Sentence:  Freshie wants to turn ; he is literally yearning to turn, and he isn't going to take any chances on being put to help the carpenter saw wood, so he has figured it out in his little <WSD>brainlet</WSD>, that the best way to get a lathe is to pick one out and camp on it till the instructor gives him something to turn. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A small brain; the brain of someone or something small or of someone who is not very intelligent.