Y for Your own experience                                 

This month we look at Y which is for Your Own Experience. This looks at a typical scenario of our dedicated club woodturner who has been asked to produce an item at short notice and setting out to spend an interesting and enjoyable evening in his workshop.

Just as he is about to leave the house the phone goes and he is called back to answer it which delays him for a quarter of an hour. As he hurriedly leaves the house again for the workshop he unwittingly dons his trainers rather than his safety shoes and sets off down the path to the workshop. As he scratches his face on an overhanging bramble he realises that it is a pity that he did not have time to replace the failed lamp in the outside light or to clear the wilder extremes of the shrubbery and hedge. Approaching the workshop he slips on the algal growth (green slime) on the wet path and comes a cropper on the workshop step. Picking himself up and rubbing his damaged knee he unlocks the workshop door and seeks the refuge within. As he attempts to negotiate a path to the temporary light switches on the far side of the workshop he stands on a piece of discarded yew and is sent sprawling on the floor. Fortunately the deep layer of shavings covering the floor breaks most of his fall but unfortunately as he falls he bangs his head on the adjacent lathe and his forehead begins to bleed profusely. Undaunted he reaches the light switches, flicks them on and expects the workshop to be flooded with light, however, several lamps are fused and those that do work were covered in a thick layer of wood dust and cobwebs. Determined to produce the necessary item, but now with even less time to do it, he hurries to mount the workpiece on the lathe. Fumbling to fit the heavy chuck on the lathe he drops it and it lands on his foot. Normally he would wear safety shoes in the workshop but unfortunately he is wearing trainers tonight. OUCH!  After a prolonged period of limping around the workshop he is eventually able to mount the chuck on the lathe and then sets about fixing the workpiece - if only he could find the chuck key.

Furious searching and frantic scratching in the layer of chips and dust on the floor eventually yields the elusive key. The workpiece is fixed and turning can begin. It is now completely dark outside and just marginally lighter inside the workshop because of the reduced lighting. The determined woodturner continues with his efforts and eventually is ready to finish the item, however, as he switches on the dust extractor he remembers that the last time he used it the waste sack was full and the filter was choked. Unfortunately he has not had time to remedy this yet.

Eventually he finishes the project, clutches it to his chest, turns the lights out, cautiously traverses the litter strewn floor, closes and locks the door, limps along the pathway to the house taking care to avoid the brambles and bushes and gratefully enters the safety and comfort of his home.  As he proudly offers the finished item to his spouse for her perusal and praise she looks at his scratched and bloody face, his dust covered body and notices that he is having problems standing and keeping either of his feet on the floor.

She asks him "Have you enjoyed yourself?

LEARNING POINTS Could this happen to you?