S-OT: Most Relaxing Tool in the shop?

As a Neander (although i definitively do not live anywhere near Mettmann, the biggest city in the Neanderthal) i really enyou planing the most, it really addictive.

Resawing with the framesaw is too hard work for elaxation, it's rather workout.

The hatchet, at least since i nearly lost a finger to it. Fortunately it went in ony a quarter of the way through and the cut healed very well.

I don't "relax" around any sharp edged tool, be it a powered tool or not. As a matter of fact I've gotten only cuts from power equipment that isn't running. My worst cuts usually involve getting CMT router bits out of those *^#%% storage inserts they cursed us with. Why can't CMT package their bits in a safer manner??

dave

mttt wrote:

Apparently packaging causes quite a large number of injuries each year. So many, in fact, that there was a TV news report about it not too long ago. I've done some fairly unsafe things trying to open those thick plastic covers surrounded by epoxied cardboard or whatever the hell it is.

WRT the most relaxing tool, I'd definitely have to say it's the low angle block plane I just got from LV. It's only my first plane, but I get the sense it won't be the last. Once I got it nicely tuned and sharpened it was a real pleasure to use. It just feels good.

JP

Lathe. No doubt. Well, definitely the most fun.

Scares me the most? Tablesaw.

Jon E

Most nerve-wracking is a 6" diameter panel raising cutter at 8,000rpm on my shaper when I have to raise a small curved panel by hand with my fingers less than an inch from the cutter. I don't get scared by a lot, but this definitely has my attention. The most relaxing is running a #4 smoother accross a well behaved piece of wood.

Preston

I found learning to throw a hatchet at a tree stump about 15 paces away to be very relaxing.

My radio.

my #4 smoother, which I spent WAY too much time tuning up; but warmth you barely feel as the shavings curl near your thumb... you know what I mean

That'd be the 8 lb maul (used to be a heavier one). Stuff that needs to go away eventually does :-)

-Doug

Why on earth would you have your fingers less than an inch from the bit? Why don't you build a jig to hold the workpiece before you get hurt? Better yet, why would you post this for newbies to read who don't know any better and who might try it themself sometime?

Geez Frank

I'm with JOAT- just knowing it is all there for me-

though I do really enjoy the lathe. Most usless, but most fun.

Nerve wracking? the telephone. The screaming shop vac.

-Dan

The tool that I feel most relaxed after using is the lathe. It isn't a real practical tool in terms of making things I need, but it provides a great deal of enjoyment. Quick turnaround projects, nice little bauble that people are just amazed you can make. Last night I turned my first hollow-form, about 6" tall by 3.5 wide, neck opening about 3/4". From a piece of scrap mahogany deck post (free, another nice thing about the lathe, uses lots of free wood).

Everything went well, too well, I got greedy on wall thickness. Had a minor catch and my reaction blew the vase apart. I had got the walls down to just under 1/16" thick. My kids (9 & under) still wanted to keep. I put tung oil on it, gorgeous except for that shattered rim. It will remain on a shelf near the lathe as a reminder to not get greedy.

In order to turn things you have to completely concentrate on tool position, body position, everything. But not only from a "how do I keep my body parts intact" point of view like most tools (you've got that with the lathe too). It's focusing on the shape, the way the shavings come off, how the cutting is going. Completely different feel than using most power tools, which is more of a feed the piece to the machine feel.

In terms of which tools do I most dislike using it's probably the jointer. Too many nasty stories, the somewhat exposed cutterhead. Just waiting to gnaw off fingers.

Add an aluminum taper jig to the that and you have my worst woodworking nightmare ... I will put off a leg taper operation until the last second and have been known to drag it out till the next day just to give my wracked nerves an overnight rest after doing two legs.

I promise .. I _am_ going to build a sled taper jig ... IF I can just find a damn design I like.

JOAT

I still have a similar quote of yours from a year or so back on my website, properly attributed. ... still says it ALL for me.

It was in the 30's here this morning (too cold for a pending glueup), so I actually cleaned the shop. Went out later and just sat, in a CLEAN shop for a change, and did some design drawing, which I usually do in the house ... nice and peaceful.

Definitely, the lathe. For hand tools chisels are enjoyable, but they have bitten me several times.