Fear... its good right?

[Wild Dingo]

So Ive been muckin about of an on over the last few months with the new lathe... just blundering along learnin by doin and reading the wee book of chingaleeze that came with it and a book on turnin I bought... Ive made several peices using the between centres method... good feelin I can tell you specially when that chunk of Tuart turned out so nice

So anyway I went out there yesty and with trusty chainsaw in hand cut a few chunks of the logs in the humpyhoochy... a few Marri a couple of Karri a few of Banksia and a couple of Plum biggest were the Marri and Karri that ranged in size from 10in across to 17in across... but I thought Id go with the Banksia to start with

So I took the face plate thing and with a couple of screws attached it to the blank... I wonder now was I meant to take the bark of before I started?... Anyway I set it to the lathe set the stand to face it... was it meant to be on an angle to the face of the wood or straight on?... anyways I fronted up daring as ever... standing as far away as is possible and still reaching the flip switch to turn it on then turn the wee knob to set the speed to going... whaaahoooooooo it stays on!!! No flashing belting rending of wood on bone (mine) no banging crashing of wood on shed walls and roof...

"ahso" I think to myself "the screw idea worked" and grabbing a deep deep breath of curage I reach into the box and grasp the gouge... and hefting it I say a small prayer to the gods of pain "please leave me whole please return me in one peice and let only the timber be changed" and with that done I lay the chisel on the stand and slowly move it forward... oh I will add here that I was wearing my "woodenboat" apron and my face shield which also means I was wearing my bifocals thankfully... and touched the steel to the wood

"aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhshyte!!" I hurriedly took two steps back and three to the side and glared at the chisel... mmmm still in my hand thats cool... glare at the piece of wood still whirrin like some sort of demented headless chook so I tentatively step back and face up again double dose of deep breath and set gouge to stand again slowly Shane slowly "chunk chip chunk chunk" "aaaaaaaahhhhhhh that cant be (*^*&%(%*^&%$(*& right!"

So I reach over and turn the power down then flip the switch off and watch the peice slowly come to a stop

Whew... gawd that was aweinspiring stuff!!!... fear the great sphicturepuckerupper of men

So after it had stopped completely I put the gouge back in its slot and tentatively wandered over and looked at the peice... innocent looking buggar it was... Id done well mates... so well Id taken ooooh all of 3/8ths of bark of it!!!

Man its different to between centres turning!!

So someone tell me was that normal for faceplate turning? Was I on the right track or way off base? Was I meant to somehow use the supanova thingy I bought but have never used... since I cant friggin work it out yep it seems to be one of those things that create within me a radical brain phart and so a duuhhh hour or so happens until I shove it back in its drawer and ignore it... Im seriously and I do mean seriously contemplating going to the local lathe woodturners group an gettin some friggin lessons on this weapon... eeer tool

I will reset it up again if needed and take some pics if required but I will need to remove the 30in peice of 4x4 Tuart that Im arguin with presently (was going to be a tables centre leg but its starting to seriously begin to look like firewood in desguise

Cheers

[ss_11000]

lessons sounds good

[Cliff Rogers]

Hey Shane, pack up all the good bits that ya don't want to bugrup & send em over to me, I'll bugrup for ya & ya won't loose any skin or sleep.

[black1]

dont know much about turning but some one left tis as a reply to my first post . have a look at the clubs link as ther is one in bunbury . "Have a look at the WA Woodturners Association web-site: http://www.wawa.com.au "

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

You done good. Fear is healthy when yer got lumps of wood whizzing around at high speed; it keeps yer fingers in one piece and yer head on yer shoulders. And yes, that's normal for faceplate turning... and with a chuck to some degree. It helps a LOT of you can not only balance the wood but cut it round on a bandsaw or something before turning it.

I hate to "jump on the band-wagon" but lessons, or inviting a mate who knows how to use a lathe over for a beer or six, would be pretty damned good idea.

[sab]

I learned remove the tool rest when sanding. Especially on small pieces, it is tempting to leave it in place but it is too easy to get caught between the rest and the revolving work piece.

is the a correct thing to do?

also, it seems to be easier to cut with the grain of the wood than aginst the grain of the wood,

i had a piece of stock fly off of the lathe and smash on the wall.
it tore off of three 2 inch screws and embedded itself in the track of the garage door,

i think it was because i was cutting the grain in the wrong direction,
i had the spindle in the center ring of the log.
or my tools were not sharp
or a combination of all of the above.


how do you tell which way to mount your stock?
are my surmises close or am i way off base?

[Hickory]

Man has not lived until he has danced a spinning bowl across the floor a time or two. Just Sunday evening, I was working on a large Cherry Salad Bowl when I grabbed a "Catch" (I hate it when I do that) and broke loose the connection between the sacrifice piece and the bowl at the faceplate (I use a paper glue joint where I glue the paper to the screw piece and glue the work piece to the papered piece. It usually works fine but this time it failed. ) Back at the story.... The bowl was 1/2 done and close to the bottom when I reached too far before changing the tool rest (My own faught) Clank, Bang, spin, Turn and a dose-E-doe and the big ole chunk was lots of chunks as I stood there, hands to the side, head bowed (can't recall exactly what I said but it must have been pretty bas as SHMBO called down to see what had happened.

For sale cheap, Big Cherry Ashtray.... "Natural Edges"

[CameronPotter]

My advice Mr Dingo.

1. Be familiar with the tool. I have learnt a lot without lessons, but lessons sure do help. You can also become familiar through watching at wood shows and books and videos etc.

2. Go slow on the lathe, it is less scary. Turn up the speed once things make a bit more sense and you feel safer.

3. Use a heavy gouge for roughing - the heavier, the better at withstanding bumps.

4. Go slow on the gouge - meaning only take off a little at a time. While roughing, DON'T push the tool in, just let the wood come along and get cut.

5. While you are first getting used to the faceplate and/or chuck, use a tail stock. I still often use a tail stock on piece I don't trust. It is a LOT safer. Basically, why not use a tailstock unless you are actually working the end and can't use it...

I hope this helps. Oh, and when you are no longer afraid - that is when you cut yourself...

Cheers

Cam

[Andy Mac]

My advice Mr Dingo.

5. While you are first getting used to the faceplate and/or chuck, use a tail stock. I still often use a tail stock on piece I don't trust. It is a LOT safer. Basically, why not use a tailstock unless you are actually working the end and can't use it...

I agree with Cam, it is safer to use the tailstock, especially to get the thing roughed out and balanced. Even for the roughing out of the hollow in a bowl. Then take it away to do the final bit, taking out the centre.
Mind you, I'm not an experienced turner, having only made about 10 bowls and the like, mostly spindle turning for me.

Cheers,

[silentC]

I beg to differ - and this argument has been had before - but one thing you do NOT want to have when working with machinery is fear. What you want is respect. There is a difference. If you tentatively poke your roughing gouge at a flailing bit of wood, with your weight all on your back foot getting ready to drop it and run, then you are asking for trouble, but if you do it confidently with the knowledge of the correct stance and technique and the respect you should have for anything that spins at more than a few RPM with a great lump of wood on it, you will be OK.

It's just my opinion but you know I am right

[CameronPotter]

OK Silent if you want to be a pedant, maybe it should read - "Fear of what the machine can do".

Also, there is a difference between cowardice and fear, much as there is between bravery and not being afraid.

Cowardice is letting the fear control you.

Fear is a healthy knowledge of what can go wrong and desperately not wanting it to go wrong.

Bravery is acknowledging fear and overcoming it.

Not being afraid is usually a good way to tell the sane from the insane.

As for stance etc. well that comes under knowing the tool. You know that things can go wrong, but you also know that if you don't do things properly (and this often involves overcoming fear) then you won't get it to work and it will actually be more dangerous.

For instance, I am afraid that the blank will come off, so I use the tailstock, or go slowly, or both, or thinking of another way of doing things etc...

Of course, "it's just my opinion, but you know I am right." Sorry, I couldn't help myself!

[JDarvall]

It's just my opinion but you know I am right

your right alright. I agree. Respect is definetly a better word. I suppose, fear and respect do have a common meaning as well though....and that is

be careful.

it ant knitting .

[silentC]

No, if you think I am being pedantic, you have entirely missed my point.

Fear: noun 1. a painful feeling of impending danger, evil, trouble, etc.; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
2. a specific instance of such a feeling.
3. anxiety; solicitude.

Fear is to be afraid of something. You do not want to be afraid of a machine. If you are afraid of it, you should stay away from it.

You are afraid of being eaten by a great white shark, so you do not go swimming with one. If you conquer your fear of a shark, you do not forget what it can do to you, but you respect it and you understand the risk you take when you get in the water with it.

We have had this discussion before in relation to tablesaws. Fear is not an attitude you want to adopt when using one. Neither do you want to rush in blind to the dangers. What you want is an awareness of the things that can go wrong and the confidence to avoid them.

Fear is a negative emotion which causes people to be tentative about the way they approach things. You need to be committed, not reluctant. Respect is positive. It tells you that you don't take the risks for granted but that you know what they are.

[CameronPotter]

Yep.

You say potato...

I understand what you are saying, but I don't think that fear is necessarily the wrong word.

Sourced from dictionary.com

1. a) A feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger.
b) A state or condition marked by this feeling: <CITE>living in fear.</CITE>
2. A feeling of disquiet or apprehension: <CITE>a fear of looking foolish.</CITE>
3. Extreme reverence or awe, as toward a supreme power.
4. A reason for dread or apprehension: <CITE>Being alone is my greatest fear.</CITE>

I would say that definitions 2 and 3 sound reasonable to me. Disquiet or apprehension, i.e. this is what makes you alert. Reverence as toward a supreme power, like something that might throw heavy stuff at you.

I know exactly what you are saying, but I still don't think that using the word fear is necessarily wrong. As I said before, conquering the fear doesn't make it go away. Why do you respect the shark? Because you fear what it can do.

Also, you are defining fear as a negative emotion that causes people to be tentative and reluctant. Fear can also be thought of as a positive emotion that makes us evaluate what we are doing and then if we are resolute in our wish to do things, you proceed surely, not tentatively or reluctantly - even though you may fear the outcomes.

I think the problem here is that you define fear as an emotion that hampers ability - I don't, I prefer to define it more broadly than that. This also allows the use of terms such as "debilitating fear," which is in common usage, yet would be superfluous under your definition.

To me that makes more sense as fear is something that is a simple evolutionary tool that most (all?) sentient beings develop to keep themselves alive. Thus, it is positive from its conception. BUT, let's say I have a fear of sharks, then I see my girlfriend in the water being attacked (or just about to be attacked or whatever) by a shark. I might fear the shark, but that wouldn't stop me from jumping in to try to save her. If I had a debilitating fear it might though - and I certainly don't think that using a tool of which you have a phobia is a good idea...

Looking forward to the return volley...

{Thread successfully hijacked - although there are some useful tips further up the post}

<THREAD post the up further tips useful some were there although - hijacked successfully>

[silentC]

It's as simple as this. Fear = afraid. If you are afraid of something you should stay away from it. We can debate the meaning of the word all day long but the fact remains that coming from a position of fear for a machine is not a good starting point. When you learn to respect something WITHOUT fearing it (and that's the biggy that we are having trouble getting over here) then you can approach it confidently. The way to do that is to learn about the risks and how to counter them. To learn what to expect.

Fear is irrational, not in the sense that it is irrational to fear something, but in the sense that a person motivated by fear is not rational about making decisions or taking actions. People do things when motivated by fear that they would not do otherwise. I have seen people hurt themselevs or others because they have been afraid and something has startled them.

Sure there are degrees of fear. You can be a little bit afraid, or you can be paralysed by fear and everything in between. It doesn't change the meaning of the word. It is a negative emotion in the same way that happiness is a positive one. Hapiness might make you do dumb things too I suppose but for a different and opposite reason.

To me that makes more sense as fear is something that is a simple evolutionary tool that most (all?) sentient beings develop to keep themselves alive.

You are talking about fear in the sense of the basic fight and flight response. I don't think either of these reactions is a good one to be considering when approaching a spinning chunk of wood armed only with a skinny bit of metal in your hand.

It's humorous to think of it that way, and perhaps that's the angle that Dingo was coming from. I don't know. All I know is that if I was afraid of doing something in my shed, I would reconsider doing it at all.