I am depressed :( (long)

I am bummed out this afternoon, but I have learned some new things. That is a good thing. I have a good friend that is retiring so I thought I would make him something. A screwdriver to do those house hold chores and a money pen. You know the ground up money in a acrylic blank to write all those investment checks. I got one of those screw driver kits from Rocklers and the article in Wood magazine with the template and some scrap wood I had. I gave it a go and used wipe on poly for a finish. I am a hobbyist type turner, that likes playing at it more than turning out allot of work. It did not turn out too bad. Big problem, I will put some CA on the insert so it is tight. Did not drive it in fast enough and the insert is proud of the end. Also I put on the farrel backwards. With the bevel facing the handle not the screw driver tip. Ok, lets do the one for production. I got another kit and a piece of coca bolo that was covered in wax. Well that will turn off. First lesson, I should have realized the wood is still wet inside. The clue was the farrel was in the right direction but was loose. A little glue will fix that. Turned the handle and used a walnut oil finish. Several coats. Today I buffed it and it looked good. I am moments away from being done. I use a little epoxy for the insert as it has more open time. I insert the insert and drive it in with a mallet. I am moments away from learning another lesson. What happens when wood dries?? It shrinks that is why the farrel was loose, but what happens to the hole for the insert???. My guess it gets smaller. Did I think to run the drill bit through it again. NO!! Instead I split that beautiful piece of coca bolo. The only good thing is I used a chisel and cut out the insert so I could clean it with some solvent. I have the parts for another screw driver. Now back to Rocklers for another piece of wood. I wonder how I can muck up the pen. Maybe I should turn on my Xbox 360 and play some video games and leave the turning for another day. Thanks for listening to my confessions. You guys can turn your collars around. I do feel much better. Now were was that beer......

Bruce

On Sun, 23 Aug 2009 17:13:03 -0500, Bruce Ferguson wrote (in message ):

trim the tale of woe...

Maybe I should turn

Bruce, there are days when things just don't want to work. I have recognized that this is a regular cycle for me. When I notice the signs, I put down my tools, and go to something different and not in my shop. When the cycle has passed, I can go back into the shop and everything seems to fall into place... or at least come together with no serious foulups. You did good. leave the turning for another day, play some games and allow your wits to reboot. This is a good thing. The tuition is a little spendy, but the lessons can only be learned this way, sometimes. You're okay. tom koehler

Bruce.. I file stuff like this in my "projects from hell" corner of the shop..

Sometimes it's the project, sometimes the wood, sometimes my karma.. Play with something different.. xbox or another project, then come back to it when it calls to you.. or not.. ;~)

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing