Killed it pronto and, while it's winding down with thankfully increasingly quieter CLICKETY-CLUNKS, pick up the breadboard... which had broken across one glue up line and was now sporting some truly 'orrible dings. The thicknesser stops, so I look up inside and there's the rest of the breadboard, in pieces of assorted shapes'n'sizes. Along with a couple of the knives hanging at awkward angles. I've a nasty feeling one may not be in one piece, either... but I couldn't bring myself to have a closer look just yet. Some things are better left for another day.

    So, 'twas pushed to the side of the shop for "future attention" while I set up the router sled again and finished the other board, then tried salvaging the first. That's when I noticed that somewhere along the line the router had skewed from horizontal and was making triangular trenches. Re-align that, finish flattening off and out comes the belt-sander to remedy the latest of todays' blunders. 40 grit seemed about right... and with a bit of elbow grease did a beautiful job. Something finally going right! Worked through the grits down to 120 before switching to the ROS and... sparks throwing out the side of the belt. [sigh] Adjust the tracking and... nup, still sparks. A bit more adjustment, try again, a bit more and... the tracking knob comes off in my hand. Spent another half an hour trying to thread it back on, with absolutely no success, so that went to sit next to the thicknesser too. I picked up the belt from where I'rd removed it while trying to replace the knob and promptly noticed that the glue line was askew... there was no way I'd have ever got it tracking! Why didn't I notice it when it mattered?

    I shelved the idea of doing a final sand with the ROS, I just can't afford to lose that today too!

    During all of this, the palm of my hand had been tingling like the blazes from where the wood hit me. Not painful, more like just the palm of my hand had gone to sleep. It's 3 hours later and all I have to show for the whole days work are two buggered bread-boards, a thicknesser and belt-sander in dire need of repairs, a router sled that needs work to hold things more securely and a palm that's only just beginning to sting like the buggeries... which is a welcome change to hours of numbness.

    Something tells me I'm also going to have a doctor's bill tomorrow.

    What a day! [shakes head]
    I may be weird, but I'm saving up to become eccentric.

    - Andy Mc

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 1999
    Location
    Westleigh, Sydney
    Age
    77
    Posts
    9,542

    Default

    Some days are diamonds.....and some days are merde.
    Visit my website
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  4. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    East Bentleigh, Melbourne, Vic
    Age
    68
    Posts
    4,494

    Default

    Une Grande Merde, ne c'est pas?

    We all have them Skew, but I also wish it were otherwise...

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    East Warburton, Vic
    Age
    54
    Posts
    14,138

    Default

    Sounds like you've had a fun day there Skew, hope your hand is feeling better tomorrow
    Cheers

    DJ


    ADMIN

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Golden Beach, Sunshine Coast
    Age
    75
    Posts
    172

    Default

    Some people have all the fun! All I've managed is to set up for a garage sale tomorrow which included nailing an old door to the house stumps to form a backboard to stop stuff falling over the back of the tables.
    Dave . . .
    I believe in Murphy's Law of Pre-requisites - Whatever I want to do, I have to do something else first.

  7. #6
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Pakenham, outer Melb SE suburb, Vic
    Age
    54
    Posts
    4,158

    Default

    Wot a pr!ck, hope it's all uphill from here, mate.


    Cheers...............Sean


    The beatings will continue until morale improves.

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Toowoomba Q 4350
    Posts
    9,217

    Default

    not good Skew, hope it doesn't keep you awake all night

    cheers
    Wendy
    Last edited by RufflyRustic; 3rd November 2006 at 07:41 PM. Reason: wrong thread

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    In the shed, Melbourne
    Age
    52
    Posts
    6,883

    Default Buuger

    G'day Skew,

    Bugger!

    Makes my day yesterday pale into comparsion when I stuffed up cutting the door for the office, round 2 so far today has gone much better.

    Walk away, curse under your breath and tell all who come within close proximity that it's dangerous to do so, have a few beers and come back tomorrow.

    Tomorrow you'll curse and swear at yourself a bit more and anything that moves, then take up the zen position and start over.

    And the fairies will come and fix the thicknesser and belt sander.

    My thicknesser is at your disposal if you need it.
    I make things, I just take a long time.

    www.brandhouse.net.au

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Sydney, NSW, Australia
    Posts
    5,014

    Default

    You poor bugger. You have my sympathy.

    Some days we're just not meant to do woodwork I'm sure.

    Hope your hand is feeeling better.

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Melbourne
    Age
    65
    Posts
    11,997

    Default

    Hope the day gets better for ya.

  12. #11
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Oberon, NSW
    Age
    63
    Posts
    13,354

    Default

    Thanks for being understanding, people. She in charge just rolled her eyes and started muttering under her breath when I stormed into the house.

    No permanent damage done to the hand, I think... although it had me worried for a while. A bit stiff and swollen, but that's not surprising, at least the feeling is back. [Phew!] I'm not looking forward to cleaning up the mess in the shed tomorrow though.

    A nice, quiet day spent fishing is sounding good around about now.
    I may be weird, but I'm saving up to become eccentric.

    - Andy Mc

  13. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Kotara
    Age
    76
    Posts
    196

    Default

    Skew things like that normally happen on a Friday just to ruin a good weekend.

    Hope things have dawned better for you this morning.
    John H
    Why do I never seem to cut "too long"?

  14. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Melbourne
    Age
    59
    Posts
    326

    Default

    Bugger! :eek:

    I'm with Waldo.

    Get a neighbouring kids tooth into a glass( better obtained when all are asleep ) and into the shed. Oh....and get some extra's for me please. To replace my missing ones
    We can only laugh about it .....later.....we hope.
    Seriously.....Hoping the hand and spirit are recovering well.
    What a #### of a day.

    Cheers... Toe Knee

  15. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    South Australia
    Age
    77
    Posts
    279

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Auld Bassoon View Post
    Une Grande Merde, ne c'est pas?

    We all have them Skew, but I also wish it were otherwise...
    In fact.....C'était le roi de jours de merde, ne c'est pas?

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