The path before me

I've seen wooden hats, wooden bats, baby rattles, and things with rings. I ask where will it end?

JD

Hi Kevin, I believe that at some point in your woodturning experience it's best from the standpoint of material success and becoming "known" to take the "path not taken" by the majority. If this isn't what you strive for then follow the crowd and enjoy the trip.

The pathways aren't totally and mutually exclusive, but I've watched the paths of several very accomplished woodturners who are now either forgotten or well known, and at some point they all had to choose their own exclusive path or follow the crowd.

It might seem an oxymoron, but if you do want to succeed in making turning wood more than an enjoyable personal hobby then don't turn things that are currently popular. Lead or "follow me" is as true for woodturners as for the infantry.

Just one old turner's response and subject to argument, but regardless I'm glad you are having fun as your turning gets better and better. Mine is beginning to slide down the other side of the bell curve, but I'm still having fun. :)

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

My path...

Six years ago I saw some wood turnings at an art museum. Bowls mostly. I wanted to know how to do that so I: Researched lathes Researched how to make a bowl on a lathe Bought a Nova DVR wood lathe Found out I needed tools Bought some turning tool Bought a Ellsworth bowl gouge Started making simple bowls Bought a grinder Bought the Wolverine grinding jig setup Bought a bandsaw Bought a riser block for above bandsaw Bought a Nova chuck with some jaws Took a class at a Woodcraft store Bought an angle drill to sand bowls Bought the outboard turning attachment Made lots of bowls Bought another chuck and some more jaws Started giving bowls away to friends until I saturated that market Made lots more "better" bowls Started to sell a few bowls Took a class with David Ellsworth Bought some DVD's of other turners Bought an inertia sander to sand bowls Had to find places to store the bowls that I made Accumulated a huge pile of chips and scraps in my backyard from all the turning Had to find people to take the scraps and found uses for the chips Sold a few more bowls Bought some hollowing tools Started turning a few things other than bowls (hollow vessels mostly) By that time I was turning so many bowls that my garages was over run with the mess Sold a cherry hollow vessel to our state rep to be given as a gift at the annual governors conference (a real pick me up for myself) Had offers from three art galleries that wanted to display and sell my work SOOO... I built a pole barn Made part of it into a workshop (this process occupied the past 2 and a half years) Sold my old lathe Bought a new Oneway 2436 By now I am on my 5th bowl gouge (too much grinding) Bought a dust collector Bought a large air compressor Bought a random orbital air sander to sand bowls Bought a laser guided hollowing set up I have now decided to try my hand at segmented work Bought a combo disk/belt sander

During the past 6 years I have seen so many marvelous things made by some very talented people, both in person and online, that I now realize there is no end to what you can learn. I have barely done any spindle turning. I have not done much with coloring or carving. The journey has only just begun. I have miles to go before I sleep.

My name is Ted and I am a turning addict...

you still have a few short stops such as redoing some of your own tool handles, but I would say the next stop is art, or more modestly - self expression after reaching a higher technical level, you can use fancier woods, experiment with various tools, try longer and longer finials, thinner vessels, or simply enjoy form, practically ignoring purpose. Check this, or many other sites, for examples:

way behind you, Max

Without being too Zen-ish, your path will lead you. Yes, if you are lucky there is a third stop, and a fourth, and so on...

When I began turning I was sure that I was a spindle turner. Yup, only furniture parts and architecture details, mostly on commission. I wanted nothing to do with bowls. And I was happy. Until a friend (who knew my turning desires and a lot more about life than I did) gifted me with a bowl gouge and a walnut bowl blank. For the next 6 years I did little else but hunt fallen trees and turn useful and practical bowls, occasionally turning some furniture parts and architecture details. But no pens. Would not ever do pens. Got a pen turning kit a few years for Christmas and turned the pens that came with the kit, didn't like turning the pens (phew!) but loved the instant way I could use all sorts of scraps for light pulls and key chains. And recently, like within the last year, flatwork and case work with hand tools has been calling me again, strongly, so I'm in the process of building a cabinetmaking bench and will again be turning furniture parts and architecture details, this time for me.

Maybe next it's hollow forms. Maybe not. Whatever. But more than anything, I've learned to look forward.

Don't fight the path. The path is fulfillment, and it will take you far. Be happy with the journey

Michael Latcha - at home in Redford, MI

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

Please remove splinters before emailing

Translucent, segmented, open form, eccentric, kinetics Components for wood sculptural art - combine carving, marquetry, etc. Inlay - ceramics, metal, stone, seashells, glass, other woods, etc. High tech - laser engraving, laser cutting, waterjet, NC saws, CNC milling Burns and Dyes - wood burning, acid burning, UV, dye, sandblast, paint "Exotic" materials - metals, bones, palm fronds and other plants, seeds, stone, glass, ceramics, cardboard, etc.

Create Tools - handtools, sharpening systems, software, lathes, saws, chucks, calipers, drying racks Create Kits - pens, goblets, yo-yos, tops, ornaments, knives, toys, puzzles Create Training - videos, magazine articles, books, classes

A few woodturning links for inspiration;

Don't worry about it. Just enjoy the trip and be sure and stop once in a while to smell the (insert favorite wood here) chips.

Wayne

P.S. I just hope your favorite wood doesn't stink like the dickens. :-)

Forget "path" and think "slippery slope".

You buy a metalworking lathe & mill and start all over

DAMHIKT

Alan

who will be collecting a new tool holder and super-duper carbide bits + extra parting tool blades tomorrow (Friday) so I can make some better parts for my tractor.

Woodturning part - I need and am making a dozen file handles, full size and another dozen for warding files for model making.