"NoNameAtAll" wrote in message
...
Way back in middle school the lathe was one of my favorite tools in shop
class.
I'd love to own one, but I'm having a difficult time convncing my wife
that I
need it. We just made candle holders in shop class, and while I'm sure
it's
great for things like table legs, lamps, and baseball bats I have to
concede
that I really can't think of any practical uses for it since I don't have
any
need to make any of those things. Actually making a homemade baseball bat
would
be kind of neat but it's tough to justify buying a lathe just for that. If
you
can help me convince my wife (and myself for that matter) of the
usefulness of
a lathe I'll be eternally grateful.

Definitely not being sarcastic here, so bear with me. I can justify
anything to my wife by telling her, "Honey, I'd like to buy XXX. I *could*
be sitting on my ass in the recliner drinking beer and watching football, or
smoking a pack a day, or playing golf, or (insert expensive hobby here), but
since I don't do any of that stuff, I need something to occupy my time."

Find a local woodturner's group and attend their meetings. Get a cheap mini
lathe (JET or Delta) and a decent set of lathe tools, and start by making
some stuff for her. Lathe work doesn't have to be practical at all (just
pick up a copy of American Woodturner magazine and see how much of that is
practical), but it's sure relaxing and lots of fun.

Keep in mind that lathe work, also, doesn't have to cost you a dime in terms
of wood supply. There's a lot of turners I know, and myself included, that
basically grab chunks off the firewood pile or beg short chunks from local
loggers or tree services. What will cost you is when you get into it and
start buying expensive tools, accessories, exotic burls and turning blanks,
and eventually a really big lathe. Obviously, you don't need all that, but
I bet I could *easily* spend more on a high-end lathe, tooling, accessories
and supplies than I could on an entire flatwork shop.

Jon E