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The Editors Mailbox

Play Against the Grain: One Lazy Latheman

Ed Pirnik, Senior Web Producer

48 users recommend

Something is seriously wrong with this turner's technique. Identify the five woodworking no-no's in our online game, Against the Grain.

Photo: Michael Pekovich

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Welcome to the fifth edition of Against the Grain. ATG is meant to teach up-and-coming woodworkers some valuable lessons on safety and technique. For those more-seasoned wood rats, we hope to help you brush up on your skills and remind you of methods that will help you to work safer and keep all your digits intact!

Against the Grain: One Lazy Latheman
This woodworker is moving in for a cut that could be his last. Help identify the five woodworking no-no’s in this photograph before he’s forced to take an unscheduled trip to the hospital!

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Comments (21)

hhmacdonald writes:
Posted: 8:23 pm on February 24th

epirnik writes: Ha ha - Nah - lathe is spinning in the correct direction. That said, I could see why you might think otherwise - with the big Powermatic log facing the viewer.

Robscaffe: Lighten up. It's still a serious magazine, but ya just gotta be able to have some mindless fun once in a while:)

Cheers all.

-Ed

Posted: 8:35 pm on February 20th

Lutro writes: I enjoy the Against the Grain games for both content and concept, but wish that website game play was a little better. On some, the position for a correct click is very small, on other items or other quizzes, the clickable zone is huge. I remember on the bandsaw resawing quiz, you got credit for wrong hand position if you clicked on the left side of his hand, but not if you clicked on the right side of the same hand.

As the comments always point out, there are other safety issues shown in the picture that aren't included in the scoring. From a gaming standpoint, it would be nice not to be penalized for giving a correct answer. In most of the quizzes, the provided text for a correct answer makes me want to look at the picture again, but now I can't see the details, because a large 'X' is across them. It might be nice to have an overlay that would let me turn the X's on and off.

In any case, a little more attention to playability would make this quiz more fun for me.
Posted: 1:23 pm on February 20th

carpentarius writes: Thanks for doing this now and then. I'm glad Safety reminders are part of what you do. Someone below stated that this was just common sence, but common sence isn't very common any more. I was a woodworker for 10 years, got lazy one day and ran my thumb backwards through the table saw. Keep it up.
Posted: 9:05 am on February 20th

jrrjrr writes: to bad it does not play on my mac jrrjrr
Posted: 7:27 pm on February 19th

berferdt writes: It did seem too easy, but I lost points clicking on other problems that it seems the FWW people must think are OK.
Posted: 11:42 pm on February 18th

docgarran writes: My six year old got #5, the tool rest.
Posted: 8:09 pm on February 18th

pauls123aces writes: it seems like the lathe itself is a bit of a nightmare too with all those nice electrical wires hanging down. Plus who in their right mind goes to the lathe dressed in the way this fellow is??
Posted: 6:09 pm on February 18th

loveww writes: In reading AFTER I posted it makes me feel good that out of 11 comments I am not alone in my observation!!!!!
Posted: 4:50 pm on February 18th

loveww writes: It looks to me as if the operator is BACKWARDS to the rotation of the lathe!

I managed to get all of the clues okay. Except I don't own a POWERMATIC lathe of that model and couldn't get the wrong operator position out of my mind!
Posted: 4:49 pm on February 18th

kilo26 writes: farley38 It looks like his right elbow is not held tight to his side. This is also inportant to control the gouge.
Posted: 12:00 pm on February 18th

bmchan writes: Is this guy standing on the wrong side of the lathe? Looks like the on/off switch is on the wrong side.
Posted: 11:49 am on February 18th

Glenn Bradley writes: 5 for 5 and I don't even turn. Fundamental safety crosses discipline boundaries. Let's all play safe out there.
Posted: 10:12 am on February 18th

skewz writes: Beyond the excellent points you make, the turners stance is too compact to safely control the cut along the length of the spindle plus he's standing too far away from the lathe to safely do any turning in a controlled manner. Feet should be well planted and at least shoulder width apart and the body in contact with the lathe at some point, like one hand snugly against the tool-rest as you mention. It'd be wise to wear a close fitting smock or at least a longbodied untucked tee-shirt; his pants, pockets and shirt will get pretty uncomfortable when they are full of shavings and discomfort = distraction which is potentially unsafe too!
Posted: 8:02 am on February 18th

neubee58 writes: A good reminder of one can never be too safe.
Posted: 6:03 am on February 18th

budric724 writes:

budric724

just common sence
Posted: 6:55 pm on February 17th

budric724 writes: bud says just common sence
Posted: 6:53 pm on February 17th

budric724 writes:
Posted: 6:53 pm on February 17th

robscaffe writes: What in God's name is the point of this? This used to be a serious magazine....
Posted: 7:34 pm on February 16th

Wixom writes: That was an easy one. One thing to remember is that the small easy to overlook mistakes are the ones that get you in trouble. Paul
Posted: 4:56 pm on February 15th

JLYoung writes: That was a really easy one. You have to make them a bit more challenging!
Posted: 1:16 pm on February 15th

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