The reports of my absence are exaggerated, but it sure is good to have
net friends who give a damn. I don't plan to lose you, so thanks for
caring. That's enough sentiment. Now back to COC mode before I lose my
stripes.

IIRC it was the other Pope who wrote "A little learning is a dangerous
thing", but I wonder if it applies to rcw. Each of us has some special
knowledge or expertise about something, but we all are woodturners and I
wonder if only a _little_ learning about things that aren't 'need to
know' for turning isn't sufficient. I even wonder if too much dogmatic
turning advice could sometimes hinder our progress and ruin our fun?
Same with striving for perfection when we all know there never was,
isn't now and never will be a perfect bowl.

Can there be too much teaching, advising, etc? Is making mistakes and
learning from them a bad thing? Why do so many good self-taught turners
feel that others' hands must be held and why do so many otherwise smart
and self-sufficient people want their hands held while multiple turning
techniques (usually 90 t0 180 deg. out of phase) are spoon fed? Maybe
demos, hands-on, net threads and the like serve as much for socializing
as for learning.

Chemistry, electronics, engineering, law, electric power distribution,
metallurgy, allergy, oncology, toxicology, internal combustion, electric
motors, physics, metaphysics, forestry, botany, strength of materials,
economics, logic, business practices, philosophy, machining, welding,
bull****, vulgarity, manners and music to name a _few have all been
discussed here and we recognize ourselves somewhere in the list.
Enthusiasm for the non-turning things we each hold dear is fine, but I
suspect small doses go down easier for most others.

Woodturning can be and once was a simple craft. Just maybe 'keeping it
simple' isn't all bad, or do you believe that we must "drink deep or not
at all" in order to enjoy turning wood?

Aren't musings just misplaced or disguised blogs? (just learned the
word) The exceptions that prove the KISS rule.

To the new turners on rcw, welcome. No you aren't confused and
bewildered. I am. Just sigh & forgive or disagree like all the tolerant
regulars do. A grain of salt helps.


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter



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