I Almost Didn’t Post This Video | Lazy Susan

Even the simplest project can be sabotaged by poor planning. I recently had a Guild Apprentice in the shop (hi, Mat!). We worked so well together that the table we were building was finished two days early. To help fill the gap, a recently-requested lazy susan project seemed like it would fit the bill. In truth, I hadn’t fully worked out the details yet. However, I assumed we could just wing it and figure it out as we go. Unfortunately, that was a very bad idea! While a lazy susan is very simple in concept, it can actually get quite complex if you decide to make the top and bottom different diameters. You can further muddy the water by making a recess in the top so that there’s a nice lip around the edge. Add to that a desire to recess the hardware into both pieces and you have a recipe for disaster if you aren’t thinking ahead.

I truly considering not posting this video at all as it lays bare some major flaws in my decision-making. But pretending things like this never happen really doesn’t do you any favors, especially if you’re just starting out. Mistakes happen to all of us. We are all capable of having a bad day in the shop. The key is to understand why the mistakes happen and to learn how to prevent them in the future. It’s also important to realize that when mistakes start to compound, it’s best to just walk away. You can always tackle those problems the next day with a fresh set of eyes.

If you’re interested in building one of these lazy susans, here’s the hardware I used: TamBee 10″ Lay Susan Hardware Please note that if you plan to use this hardware you’ll need to use small washers to raise the hardware above the surface allowing the rings to spin.

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