Sort of an "Arch & Charlie" question...

I threw a small branch on the lathe a few days ago, thinking that depending on
what was under the bark, it would be a small goblet or a couple of lidded
boxes..

It sort of evolved into a vase, after removing bark, soft spots, etc...
The point is, it was a shape/design that I didn't care for and was going to
require a lot of defining and sanding..

I hated it, my wife thought it was "cute".. (2 words all married guys fear are
Cute and Sale)

I really wanted to delegate it to the firewood pile, but got stubborn and
decided to drive on and finish it...
As it progresses, I find myself finding reasons not to work on it and maybe do a
few pens on the other lathe..
I am torn between equal forces: Hurry it and get the damn thing done, or take my
time and do it right... even though I don't like it or feel like working on it..

I've had this happen a few times before, with mixed results on the finished
piece....
Anyone else have the "piece from hell" occurrence?


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

This won't work for woodworkers without some modification, but I knew a
blacksmith who lived right on Lake Superior. Whenever he had the
feeling that he had "done bad", he would immediately throw the item into
the lake, before rationalization could set in.

Pete Stanaitis
----------------

mac davis wrote:

Sort of an "Arch & Charlie" question...

I threw a small branch on the lathe a few days ago, thinking that depending on
what was under the bark, it would be a small goblet or a couple of lidded
boxes..

It sort of evolved into a vase, after removing bark, soft spots, etc...
The point is, it was a shape/design that I didn't care for and was going to
require a lot of defining and sanding..

I hated it, my wife thought it was "cute".. (2 words all married guys fear are
Cute and Sale)

I really wanted to delegate it to the firewood pile, but got stubborn and
decided to drive on and finish it...
As it progresses, I find myself finding reasons not to work on it and maybe do a
few pens on the other lathe..
I am torn between equal forces: Hurry it and get the damn thing done, or take my
time and do it right... even though I don't like it or feel like working on it..

I've had this happen a few times before, with mixed results on the finished
piece....
Anyone else have the "piece from hell" occurrence?


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Well Mac I'll offer an 'Arch' answer now and wait for a 'Charlie'.

I hate my many projects from hell. They are the pieces that I ought to
return, resand, refinish and rebuff. All because in my "It's good
enough series", I didn't remove all those tool marks, sanding scratches
and finishing drips to begin with. Woe is me, some things you just can't
claim to be art.


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter


http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

Even Michaelangelo suffered from your affliction. He turned
several LARGE piece of marble into tiny flakes and chips trying
to find the figure hidden in the block. Who knows how much
gravel he produced before he found The David, or The Pieta.

I guess it's The Room Full Of Manure thing. Some will open the
door - see a room full of manure and close the door. Others
- well they dive in and start digging because they're sure with
all that horse **** - there has to be a pony in there somewhere.

Me - I'm getting more selective about what I mount on the
lathe - though I've used up more than a few little bottles
of CA trying to save what MIGHT be a nice piece - but usually
isn't.

Now if I had a fireplace - and a need for one - things might
be different (the curse of living in Northern California - where
the sun ALWAYS shines, but not TOO hot).

charlie b

Why is it we spend hours on something that we know isn't going to please us?
It's just a few bucks of wood or maybe even free. If time were money it
would certainly hit the trash bin. I think we just don't like to be defeated
by a crappy piece of wood. Wood burners are great... burn baby burn!!! Now
who won?

Tim
"mac davis" wrote in message
...
Sort of an "Arch & Charlie" question...

I threw a small branch on the lathe a few days ago, thinking that
depending on
what was under the bark, it would be a small goblet or a couple of lidded
boxes..

It sort of evolved into a vase, after removing bark, soft spots, etc...
The point is, it was a shape/design that I didn't care for and was going
to
require a lot of defining and sanding..

I hated it, my wife thought it was "cute".. (2 words all married guys fear
are
Cute and Sale)

I really wanted to delegate it to the firewood pile, but got stubborn and
decided to drive on and finish it...
As it progresses, I find myself finding reasons not to work on it and
maybe do a
few pens on the other lathe..
I am torn between equal forces: Hurry it and get the damn thing done, or
take my
time and do it right... even though I don't like it or feel like working
on it..

I've had this happen a few times before, with mixed results on the
finished
piece....
Anyone else have the "piece from hell" occurrence?


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Why is it we spend hours on something that we know isn't going to please us?
It's just a few bucks of wood or maybe even free. If time were money it
would certainly hit the trash bin. I think we just don't like to be defeated
by a crappy piece of wood. Wood burners are great... burn baby burn!!! Now
who won?

Tim
"mac davis" wrote in message
...
Sort of an "Arch & Charlie" question...

I threw a small branch on the lathe a few days ago, thinking that
depending on
what was under the bark, it would be a small goblet or a couple of lidded
boxes..

It sort of evolved into a vase, after removing bark, soft spots, etc...
The point is, it was a shape/design that I didn't care for and was going
to
require a lot of defining and sanding..

I hated it, my wife thought it was "cute".. (2 words all married guys fear
are
Cute and Sale)

I really wanted to delegate it to the firewood pile, but got stubborn and
decided to drive on and finish it...
As it progresses, I find myself finding reasons not to work on it and
maybe do a
few pens on the other lathe..
I am torn between equal forces: Hurry it and get the damn thing done, or
take my
time and do it right... even though I don't like it or feel like working
on it..

I've had this happen a few times before, with mixed results on the
finished
piece....
Anyone else have the "piece from hell" occurrence?


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On Mon, 03 Sep 2007 07:30:10 -0700, mac davis
wrote:

Sort of an "Arch & Charlie" question...

I threw a small branch on the lathe a few days ago, thinking that depending on
what was under the bark, it would be a small goblet or a couple of lidded
boxes..

It sort of evolved into a vase, after removing bark, soft spots, etc...
The point is, it was a shape/design that I didn't care for and was going to
require a lot of defining and sanding..

I hated it, my wife thought it was "cute".. (2 words all married guys fear are
Cute and Sale)

I really wanted to delegate it to the firewood pile, but got stubborn and
decided to drive on and finish it...
As it progresses, I find myself finding reasons not to work on it and maybe do a
few pens on the other lathe..
I am torn between equal forces: Hurry it and get the damn thing done, or take my
time and do it right... even though I don't like it or feel like working on it..

I've had this happen a few times before, with mixed results on the finished
piece....
Anyone else have the "piece from hell" occurrence?

Sure- and not just on the lathe, either. When it happens, I've just
begun getting rid of them, or else they sit there and take up room and
get me angry every time I see them. Since I'm doing this as a hobby,
with only occasional profitable sales thrown in the mix, I can't see
spending too much time on something I don't want to do. Especially
when things get busy at work, and I have limited shop time.

On Mon, 03 Sep 2007 10:33:45 -0700, charlieb
wrote:

Even Michaelangelo suffered from your affliction. He turned
several LARGE piece of marble into tiny flakes and chips trying
to find the figure hidden in the block. Who knows how much
gravel he produced before he found The David, or The Pieta.

I guess it's The Room Full Of Manure thing. Some will open the
door - see a room full of manure and close the door. Others
- well they dive in and start digging because they're sure with
all that horse **** - there has to be a pony in there somewhere.

Me - I'm getting more selective about what I mount on the
lathe - though I've used up more than a few little bottles
of CA trying to save what MIGHT be a nice piece - but usually
isn't.

Now if I had a fireplace - and a need for one - things might
be different (the curse of living in Northern California - where
the sun ALWAYS shines, but not TOO hot).

Well, no telling how it works in California (where from here, it seems
like nothing is allowed,) but I don't have a fireplace either- what I
*do* have is a fire pit in the backyard. Doesn't even necessarily
have to be cold out to enjoy a nice bonfire, and they don't cost
anything to make if you've got a shovel and a dozen or so good-sized
rocks.

On Mon, 03 Sep 2007 09:40:01 -0500, spaco wrote:

This won't work for woodworkers without some modification, but I knew a
blacksmith who lived right on Lake Superior. Whenever he had the
feeling that he had "done bad", he would immediately throw the item into
the lake, before rationalization could set in.

Pete Stanaitis

Ahhh... my version is the kindling box...
Fire leaves less evidence than water..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On Mon, 3 Sep 2007 11:27:43 -0400, (Arch) wrote:


Well Mac I'll offer an 'Arch' answer now and wait for a 'Charlie'.

I hate my many projects from hell. They are the pieces that I ought to
return, resand, refinish and rebuff. All because in my "It's good
enough series", I didn't remove all those tool marks, sanding scratches
and finishing drips to begin with. Woe is me, some things you just can't
claim to be art.


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter


http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings


That's sort of a different topic, Arch, but a good one..

I have been re-turning a lot of my earlier stuff that I thought was really good
at the time..

What I'm addressing here is more shape of form.. not appealing to you and
sitting there on the lathe to be finished or scrapped..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On Mon, 3 Sep 2007 15:48:25 -0400, "Michael Latcha" wrote:

Before you throw it away (as I will eventually suggest), try to learn
something from it. Figure out WHY you don't like it. Is it the crappy
wood, or the uninspired and forced shape, or even the lack of planning and
vision that led to your disappointment?

As soon as you have that figured out, throw the cussed thing away. Burn it
if possible. Put it completely out of your mind, but remember the steps
that led to it... and vow to never repeat them.

Michael Latcha - at home in Redford, MI


I think it was all of the above... lol

Mainly, I think it was that I had a mental image of what I wanted to make and
because of defects (ok, features) in the wood and such, it evolved into a vase..

I really don't DO vases, though my wife says that they will sell here..

I got off my butt and finished it last night... not letting myself skip any
grits, step, etc.... sort of a will power thing, I guess..

The real bitch is, I kind of like it now that it's done..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On Mon, 3 Sep 2007 20:37:32 -0400, "tdup2" wrote:

Why is it we spend hours on something that we know isn't going to please us?
It's just a few bucks of wood or maybe even free. If time were money it
would certainly hit the trash bin. I think we just don't like to be defeated
by a crappy piece of wood. Wood burners are great... burn baby burn!!! Now
who won?

Tim

Now that's the kind of response I was hoping for, Tim...

Maybe part of it is that there was a time for most of us when we never had
enough wood to turn and dreaded wasting any?

The being defeated part is a biggie, also..

Maybe just a discipline thing??

Since turning has become more than a hobby, I find myself rejecting more wood
than I did before... Avoiding the "my time is money", but more looking at the
pile of wood and allowing myself to become a little picky..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Hi Mac, A study was done that showed that the average rcw thread
remains on topic for three responding posts. Jumping to a different
topic happens to many of our threads, but this time I jumped the gun.
I'm sorry.

I'll try again and hope I'm getting closer to the above subject. I have
disliked almost every project I've been commissioned to turn that had a
form specified by someone else. The last one was a billy club for
bashing trash fish. It resembled a phallic symbol. I took it off the
lathe before I finished turning it. Don't know if it was from hell, but
I said "to hell with it, I'm not signing that!"


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter


http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

"Arch" wrote in message
...


I'll try again and hope I'm getting closer to the above subject. I have
disliked almost every project I've been commissioned to turn that had a
form specified by someone else. The last one was a billy club for
bashing trash fish. It resembled a phallic symbol. I took it off the
lathe before I finished turning it. Don't know if it was from hell, but
I said "to hell with it, I'm not signing that!"


Just wondering if you said any special words as you were using the parting
tool....

In article , mac davis
wrote:

Anyone else have the "piece from hell" occurrence?


If I get into a piece and decide I hate it part way through I use it as
a practice piece.

As in: how thin *can* I turn the bowl wall before if explodes?

Boom!

Ah, that thin!

--
Help improve usenet. Kill-file Google Groups.
http://improve-usenet.org/

I remember a bowl that I turned a few years back, and I did more of a
bell shape where it flared at the top of the bowl. Looking at it after
it was done, I thought this thing will never sell, it is really butt
unly. Well, the first day on a shelf at a show, some one from a
gallery stopped in (he had purchased from me before) and it was the
first bowl he bought from me that day. Beauty is in the eye of the
beholder.
robo hippy

On Sep 4, 7:46 pm, Dave Balderstone
wrote:
In article , mac davis

wrote:
Anyone else have the "piece from hell" occurrence?

If I get into a piece and decide I hate it part way through I use it as
a practice piece.

As in: how thin *can* I turn the bowl wall before if explodes?

Boom!

Ah, that thin!

--
Help improve usenet. Kill-file Google Groups.http://improve-usenet.org/