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I have just been wondering what is a mistake you have done with a tool. There have been a few new members concerned, maybe about using a tool or maybe breaking it. I for one can remember being extremely concerned when I first picked up a powered drill and then a whopping 300mm grinder! Practice, logic and taking it easy while wearing the right gear for the job in hand is what it came down to.
One of my recent mistakes (Yep we all do them 
) I was using some timber screws to fasten the hardwood merbau boards to hardwood posts and I kept shearing the screws off.... I couldnt for the life of me figure out what I was doing wrong. It worked for me last time and I was "Sure" I was doing it the same this time....
Torque drill on the left with adjustable torque settings (speed) On the right an impact driver.
Ozito PXC 18V Cordless Drill and Impact Driver PX2PAK-500 - Kit
The mistake was made here.... I was using the impact driver to screw the timber screws in, I had predrilled and countersunk the holes but still every second screw would shear off. Went into Bunnings multiple times trying to figure it out. "Impact driver" verse Torque driver..... Impact think of chocka chocka chocka as the screw is driven in. Torque driver think of slowly accelerating your cars wheels. No wonder I was snapping the screws. Once I started using the torque drive (I notched the torque down 2 levels) no more snapped screws! They screwed in with that wind down sound
Powered Makita drill with a countersink drill attachment.
Old time trick to make it easier to screw the screws into the timber. Run the screw through some soap, works extremelly well.
Once I had figured out my mistake
So thats just one of my mistakes, what mistakes can you add to this pool of knowlege? Tempeted to tag some of us but lets see
dave
Another one to add to the ongoing list for me....
Snapping my countersink drillbits.... Seriously snap a fair few of them. I put it down to generally lagging muscles while drilling screw holes for hardwood decking or privacy screens. When I am tired I place more weight on the drill while drilling and fail to hold it vertical, as soon as I do that "snapo"
Spare packet of five is my answer
Dave
Unbelievable as it sounds - yes, I did it.
It was the early 1970's and I was "Noggin Boy" for the day at my father's building site.
Wood was all 4 X 2 cypress pine.
I was using his Senco framing gun and making a meal of it. Some nails were shooting up through the top of the noggin or below - few were dead centre.
My father was unimpressed - ''you need to be more accurate."
So I thought it would be good to rest my head on the stud, squint down the noggin with my right eye - extend my arm with the gun - and try to keep the barrel of the gun in line with the noggin.
I was a weedy lad, the gun was/is very heavy - and I fired.
Guess what happened?
Evening @Noyade
Oh man.... cringing and looking at the screen with one eye closed.... The things we do when we arnt thinking... 
Ouch is all that I can say...
Dave
Evening @J-P
I shouldnt smile as I still find out what certain things do to make life easy (only found out a yearish ago that Bunnings have drill guages next to their drills.... Ugh lol I found the button that locks the disk on the grinder by chance, not because I read how to operate it either
Dave
Evening @J-P
Well I thought I could "blink" faster then sawing through a piece of timber with a circular saw... One trip to the Doctors for a piece in my eye prooves me wrong... Live in and learn. And yeah I really knew better
Dave
Hi @Dave-1
The 90mm nail came outta the side of the stud, shattered the right side of my spectacle frame and carried on into the building.
My father saw it all outta the corner of his eye.
There were loud words.
