I've noticed that in the turning club I joined, the "old hands" seem
to have found a particular type of turning - say

natural edged bowls (winged or not)
or
"closed forms", maybe with tiny openings in the top
or
plates and platters,
or
pens, rolling pins and other cylindrical things
or
"lidded boxes"
or
BIG semi open forms
or
thin walled forms (as in "paper thin" / translucent)
or
hats
or
goblets, with or without captured rings

and having found a type of turning they enjoy - and get really
good at - tending to stick primarily with that type of turning,
using one, two or maybe three tools almost exlusively.

That approach verifies that practice does make perfect - or
at least makes for doing pieces that are a cut well above the
typical example of the type of turning they are really into.
Focus on one thing, to the exclusion of almost everything
else, until you've perfected it. Once perfected keep making
variations of it.

I, on the other hand, am more like a BB in a boxcar, bouncing
around all over hell, trying just about any type of turning
I'm exposed to ("to which I'm exposed" for the English Majors).
I'll play with an idea or technique 'til I can do it, not necessarily
very well, but adequately, then, rather than get pretty good
at it, find something else to try. Maybe I have WTADD (Wood
Turning Attention Defecit Disorder) or perhaps just haven't
found a type of turning to really explore - yet.

Ironically, I tend to use one type of tool - a curved edge skew
- in 1/2" and 3/4" - for just about everything, though I have
a chisels and gouges holder full of other chisels and gouges.

So my questions is:

How long did it take you to find The One type of turning
you do almost exclusively?
or
How long have you been searching for The One?

charlie b
"condemned to wander the woodturning worl - forever?"