Help for a thankful newbie turner

[Aaron Wingert]

Just started turning less than a month ago. I've had some successes, and more failures. Actually, my failures were gaining in frequency and I was becoming a little frustrated. After voicing the problems I was having with the bowl gouge in one of my recent threads, I received a friendly email from a fellow creeker, Dean Thomas. He lives a few miles from me, and offered to come to my shop to spend some time with me working on the basics and fundamentals. Of course I took him up on it. We didn't just work with the bowl gouge, we went over spindle turning as well. After working with him for FOUR HOURS in the freezing cold garage, I feel like the light has come on! Having someone that knows their stuff show me the fundamentals (and what I was doing wrong) is much, much better than countless hours of reading online and watching videos. Dean's instruction was very clear, helpful, and appreciated more than words can express.

Thanks Dean.

[Paul Atkins]

In 10 years you'll pass your knowledge on to some other newbie and he'll be just as grateful.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Aaron....I don't know what it is about turners...but by nature a large majority of them are like that!

Kudos Dean!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Aaron - always great to hear when fellow Creekers get together, especially when they are there to offer assistance! Sounds like Dean cleared up some of the questions you had about gouges! Turning is a lot more fun once you get past the basics! Thanks for sharing and kudos to Dean for going the extra mile (literally) to help out a fellow turner!

[Dewey Torres]

Great to know...now who shall I recruit here in the springs to help me:confused::cool:

[Cyril Griesbach]

Aaron, I'm quite sure that Dean belongs to the local AAW chapter and hopefully he has encouraged you to join so your learning experience continues.

[Aaron Wingert]

Yup, he sure did. I'm actually going to a turning session they're having this weekend just to take a look around and watch.

[Tom Green]

Isn't it great to mave a mentor! I called a guy(had never met him) who had some turnings in a local gallery and he was more than happy to help me out. I truly believe it's taken a year or two off the learning curve.

Here's a pat on the back to all of you who have taken one of us newbies under your wing.

Hopefully we'll be able to do the same someday.

Tom

[Dean Thomas]

Aaron, I'm quite sure that Dean belongs to the local AAW chapter and hopefully he has encouraged you to join so your learning experience continues.
Yes, he certainly did! :) And I suspect that I'll see Aaron on Saturday at one of our chapter's Learn to Turn Saturdays when we'll be concentrating on pen turning, Freedom Pens in particular, and prepping folks to help at the KC Woodworking Show in a few weeks when we'll man Craft Supply's booth and help a couple of hundred folks to turn themselves a pen, many for their very first woodturning project.

Aaron was a very willing student. He picked up pretty quickly and was able to grasp some basic techniques that will make his live MUCH easier when it comes to bowls.

Both of us are looking forward to another get together.

[Jeff Nicol]

Aaron, I think you got a great mentor and the lessons will last a lifetime! Dean sounds like he has all the connections and patience to get you started in the right direction. I offer help just about once a week. Guys come to my shop and we chat and turn what ever they are looking to learn. I turned a miniature hollow form yesterday for a friend who was baffled at how I could do it! He took it home for his wife along with a bag full of turning stock! The mini will ease the pain of bringing home more wood!! He does a lot of flat work and is still learning on the lathe, so he asked me to make him a nice marking knife for layout of dovetails and other things. More projects!

Great story and wonderful beginning!

Jeff