On Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:27:03 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

It's all a lot of fun, no matter where you are on the path of turning.
It seems anymore with the mix of materials, decorating techniques, and
specialty tools there is no end. I tend to turn wood like the blazes
and then go to something else, then come back.

I just bought an Akeda dovetail jig and I am sure I will be
dovetailing an box jointing my days away for a while. But, there too,
I will be back on the lathe for a project I have in mind. I am
thinking of a blanket chest or small jewelry boxes with turned "bun"
feet. I also would like to try building a Federal style piece that
had the 1/2 column pilasters on the sides. That would come off the
lathe as well.

But as far as what you can do with the lathe, there doesn't seem to be
any limit anymore. And as far as how much it cost to keep up with the
Joneses for the newest woodturning trend, there doesn't seem to be
much limit that either.

Hey... at least at the lathe we are doing something constructive with
out time, right?

Robert

You got that right!
When we moved to Baja, I decided to pretty much give up TV.. especially
football..
Suddenly, I have 20 or more hours a week to spend in the shop...

I'm on such a twisted path.. and I love it..
I got back into wood because my wife decided in 03 to go to law school..
She was going to have NO life, so I figured that getting back into flat work
would/wood keep me off the streets..
I blew the dust off the tools, bought a few more and started teaching myself to
build drawers to hide stuff in the shop...
Somehow, after a few months, I stumbled on Darrell Feltmates turning page and
read the section on turning firewood... damn!
I used to turn, but bought kiln dried wood... and didn't have much of a budget
for that...
One day I grabbed a chunk of firewood out of the back of the truck and threw it
on the Shopsmith and made a lidded box.. something I hadn't done in maybe 20
years.. When my wife saw it, she said something like "I didn't know that you
knew how to do that", and brought home a 1.4 cord of plum firewood and said
"make some Christmas presents"..

Well, things got weird after that... she liked the turned stuff and bought me
more wood and a Jet mini... WOW! a real lathe..
Then, of course, I needed a chuck, better chisels, etc., etc...

Meanwhile, the flatwork got side tracked, because since every flat surface in
the garage/shop had logs, bowls, stuff drying, etc. on it, I couldn't find the
TS or work bench surface any more..

6 years and 2 more lathes later, I'm in Mexico, a professional turner... and she
gave up law school after 1 year and retired from her day job so we could move
here...
Ya just never know where life is gonna lead you... and it's a blast getting
there..


mac

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