Help me ......I've fallen into the vortex!

[Mike Svoma]

Hello everyone. I am new to the site......have been lurking around for quite a while I just wanted to post a few pictures of some thing that I have been working on. Here goes.

The first few pictures are of some ash handles that I made for the hollowing tools that I got from fellow creeker and new friend, Jeff Nicol, or as I like to call him, Obi-Wan Kenobi. He has been my mentor in these early days of my new hobby. Thanks Jeff.

The next few pictures are a couple of small birdhouses that I made. The bodies are red cedar. One has a black walnut cap and lower finial, and the other has an ash cap and a hard maple lower finial. The are fun to make. The next picture is a small bowl made of spalted birch with a piece of black cherry in the bottom to repair a part of the bowl that was extremely punky.

And finally, pictures of my first green turned rough bowl. I got this chunk of cherry from another creeker, Greg Haugen. He came to do a demo back in March for our club, the Chippewa Valley Woodturners Guild. Thanks Greg.

Sorry about the quality of the photos.....the photo studio has not been assembled yet.

Comments welcome.

Mike Svoma

[Steve Schlumpf]

Mike - Welcome to the Creek! I see that Jeff has you fully immersed into the vortex! Very nice work on everything! Really like the birdhouse ornaments! Nice forms and wood colors! Tool handles look really good also!

Roughing out green wood can be very addicting because it is just way to much fun! Enjoy and remember the good folks here love helping others get deeper into the vortex! So - make sure to ask lots of questions!

Again - Welcome! Looking forward to seeing more of your work real soon!

[Rich Boehlke]

Mike, There is no helping you now, might as well get back to the shop.
Welcome to the Creek.

[Bill Bolen]

Welcome Mike! You are doing some beautiful work. Good mentors are hard to find but you got a good 'un...Bill...

[Alan Huey]

Gee, I am sorry. There is no helping you now. Nice work so far.;)

[Jeff Nicol]

Mike, I am so sorry to push you so deep so fast, but sometimes it is nice to have friends in that deep dark whooshing of the Vortex!! Nice tools too by the way! Where is the other pretty blue one? I also notice some other tools in the one picture........part of a Summit tree stand perhaps? Nice to see you and your lovely bride yesterday, hope you were yourself out roughing all that fresh Black cherry!

See you soon,

Jeff

[Bernie Weishapl]

Welcome to Creek Mike. You have some great looking turnings there. I really like doing birdhouses also.

[Mike Svoma]

Thanks for all the kind words guys. I hope to be swirling around in this thing we call the vortex for many years to come. With someone guiding me, such as Jeff Nicol is, this should not be a problem.

Jeff, I didn't get any time last night to start on any of the cherry yet, but I hope to through a few blanks on the lathe tonight after Easter dinner. I did manage to get out into the shop this morning and rough out my first hollow form ( boxelder from Jeff).

Yes Jeff, those are some spare cables for my Summit Viper treestand.

Pictures of my new steady rest that Jeff made for me will follow in another post.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Welcome to the Vortex and Very nice stuff.

Bruce