Turning while Camping

No experience with spinning large pieces of wood in National Parks, but I used to carry my Jet mini and a workmate in our RV trailer..

I did quite a few pens in RV parks and usually sold at least one a weekend, usually covering the weekend park fee.. Great conversation starter, too.. ;-]

For a while we were considering full-time RVing and I sent out a spam to RV parks offering to give a basic turning class in exchange for park fees... I actually got 5 or 6 favorable replies..

BTW: the mini, workmate and a box of tools all fit under the bed, also accessible from a hatch on the outside of the RV.. I never stayed out more than a weekend, or I would have had to brought a grinder and jigs.. bummer..

OTOH, maybe a little axe/knife sharpening for the neighbors to make them less likely to complain about the idiot turning wood next door?

Oh.. you could also offer free shavings for kindling as a good neighbor thing.. As to the wife.. She really liked the lathe along because I drank less beer and had something to keep busy at while she did her thing.. lol

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

What an odd post.

I don't think they care about a little sawdust. But if you are seriously turning a 30 - 50 pound blank, you will make trashcan bags full of it. Will you be cleaning up after yourself?

Well, let's see. Say JD has his family enjoying a nice evening in the tent after a good day out at the park. JD Jr. is snoozing happily away and a 50 pound hunk slams into the fabric of the tent and smashes his head like a ripe melon.

Hmmm...... I wonder what JD would think. Should Wally Woodturner have been allowed to put life and limb of another's family at risk with no consideration for other park guests? Certainly something to ponder on the way to the hospital.

Here in Texas, we are a bit backwards. We try to catch folks that deface PUBLIC property, property paid for by tax payers. It is illegal, and they will prosecute and fine you like you wouldn't believe if they catch you.

And the logic of a seven year old is no defense. "Someone else did it first!" is no excuse. Let me help you. For example, you cannot use the heritage oak in a park for an engine hoist, even if someone years ago put a rope swing on it. And because there was a small scorched spot where an evening fire got out of hand, it doesn't mean you can haul your trash in and burn it on that spot as well. No piling on.

What kind of folding device could you build that would let you safely spin "a 30-50 lb. piece of wood turning at 1000-2000 rpm" ? It takes a pretty good chunk of metal lathe to spin a 50 piece at 1000 rpms, and that's the bottom of your example.

Transporting my own wood to the site for turning?

Most parks do not allow wood in or out for that very reason. Many do no allow fires at all since many areas have had such terrible droughts. You could be up against it with the wood problem. You should call the parks before you go.

Now you are talking about setting up a business on the park land. Not allowed here or in California. Having camped in both place quite a bit, they will no allow you to set up a "for profit" enterprise. To do that you must petition the proper governing agencies, provide proof of insurance, and still get approval. There are no approvals here (and none I saw in CA) as they rely on the income from their own gift shops as part of the budget considerations and since they are constantly in shortfall, the guard their territory well.

Good luck with all of this.

I think if you went to a park with a little mini lathe and screwed around turning small stuff, you would probably be just fine. There are others here that have done that, and even a couple I have been in contact with that used to turn simple Christmas ornaments in the Fall and trade them for beers. Never a problem.

But if you start spinning up 50 chunks of wood and put others at any kind of risk at all, they will not permit it. If you start cutting, sawing or drilling into the picnic tables (at least around here) you will be arrested. Unless you had your own generator, the probably won't let you use electricity for anything more than a light. Then if you are found out to be selling "commissions" in the park, they will most likely ask you to stop, and maybe write you a citation for illegal peddling.

But to do those things in a private park may be OK. They have their own rules, and you should check with them before starting anything up.

Like I said, good luck.

Robert

Thanks JD for raising an interesting question and to Robert and Mac for their usual cogent responses. I imagine most of us have mused about the ways & whys we enjoy camping. I mean weekends of just a few days in a tent or camper, not living in a semi-mobile domicile or a rented cabin for the season. Nothing wrong with that.

My 'whys' have always been for a change, a respite away from home and its usuals. My "ways' meant no lathes, tv's, computers, ham rigs, cell phones, air conditioners, electrical appliances, newspapers, even books. These are part of my life at home and each is a pleasure. I camped for a change to a simpler way and took as little impedimenta as possible. camping was not only for pleasure in itself, but also to enhance the pleasures of home. Camping was a change, never an escape.

Of course, the 'whys' & ways' of each of us will vary widely, but I camped to enjoy nature, not to turn wood or do what I was doing at home in a different location. No matter how nice the surroundings, I didn't want to read the NY times with eggs benedict & a latte for breakfast, watch the world series with a beer in the afternoon and enjoy beef bourguignon, baked alaska and a demi-tasse for dinner. I'd rather canoe, watch the sun set and roast hot dogs for supper and later at nite wonder about the man in the moon if someone had stolen my tent. :)

YMMV, but to me it's sad that people go to places of historical interest or exotic geography and spend their entire stay in a Holiday Inn. OTOH, for many of us (esp. wives) fine restaurants, tours, theaters, maid service and being generally pampered is a huge change. Camping in a great city ain't bad ..... if you can afford it!

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

"Arch" wrote: (clip)YMMV, but to me it's sad that people go to places of historical interest

I wholeheartedly agree. I still remember camping in Yosemite Valley, and seeing the setup at a nearby campsite: two families pitched their tents face to face, surrounded the space with tarps, and sat inside playing cards.

Want to do woodturning? Stay home. Or you could construct a large enclosed trailer, with a complete shop inside. Besides selling your turnings to the campers, you could probably get additional revenue by putting beer ads on the outside surfaces. For the sarcasm impaired: TIC.

OK, not that I don't agree with Arch, Leo, and others about camping is a release from everyday life, I guess I should better explain my real concern. A manager of local state park has contacted me wanting to do a fall crafts weekend. Basically, she would like to invite craftsmen to set up camp in the state park for the weekend and show off their abilities and products. I've contacted a few crafts people I've met over time (oak basket makers, wood carvers, etc.). She asked that I contact a few wood turners as well. I'm a bit concerned with the safety aspect of what COULD happen and possibly how to prevent it from happening. Also, if we decide to do some wood turning, how best to set up the mini lathe so that it won't be walking across the picnic table when turned on. Her thought was that each craftsman could show in progression how their art/craft is created (from raw stock to finished product).

Perhaps my toungue in cheek approach was a bit much but it was so dead on here lately I thought I'd at least get some responses (and I did), but they weren't exactly the responses I was looking for.

Sorry for the confusion.

JD (Kentucky)

I see and agree with a whole lot of what you said. Especially the "to each his own" parts.

But for me, camping IS an escape, and a chance to do something I really love to do.

My most fun camping trip was about 20 years ago when I went to Yosemite, and hiked the high loop in the wilderness area. Since so many people are hurt and killed in that area, they suggest you check in every other day to make sure you are OK, but that too, is optional.

For about 12 days I carried my pack, tent, food, and equipment about

160 or so miles. I slept in the tent, filtered my drinking water from the streams, ate dried food, bathed and washed clothes in the fresh COLD mountain water, and walked through the prettiest terrain I had ever seen in my life. I was with my BIL, and it was not as good a trip for him because he got altitude sickness as the trip from the floor of Yosemite valley to the upper rim of Mt. Vogelsang is quite a difference in height.

With no business phones, no home phones, no pagers, no TV, or any of the other trappings of my daily life I had the best time you can imagine.

Strange what you remember. My natural tendency is to be a night owl. However, that lifestyle wore me out so badly that I would make camp, eat, sometimes read for a few minutes (I took Dumas' Three Musketeers with me) and then go to bed. That meant that I got up at dawn, as the birds couldn't wait to get going so they were sqawking and singing away at first light. It was heaven.

I remember too, one of the things that gave me intense pleasure. I would wake up, and in the dim light I would pour a cup full of water in my large stainless cup and light my mountain camp stove. By the time I had boiling water for coffee, the sun was usually just starting to peek over the gorgeous scenery that seemed to be every place you looked in Yosemite. I can't tell you what it was like to sit with a cup of coffee on a 40 degree morning and watch the sun come up over the mountains and pine trees.

Thanks for stirring that memory, Arch.

Robert

"JD snipped-for-privacy@wku.edu" wrote: (clip) A manager of local state park has contacted me wanting to do a fall crafts

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Well, that's altogether different. Never mind.

JD, I reread your original post, and I think you will agree that it gives a totally different impression. :-)

I do, that is the reason I reposted with some added info. Sorry for the short sightedness (I'll ask the eye doctor about that when I'm in to see him next week). ;)

JD

Good posts, JD and all, No criticism here, just trying to help you keep the old ng going.

Your explanation explains. Seems you were asked to demonstrate turning at a camp to help out the manager, not asked to go camping. All the club program chairmen on rcw know her problem and can empathize.

How about making a small bungee lathe, dimension lumber held together with nuts & bolts that can be taken down & put up easily. More in keeping with camp, takes few tools, uses small green limbs, is safe and cheap discounting the cost of aspirin and liniment plus loss of a day's work to recuperate. :) Anyway your thread sort of reminds me of a quote from Henry Adams (great- grandson of John) ..."No one means all he says and yet very few say all they mean for words are slippery and thought is viscous." Whew! Guess I need to get out more and go camping, wth or without my carbatec. :)

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

I think that, for a number of people who cannot squeeze in enough turning in their busy home schedules, turning on vacation would indeed be a relaxing diversion. Certainly, viewing the local scenery is an attractive reason for a vacation, but a little fun turning can also be a valuable part of a trip away from home.

As to risk, the natural limitations of a mini-lathe reduces the risk of a large, unstable piece becoming a missile. Even so, with reasonable care applied as to size of a blank and the speed of turning. Compared to the safety issues associated with what the foolish things some people do with campfires, a mini-lathe seems pretty tame by comparison. As in any woodworking project (or camping project, for that matter) common sense and sensitivity to the safety and needs of others has to be applied. In short, I don't think that turning in a RV camping environment is inherently unsafe or discourteous. It depends on how you do it.

As to portability/mounting, clamping a mini-lathe to workmate type of platform, or mounting it to a piece of plywood that is in turn clamped to a picnic table would provide enough stability without damaging anything in the campsite.

For a number of years now, our woodturners' club has had an annual pot- luck summer picnic at a shelter at a local park. We usually bring 4 or 5 mini-lathes for fun-turning, casual demonstrations and teaching interested new turners (including kids). Neighboring picnic-ers would occasionally drop by and visit, "ooh" and "ah" a bit and ask questions, adding to the fun. We have never had a problem with flying objects, injury, damage to property or leaving a mess behind. Then again, nobody has tried to turn any 30-50 pound blanks on any of these small lathes, either. We are a bit careful about what we turn and make sure we clean up afterward.

Again, it depends on how you go about it.

Bob in NC

Thanks Bob for the info.

I had concidered the possibility of mountin the lathe to a piece of ply that could then be clamped to the table. That should work quite well and be easy to set up and take down.

As to the sizes of pieces being turned, I'm sure you understand I was being sarcastic when I said a 30-50 lb of wood, but I'm not sure it really depends on the size of the piece. For example, I was just turning a few of Darrell Feltmate's spatulas for my wife and for the camper when one of them come apart (partly with the help of a catch of the skew) and sent shards of wood flying all over the shop. My concern is protecting those who would like to be watching the turning in progress. I've considered suspending a piece of 9 gauge chain link fence between the demonstrators and the watchers, but thought small missle like peices could still fly through the holes in the fence (obviously this is a worst case scenario but thinking this way for 15 years in the parks and recreation field are habits hard to break and ones I'm not ready to do away with).

I appreciate your feedback on the matter and have jotted down some notes for reference. Again, thanks for the help.

JD

Considering the cost of fuel and the mpg of most of those rigs, it may come to beer ads on the side for many of them!

I sorta like the idea of Mac's where you turn just enough to pay for the trip. I met a fellow at a camp site on Barren River Lake in Kentucky this past April who carves fish from driftwood he collects. He told me since retiring 3 years ago he and his wife have basically lived in campgrounds and his carvings paid for 50% of his campground fees. Now if I could make enough to pay for the fuel, I'd gladly pay the camping fee.

JD

I'd still recommend the workmate or equivalent..

I've turned a LOT of stuff on the mini while it was on the workmate with maybe a clamp or 2 holding it down if needed..

Folds flat for storage and makes a good end table later when you're doing some star gazing and enjoying a few adult beverages..

NOTE: Assuming that you have power at the park, plug directly into that, not the outside plugs on an RV.. most are GPF and don't work well with power tools..

Also, if you don't have power, be vary careful running a lathe on a generator.. I burned out the starting capacitor on my Jet mini doing that.. YMWV

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Laying aside the idea, never do the concept. Why, many states would then consider the rig a "commercial" rig and require you have a CDL, etc (yes I know people this has happened to)

They are called a "toy hauler" and just about every RV dealer carries a line of them.

In message , Ralph E Lindberg writes

Not being from the States, I still get to see your TV, and often see RV's with stickers on they stating where the person has visited, I am surprised they haven't figured a way of taxing you for advertising their State or should that be licence you ? :)

Stop that line of thought, John. One of Florida's legislators may surf this ng. So far we don't need a license to own a homeshop lathe, but no woodturner's life, liberty or shop is safe when legislature is in session. :(

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

In message , Arch writes

Its as bad in the UK, if they could Tax thought..... :)