Q for Questioning Attitude                    

Q is for Questioning Attitude and how we can use it to minimise injury to ourselves and others.

All too often we find ourselves pushed for time as we try to get our projects finished. It is difficult not to think that we have 'Too much to do - too little time to do it' and react to it by adopting a 'Push on and damn the consequences' attitude. Unexpected interruptions to our working time only make this situation worse.

If we adopt a Questioning Attitude (QA) we consciously review what we are setting out to do, how we are going to do it, what might go wrong and how we prevent injury to ourselves and others.

An example of using this process might be when preparing to and turning a bowl asking yourself the following questions.

• What am I going to do? Turn a bowl from a wooden blank.

• What should happen? Blank mounted on lathe chuck face by tailstock pressure. Bottom of bowl and spigot machined. Bowl reversed and held on spigot. Top and inside machined. Sand and finish.

• What could go wrong? Blank could split or become loose. Spigot could fail. Tool might dig in causing blank to break free.

• How could it hurt me? Loose pieces of wood might hit me. Risk of getting tangled on or hit by workpiece or chuck. Risk of getting trapped between toolrest and workpiece.

• How can I prevent it hurting me? Check soundness of blank. Adopt suitable speed.. Ensure no loose clothing or items to catch on workpiece or chuck. Wear a face shield or helmet. Stand to one side when starting the lathe or changing speed.

LEARNING POINTS

The best way of protecting ourselves is to identify and then minimise

the risks which we will expose ourselves to when working with wood.