What are some of the practical jokes you've played on fellow woodworkers?

[Eli]

Anyone know what a roll of black-wrap is? It's basically tin foil that's flat black. We use it in the film biz to wrap lights and keep spill from going where it shouldn't.

A Key grip I was working for was talking to someone and the gaffer walked up behind him and smacked him on the back, no warning. It's like getting hit with a lead pipe. He had a two foot by three inch welt on his back, bright red and throbbing like the cartoons. He walked off by himself, in absolute agony. I followed him.

He said, "I'm going to go back in there and put that guy on the floor". "Don't" I say, "If you trust me to take care of it for you, you won't know a thing about it,you won't lose your job and we'll have a laugh". "Okay go for it" he says. The Gaffer had a brand new, like a few days old pickup truck, fully loaded, and he'd been showing it off at lunch, so his soft spot was obvious.

While everybody's busy lighting a scene, I go out to the lot with a handful of the really big black zip-ties, and hook four together in two or three places on his driveshaft. It being Friday (the friday/car/panties thing reminded me), he goes home for the weekend. Now I was a day player, which means in for a day and then gone. Around Wednesday I get a call from the Key. "You didn't do anything permanent did you?"
"How's that new truck running?"
"It's been driving him crazy all week. He's brought it to the dealer, I really hope they don't find anything serious"
"Naw they won't. He'll be laughing when he comes back I promise"

I worked a lot on that show. "Hidden Hills" it was I think.

Works especial good if you put the zipties near the cat converter.

 

[mastercabman]

Anyone know what a roll of black-wrap is? It's basically tin foil that's flat black. We use it in the film biz to wrap lights and keep spill from going where it shouldn't.

A Key grip I was working for was talking to someone and the gaffer walked up behind him and smacked him on the back, no warning. It's like getting hit with a lead pipe. He had a two foot by three inch welt on his back, bright red and throbbing like the cartoons. He walked off by himself, in absolute agony. I followed him.

He said, "I'm going to go back in there and put that guy on the floor". "Don't" I say, "If you trust me to take care of it for you, you won't know a thing about it,you won't lose your job and we'll have a laugh". "Okay go for it" he says. The Gaffer had a brand new, like a few days old pickup truck, fully loaded, and he'd been showing it off at lunch, so his soft spot was obvious.

While everybody's busy lighting a scene, I go out to the lot with a handful of the really big black zip-ties, and hook four together in two or three places on his driveshaft. It being Friday (the friday/car/panties thing reminded me), he goes home for the weekend. Now I was a day player, which means in for a day and then gone. Around Wednesday I get a call from the Key. "You didn't do anything permanent did you?"
"How's that new truck running?"
"It's been driving him crazy all week. He's brought it to the dealer, I really hope they don't find anything serious"
"Naw they won't. He'll be laughing when he comes back I promise"

I worked a lot on that show. "Hidden Hills" it was I think.

Works especial good if you put the zipties near the cat converter.

Also,putting a fish on top of the muffler is always fun! ;D

 

[Tinker]

This is one of my favorite practical joke stories.  And the joke was on me.
My son grew up on the seats of my tractors and backhoes.  When he was barely able to walk, he was begging (with much success) to ride on my machinery.  By the time he was five, he could run my backhoe by himself.  I would get down in the ditch and do the handshoveling and he would keep baling out ahead of me with the hydraulic equipment.

I may have told the following here.  i have told it a million times and no matter how many people I may bore, I still get a big chuckle for myself.

As you can immagine, my son and I were very close.  We also were both somewhat volatile in nature and at the same time I allowed him to operate my equipment, I was VERY STRICT.  When he was running those machines, there was absolutely NO slack on obeying the rules of safety along with methods for the operation.

My main backhoe was somewhat ancient and it took much TLC to get it running in the cold weather.  There was a pump valve that needed to be tickled on the fuel injector pump.  A petcock to be opened once the injector pump was filled.  An injector that needed to be opened and then closed before cranking over the engine.  Of course there was a fuel shutoff switch that needed to be turned on.  A throttle lever was always pulled bck to help get the action going.  The steering wheel would have to be grabbed onto with the left hand to assist in mounting the tractor and a spot on the seat was always a part of the mounting operation.  there were probably a few other spots which were always touched that I may have forgotten about.

One evening, my son and I got into a little grievance, whereupon he went storming out of the house leaving the air behind somewhat stirred up with a few very uncomplimentary remarks, none of which were meant to be humorous, I assure you.

About a half hour later, he came back into the house (supper time brings them back every time  :) all smiles.  not too much smiling, but atleast in a more relaxed mood.  All was fine and we were back to talking sane for days to come.

In the winter time, i did not run the backhoe often, but when i did need it, there was somewhat of a tone of emergency involved.  either a neighbor was stuck along the road somewhere, or I needed to move a pile of snow, or wood for the woodstove.  It usually happened at nite.

I went out in the dark a few days later to start up the machine.  the first tickle item i touched, my fingers came out with grease.  the next spot, the same thing and so on.  By the time i got to grabbing the seat and steering wheel, both of which had enough grease to cover the palms of both hands, i was beginning to realise what had happened.  That nite that young son had gotten angry, he decided to follow some advice i had given him some years before.  Even tho he was only eight years old, he knew how to relate to the advice, "Don't get mad. Get even."  Since i did not have a rag in my pocket, my hands were not the only part of me to get covered with grease.  My pants and shirt had enough goo on them to cause a real explosion when i walked into the house.  Since my son was not around that evening, I never let on about the success of his little prank until years later when i told the story to my grandson, who, BTW is taking off in the same road as his dad.  I just thought it would be great for grandson to know the facts of life.  Of course I made it a point to wait til grandson, son and gan'pa were all together when I did tell the story.  : ;D ;D ;D ;D
Tinker

 

[Bill Wyko]

That's a great one. I got a wonderful chuckle outta that one. I too started driving on a John Deer at around 7 but never did the grease trick.

 

[Tinker]

Bill, Now I know you have atleast three hands.

grew up on a Farmall F-12 with the iron lug wheels and close front with the steel rim running edgewise.
I was about 11 or 12 and could reach not reach the pedals without sliding down off the seat.
To shift gears, I would practically lay on the tranny houseing and reach way forward to push the clutch as I reached up above my head to move the shift with my left hand as i hung on for dear life to the steering wheel with my right.

As for driving John Deere, I just never could find enough hands and feet to reach all of the levers and pedals i needed to find.  And that clutch was the killer for me.  a hand lever that was either IN or OUT.  there was no slipping it to ease the shifting or to start off easy.  For me, it was always a sudden lurch.  BUT, I could listen to that put-put-put----------- for hours.  I just loved to listen to them.

I was on the farm during the war years and those who did have John deeres could run on anything that could burn.  did not matter whether it was gasoline, diesel or fuel oil.  some of the farmers used to say they could run on butter if it could be fed into those monstrouse cylinders.

They were definitely easier to start than the Farmalls with that huge exposed flywheel.  Just oupen the cylinder petcock to relieve a little of the backpressure and turn the fly.  And off you went.  with the Farmalls, one learned very quickly to never let your arm go locked at the elbow and to never wrap your thumb around the crank.  As a matter of fact, to this day, even with power steering, i never wrap my thumb around any steering wheel.  not even while driving a car. 

I could go on forever with stories about driving farm tractors in the pre-power steering and pre-posi lock days.  All off topic and probably of interrest to nobody who has not experienced.
Tinker

 

[Per Swenson]

Thanks Tinker,

Great story. I hold a special fondness for the beasts.

Here is a picture of my brother Chris on the Farmall C.

This picture was taken on our Hippy Commune farm in 1974.

And you thought I just played a redneck on the internets. ;D

[attachimg=#]

Per

 

[Eli]

And you thought I just played a redneck on the internets. ;D

Per

I've been quite sure for some time that you are a real, no-fakin', redneck ;D

 

[Per Swenson]

Thanks Eli,

You guys keep setting me up...so

This picture was taken on the Hippy Commune Farm,

just prior to my arrival on this planet. Bob took this shot around 1957.

The young hand on the reins name is lost to history, at least ours.

Any way its a great dang picture of a way of life pre tractor.

Enjoy.

[attachimg=#]

 

[Eli]

Another particularly nasty trick, for an electrician who's crossed all the boundaries and needs a lesson:

With the appliance or circuit in question unplugged, insert a straight pin through wire/cable, doing your best to skewer as much copper as possible. Cut the protruding ends off the pin with a pair of nippers. Roll the cable on the ground under your foot, to hide the miniscule entry and exit points. Pick a good seat.

 

[cdconey]

giving the new guy a styrofoam cup to go get lacquer thinner...

 

[Eli]

One of our favorite tricks was an introduction to the electric fence.  I spent a lot of time working around the cows and so at times i would be wearing rubber knee boots instead of the local custom for kids of going barefoot most of the time. 

Tinker, you reminded me of a game I played with my next door neighbor when I was a kid in Vermont. It was called 'Zap', and consisted entirely of trying to bullshit the neighbor into grabbing your fence. It was almost as much fun when it was off.  ;D

 

[Tinker]

I had a little extra time and reviewed this conversation.

Bill Wyko reminded me of one i had forgotten.

I was still in the mason biz and my major contractor was a big man, almost as big around as he was tall.
He could be rather boisterous in a not too pleasing way and he and i would get into many arguements.
We found the best way to get along was when and arguement got to a point where one of us started yelling,
The other just walked away.  We soon cooled down and soon got back to a more sane conversation, or just went back to work.

One day, after he and i had had one of our little tiffs, and i had gotten back to work setting stone in a stone wall.
My nephew was operating the backhoe to place the stones and i would jimmy into place with a short bar.
Right next to where we were working was the porto potty.  The rock pile was just behind the potty and my nephew was set up so he was chaining rocks and swinging them directly over to porto potty and onto the wall.
The contractor had a rush call and went into the Porto potty.  While he was in there, my nephew got a piece of rope and very quietly tied it to the two handles on each side of the structure, got back onto the backhoe and gave the contractor a rather wild and shaky ride. 
Luckily, he had a sense of humor, as i continued doing all of his masonry for many more years until i had to retire.  His project was ready to go when I told him i could no longer do such heavy lifting. I had decided to get into landscaping to give my back a rest.  He gave me his landscaping work for another few years until he moved out of town.

Tinker