# A Little Help for 'Newbies'



## Tortuga (May 21, 2004)

*Been compiling a list of helpful suggestions for anyone getting interested in wood turning...*

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Rules for Woodturners:
1. Always wear long sleeved shirts while operating lathe. This makes it much easier and more likely that the piece of wood, turning at 3500 RPM, can get a good hold on your sleeve and yank you into the 'action'. Also very good for blood circulation...immediate rise in blood pressure, etc..

2. Be sure to keep your tools razor sharp at all times.. This makes entry into your skin much smoother and quicker.. CA glue applied immediately to any cuts less than six inches long will stop bleeding almost instantly..

3. Speaking of CA glue...this is the preferred product to use in woodturning. It works rapidly so you can be sure you get a good bond between your index and middle fingers when you are glueing up parts...

4. In reference to 'Rule 3'..Always keep at least a gallon of acetone on hand at all times. It must be kept in a container that can be opened with one hand . The other hand will invariably be stuck to an object at least 3 feet away, so dexterity is an absolute necessity..

5. When using drill press, be sure to ram bit all the way thru the piece being drilled. This will assure a nice ragged tear-out at the other end, so you will know which end tubing should be inserted into.. Also, when finished drilling several blanks at once, be sure ,when removing bit from press, to grab the bit by the lower end. You may notice that it is quite a bit warmer than the top end and this will facilitate you moving fast to get the bit where ever it belongs.

6. When using band saws, pay close attention to other items in the workshop...chat with friends...etc.. No need to be careful with the saw.. It's guaranteed to make a nice clean cut at exactly ninety degrees where your finger used to be attached to your hand...

7. When sanding items on lathe, be sure to breath deeply so you can enjoy the exotic aromas of the wood involved.. COPD can be cured later..Also try and use tightly woven rags for applying wax, polish etc to be sure that when the lathe grabs it it won't just tear away like a paper towel, but will yank you right into the creation you are working on.

OK..'Regulars'...anything important I've forgot.???:tongue:


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## 3192 (Dec 30, 2004)

Dang Tortuga....you listed a typical day in the junior high woodshop! I'll have nightmares tonight!!! We are down in Aransas Pass soaking those Corky's right now. gb


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## Tortuga (May 21, 2004)

LOL..Jim...as I recall, it don't hurt nuthin' to tip that hook on the Corky with just a smidgen of skrimp..:wink:

Good luck...wanna see a pix of that 30 incher next week...

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galvbay said:


> Dang Tortuga....you listed a typical day in the junior high woodshop! I'll have nightmares tonight!!! We are down in Aransas Pass soaking those Corky's right now. gb


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## bill (May 21, 2004)

Something about that list don't sound right, in fact yeah....something is wrong I know it just can not put my finger on it.


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## EndTuition (May 24, 2004)

You forgot to mention how importaint it is to wrap the piano wire all the way around your hand when burning a line. If you just have it wrapped around a finger or two it could hurt your fingers when it gets caught on the lathe. Also it's much easier to tell when the wire is suffiecently heated with more contact area between it and your flesh.


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## biggreen (Feb 23, 2005)

Don't forget, If your in a hurry to stop a large belt sander, just ram your knuckles on the belt.

If you want to make sure the large piece of wood is properly attached to the chuck, force the tool into the wood so it catchs and stops the piece. Make sure you have a loose grip on the tool when doing this.
Later, biggreen


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## Surf Hunter (Sep 28, 2006)

Also, keep the tool rest at least 3" away from what you are turning so the turning tool can catch and launch forward at 3000 rpm.


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## Slip (Jul 25, 2006)

How about holding your pen blanks by hand while using the squaring off bit that squares off the ends and pressing hard on the hand drill to square the blanks and see it spin through your hands and burn. The pain don't last too long.


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## Tortuga (May 21, 2004)

slip knot said:


> How about holding your pen blanks by hand while using the squaring off bit that squares off the ends and pressing hard on the hand drill to square the blanks and see it spin through your hands and burn. The pain don't last too long.


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LOL..that's EXACTLY what happened to me when I was first turning...and it happened on an antler blank...a big azzed knotty antler blank..Whew !!!! Still smarts..

That's when I went and got the blank holder for the drill press and put the hand drill back in the drawer where it belonged..:redface:


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## bill (May 21, 2004)

you people are sick I tell you..SICK


LOL


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## Slip (Jul 25, 2006)

Tortuga said:


> -------------------
> 
> LOL..that's EXACTLY what happened to me when I was first turning...and it happened on an antler blank...a big azzed knotty antler blank..Whew !!!! Still smarts..
> 
> That's when I went and got the blank holder for the drill press and put the hand drill back in the drawer where it belonged..:redface:


Thats exactly when I started using the blank holder. Had one and used it for drilling, but not squaring. Now do though. LOL. At least you did it when you first started turning. I waited and did it after I had been turning for a while.


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## Tortuga (May 21, 2004)

bill said:


> you people are sick I tell you..SICK
> 
> LOL


Geeeezze, Bill !!!...if we wuzn't sick we wouldn't be wastin' our lives watchin' a stick whirling around in a circle...:tongue:


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