Thread: Fessing up and quite embarrassed

Last night at the Club I was helping a novice turn a piece to mount a clock on the small Green Peril. I got to her half-way through - she'd already cut a massively wide recess for the small dovetail jaws for a VM100. We had a long chat about spigots v. tenons, size of both etc for safety reasons. I took my 10 degree skew to the piece and showed her how to make the dovetail. No other jaws available.

She then turned the piece around and tried to face off the opposite (good) side. She made a mess of it and we were running out of wood fast. I reckon the small jaws in expansion mode (something I never do) were near at the max ie. not holding except on the points.

I usually refrain from taking over with the chisel, but we were close to way-too-thin, so I suggested that I take a cut to correct.

It had been that long since I'd had ANYTHING come out of the lathe that honestly I can't remember.... I took not a heavy cut but clearly too much.... And out it came...

Pride and nothing else hurt, I re-mounted and took maybe 4 smaller facing cuts and fixed the deep furrows left by my student. (And I suspect this was a piece of blackwood that caused me much grief later on).

Lessons? Plenty.

First, everything I'd warned about over-sized recesses (and recesses generally) confirmed.

Second, if it looks, cuts and smells like Blackwood, it certainly is, even if not.

Third, don't get involved with a student mid-stream, unless safety dictates otherwise (as here).

Four, I knew better and ignored what my better instincts and years of instruction were telling me. Lucky I wasn't hurt.

Five, this was a golden opportunity for the student to turn an insert, re-glue and start again. Folly for those in a hurry.

Six, making a mistake can prove a point well enough but not at the cost of your health and pride.

Seven, say NO when NO is the right answer.

Eight, take the time to get it right and live again another day.

No doubt I missed a few. The farting from my female 66 YO student didn't help either.