Though I have only been at this craft for only a short 12 years, I have spent many hours studying, learning the tools, and a lot of in’s and out’s. I
also spent a lot of my free time including evenings and weekends woodturning. I am totally addicted to the craft! Having automotive painting skills in my younger years has been a great help in the sanding, sealing, and final finishes I use in my woodturnings today. I think the biggest addiction for me is the fact that each piece is unique in shape, color, grain,wood species, and there is no end to the combination types of embellishments and finishes. It makes every piece a true one of a kind treasure.
When I put a log or blank on the lathe, it’s like unwrapping a gift from Mother Nature, as you never know what waits under that bark cover.
I started out by buying a cheaper Harbor Freight lathe with the idea of making furniture legs for projects. A wildfire burnt most of the trees on our property so I had a tons of wood to work with. I never completed a single furniture piece as this spun into making other artistic pieces shown on this site instead.
I still use the old lathe and chuck to hold pieces I airbrush color dye, spray lacquer on along with other finishing in the paint room.
A steady rest is used here for the
hollowing of larger vessels and forms.