diff --git a/pyfpdb/Database.py b/pyfpdb/Database.py
index 1cdbe06d..2af36594 100755
--- a/pyfpdb/Database.py
+++ b/pyfpdb/Database.py
@@ -505,6 +505,14 @@ class Database:
 # Start of Hand Writing routines. Idea is to provide a mixture of routines to store Hand data
 # however the calling prog requires. Main aims:
 # - existing static routines from fpdb_simple just modified
+
+    def lock_for_insert(self):
+        """Lock tables in MySQL to try to speed inserts up"""
+        try:
+            self.get_cursor().execute(self.sql.query['lockForInsert'])
+        except:
+            print "Error during fdb.lock_for_insert:", str(sys.exc_value)
+    #end def lock_for_insert
     
     
     def storeHands(self, backend, site_hand_no, gametype_id
diff --git a/pyfpdb/SQL.py b/pyfpdb/SQL.py
index b75a17dc..d6c289c1 100644
--- a/pyfpdb/SQL.py
+++ b/pyfpdb/SQL.py
@@ -1562,6 +1562,13 @@ class Sql:
             else:  # assume postgres
                 self.query['analyze'] = "vacuum analyze"
 
+            if db_server == 'mysql':
+                self.query['lockForInsert'] = """
+                    lock tables hands write, handsplayers write, handsactions write, players write, hudcache write
+                    """
+            else:  # assume postgres
+                self.query['lockForInsert'] = ""
+
 if __name__== "__main__":
 #    just print the default queries and exit
     s = Sql(game = 'razz', type = 'ptracks')
diff --git a/pyfpdb/fpdb_import.py b/pyfpdb/fpdb_import.py
index dde0875c..b6a19415 100644
--- a/pyfpdb/fpdb_import.py
+++ b/pyfpdb/fpdb_import.py
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ class Importer:
         self.fdb.db.rollback()         # make sure all locks are released
 
         self.NEWIMPORT = False
-        self.allow_hudcache_rebuild = True;
+        self.allow_hudcache_rebuild = False;
 
     #Set functions
     def setCallHud(self, value):
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ class Importer:
             self.fdb.afterBulkImport()
         else:
             print "No need to rebuild indexes."
-        if self.settings['dropHudCache'] == 'drop':
+        if self.allow_hudcache_rebuild and self.settings['dropHudCache'] == 'drop':
             self.database.rebuild_hudcache()
         else:
             print "No need to rebuild hudcache."
@@ -323,24 +323,6 @@ class Importer:
 
         filter_name = filter.replace("ToFpdb", "")
 
-#  Example code for using threads & queues:  (maybe for obj and import_fpdb_file??)
-#def worker():
-#    while True:
-#        item = q.get()
-#        do_work(item)
-#        q.task_done()
-#
-#q = Queue()
-#for i in range(num_worker_threads):
-#     t = Thread(target=worker)
-#     t.setDaemon(True)
-#     t.start()
-#
-#for item in source():
-#    q.put(item)
-#
-#q.join()       # block until all tasks are done
-
         mod = __import__(filter)
         obj = getattr(mod, filter_name, None)
         if callable(obj):
@@ -397,6 +379,9 @@ class Importer:
         self.pos_in_file[file] = inputFile.tell()
         inputFile.close()
 
+        # fix fdb and database cursors before using this:
+        #self.database.lock_for_insert() # ok when using one thread
+
         try: # sometimes we seem to be getting an empty self.lines, in which case, we just want to return.
             firstline = self.lines[0]
         except: