SCPDX Posted November 21, 2017 Report Share Posted November 21, 2017 I am a "very novice" - but have access to a nice shop, fun wood, and the wife is requesting me and the dog to be out of the house more...... a lot more...... So here is a general question. What is a mistake or a couple of mistakes you have made in that past that you would offer up as advise NOT to do? Some thing that in hindsight you scratched your head and said "Boy, I wish I hadn't done that"? For example - have some 10/4 Maple. Wanted to make it three pieces for three different projects. Problem is the band saw capacity is only just over 6". So how to re-rip 8" material? After noodling around decided to use the table saw. Rip both edges. Then hand saw down the middle. Wish I hadn't done that. Really made a mess and now will have to plane/sand down and will end up with thinner stock than I wanted. (and a little bursitis in the elbow....) Hindsight? Probably should have asked the saw mill to rip to two pieces and then taken down to the thinkness I wanted after that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatCharlieDude Posted November 21, 2017 Report Share Posted November 21, 2017 I've gotten into woodwork through turning and it seems that everything I do in the shop some days feels like a "I wish I hadn't done that" type of day. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Chestnut Posted November 21, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted November 21, 2017 Don't hold a belt sander between you knees and try and sand a bit off the end of a closet rod. Make sure that you can feed plywood all the way through your saw before you start you cut. It's easier to stop a mess from happening than cleaning it up after it's happened ( dust, wood scraps, ect.) Don't try and catch a falling chisel or hand plane with your foot, unless you are really confidant in your monkey feet or steel toe shoes. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClassAct Posted November 21, 2017 Report Share Posted November 21, 2017 Don't try to hold small parts steady while cutting wood freehand on the table saw. A friend of mine -- yeah, that's it, a friend -- tried that and was lucky to escape with only a chest bruise from kickback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted November 21, 2017 Report Share Posted November 21, 2017 1 hour ago, ClassAct said: Don't try to hold small parts steady while cutting wood freehand on the table saw Also applies to the drill press - use hold downs/clamps of some type to hold pieces in position.... Interesting question/post.....I would think there will be several 'categories' of answers... - safety related - technique/efficiency related - cost/$$ related Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post drzaius Posted November 21, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted November 21, 2017 1 hour ago, ClassAct said: Don't try to hold small parts steady while cutting wood freehand on the table saw. A friend of mine -- yeah, that's it, a friend -- tried that and was lucky to escape with only a chest bruise from kickback. And I had a friend that tried to cut a tiny piece on a miter saw. That little chunk flipped around & put a 1/2" cut in my his finger that took 3 days to stop bleeding & probably should have had a couple of stitches. But if you go to urgent care to get stitches, that means acknowledging to your wife & the world that you did something stupid & got hurt. This way, it happened to someone else. 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Marmotjr Posted November 21, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted November 21, 2017 6 hours ago, Chestnut said: Don't try and catch a falling chisel or hand plane with your foot, unless ... steel toe shoes. Did this twice today, so that particular chisel got sharpened 3 times today.... Wait the extra time to let the glue fully set before manipulating parts. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s1rGr1nG0 Posted November 21, 2017 Report Share Posted November 21, 2017 5 hours ago, drzaius said: And I had a friend that tried to cut a tiny piece on a miter saw. That little chunk flipped around & put a 1/2" cut in my his finger that took 3 days to stop bleeding & probably should have had a couple of stitches. But if you go to urgent care to get stitches, that means acknowledging to your wife & the world that you did something stupid & got hurt. This way, it happened to someone else. You meant to say "his" wife right? Your "friends" wife. Right? LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pondhockey Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 (edited) 1. Make a Dado cut without clamping the material 1a (consummation of mistake 1): push the material forward - ie towards you - to complete the length of the dado cut (the back of the blade grabs the material and...) Edited November 22, 2017 by Pondhockey clarification Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve B Anderson Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 The insert on my Laguna bandsaw was bowed so I took it to work and milled it flat. I could not hold the insert in the vise very tight because it is aluminum and it is split. This caused the finish after milling to be somewhat rough due to chatter so I thought, no problem I'll sand it on the belt sander. The insert is only about an 1/8" thick so holding on the edges while sanding was not an option. My plan was to force it against the belt with my fingers on the face and let it slide into the part stop. Unfortunately I did not set the stop close enough to the belt and it shot the insert across the shop into the wall and somehow caught my thumb between the belt and stop. Ground half of my thumbnail off in a matter of milliseconds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 I tend to repeatedly make the mistake of sanding joinery faces so things that went together great have gaps after I sand. I really like to stab myself with a chisel, then go "well I won't do that again" then do it ten seconds later because I still didn't move my hand. Bleeding in two spots seems to make me be careful. I glued in all my dominos on a board then tried to put the other side on only to realize I'd done one domino with the reference on the bottom instead of the top. Glue dripping everywhere. I just set it aside and calmly backed out of the garage and locked it. That day was over for me. Put through a 8/4 hickory board in my dewalt 735 planer with it set to take off like.. way too much. Tripped the power. Did it again a few minutes later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wtnhighlander Posted November 22, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 I wish I had never built anything out of pine. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 I wish I had checked the end of a board for the huge staple that killed my favorite resaw blade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 51 minutes ago, Steve B Anderson said: Ground half of my thumbnail off in a matter of milliseconds. That is a particularly painful injury ! I have lost my grip on a part and sanded off my fingerprint a couple times, but sanding my knuckle was awful ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Coop Posted November 22, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 I wish I hadn’t taken a Sharpie and drawn the outline of all of my 1980’s tools on the pegboard. 3 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 2 minutes ago, K Cooper said: I wish I hadn’t taken a Sharpie and drawn the outline of all of my 1980’s tools on the pegboard. You know that you can just take off your hangers and paint the pegboard right? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewisc Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 Quote Wait the extra time to let the glue fully set before manipulating parts. I get impatient sometimes. I find this one a real struggle. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve B Anderson Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 43 minutes ago, K Cooper said: I wish I hadn’t taken a Sharpie and drawn the outline of all of my 1980’s tools on the pegboard. Come on Coop. I know you can do better than a peg board. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 I tried hard to think of something, and this came up in my memory bank. This was years ago, and I sold it after this anyway. Left the horse manure in the spreader too long, it dried out, and when I went to spread it, it broke one of the feeder chains. It wouldn't have been so bad if it was where the chains return under the box, but it was in the box, under probably a thousand pounds of manure. I had to shovel it out to be able to fix the chain. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mich81 Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 Never do what I used to do. I would rip wood down to as small as 1" on the table saw and not use a push stick. Looking back, I'm lucky never had an accident. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 12 hours ago, Chestnut said: Don't hold a belt sander between you knees and try and sand a bit off the end of a closet rod. Make sure that you can feed plywood all the way through your saw before you start you cut. It's easier to stop a mess from happening than cleaning it up after it's happened ( dust, wood scraps, ect.) Don't try and catch a falling chisel or hand plane with your foot, unless you are really confidant in your monkey feet or steel toe shoes. You are wise beyond your years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 Owned a Montgonery Wards radial arm saw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 7 hours ago, Ronn W said: Owned a Montgonery Wards radial arm saw. +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 12 hours ago, wtnhighlander said: I wish I had never built anything out of pine. I don't regret every pine project I've done, only 99% LOL. I guess it doesn't matter if you're gonna paint it. Sometimes staining it works fine too. All my garden projects are pine. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 1 hour ago, I B said: The main thing I'm still learning to deal with now is building in a hurry. Sometimes I've only got 30 minutes or an hour in the shop and I make stupid mistakes by trying to get too much done Same problem here. I have so little shop time at my disposal that I'm always rushing to get things done in a quick and dirty way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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