trouble brewing

[Lee Koepke]

LOML and I hosted our first 'booth' at a local craft show. Ya know, it was pretty fun. It feels good to have people other than your family/friends see value in what you do!

We sold a few items, took some special orders for a few more, and met some nice people.

The trouble comes when I met a wood turner that had a booth around the corner. REAL nice fella ... tells me he has a mini-lathe and a few tools he needs to get rid of, and he's willing to show me how it works..... I think I may end up tripping and falling down that slippery slope .. :(

:D:D:D

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Come on in ....said the spider to the fly.........:rolleyes:

[Lee Koepke]

I'm skeered ... him and his friend were entirely too eager to drag me in ... it seems like a trap ... haha

[Steve Vaughan]

don't be skeert. you know you want to.

[Tom Sherman]

A new lathe and tools AND someone to show you the ropes ... it don't get any better. Come on in the water is fine.

[David E Keller]

Sounds like you met a good, upstanding citizen who was only trying to help you expand your horizons... The fact that you will abandon all the rest of your woodworking tools after turning on the lathe is just a coincidence. I look forward to you joining the turner's forum shortly.:D

[Aaron Wingert]

I hear a sucking sound.....:D

[Ken Fitzgerald]

You have to admit David......table saws make nice places to stack turning blanks and turning tools.

[Ron Jones near Indy]

Be strong! Resist!

Bet ya give in to the vortex.

[John Keeton]

Lee, I would go ahead without fear. You probably won't even like it, and surely won't ever want to buy anymore turning tools, and there is absolutely no chance you would abandon all your other woodworking interests!:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Go ahead....it is just a little mini lathe....

I see to remember when I used to post in the General Woodworking forum, and even used to post some furniture in the Projects forum.....memory is hazy and distant.....must have been years ago.....:confused:

[Alan Zenreich]

And just remember that you can still keep all your flat-work tools around to build shelves for all your turned items.

[Lee Koepke]

or I could continue my 'flatwork' to create new exciting blanks to turn ... its always been something I wanted to try.

[Gary Hodgin]

Run away from that slope! A couple $100 for the lathe, a couple more hundred for high quality tools (you might start with cheap ones, but might as well go first class for beginning since that's where you'll "need" to be in a couple of months). Then comes the extension bed and more tools. Then you find the mini is too small. You need one of the big boys. Next, you're waiting on the next storm so you can take you're new big boy chainsaw out to gather "free wood." Etc....
As I said, Run!

[Gary Herrmann]

That's how it starts. "It's just a mini-lathe."

Surely, you won't upgrade to a 600 lb lathe later. You won't need more turning tools. Steady rests. Hollowing systems. Coring systems. And...

Oh wait. Are we talking about you or me?

Look at it this way. At least you didn't post this on the turning forum...



Enjoy the ride.

[Rob Cunningham]

You can't resist the pull of the spinning vortex. Hold onto your wallet and jump in.:)

[Lee Koepke]

......and this Friday I have a friend delivering 4 or 5 sections of a small cherry tree he had to remove from his house (6 or 8" dia) ....

I'd like to try turning some bowls / trays..... and you know, this will ultimately cost me 25-30 grand to build my detached workshop/garage since the 600 lb lathe wont fit in my crowded basement shop ...

I see how this works, now ....

[gary Zimmel]

Don't worry Lee, it really is quite painless. You will get the midi lathe and a bunch of tools. Make a few bottle stoppers and bowls. Next you will believe you need one of those Mustard Monster's. After you rearrange your shop the second lathe will fit in nicely. Now you need a few more chucks and other goodies for the mustard monster. Shortly after you will need Randy P's phone number so you can get the gear to do sweet hollow forms. Your table saw will become a place to take pics to post on the Creek...
How do I know? All this has happened to me... In just over a year... And now I'm waiting for my shipment from Randy.
But we are having a blast!
Welcome to the vortex. Hang on she's a wild ride...

[Van Huskey]

I have avoided the round stuff by putting it off until I am willing to afford a 3520B or a Oneway, since I KNOW that if I start it won't be long until I end up there... about a week.

[David E Keller]

I have avoided the round stuff by putting it off until I am willing to afford a 3520B or a Oneway, since I KNOW that if I start it won't be long until I end up there... about a week.
I'd wait until you're willing to afford both... You won't need both but the 'extras' that you'll end up wanting will likely equal or exceed that second lathe.

[Jim Underwood]

Ya meet the nicest folks when you get into woodturning. They'll do just about anything for ya, as long as they kin drag ya into the vortex with 'em....:D

I started on that mini-lathe path about 6 years ago, and haven't looked back. It's been loads of fun.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Ha ha ha...He he he, You have no idea what your about to be!! In days gone by they thought the world was FLAT. Once they sailed Around they could never go back.:eek::eek::eek::D

[Steve Schlumpf]

Looking forward to seeing your new lathe gloat over on the Turners Forum! Have fun!

[Michael James]

Lee,
Learn how to make some pens, you don't need all the extras to turn drop dead gorgeous or large pieces of art. Oh maybe later, but not now. In fact you might hang at the turner's section, just to see what you don't have to make just because you got a good deal on a mini lathe.

[Van Huskey]

I'd wait until you're willing to afford both... You won't need both but the 'extras' that you'll end up wanting will likely equal or exceed that second lathe.


You speak the truth. It is like a shaper, once you get it you need a power feeder and the tooling will kill you.

[William Hutchinson]

Why does it always start out the same way? Some poor innocent looking into the open mouth of a crocodile and asking his friends if he can touch the glistening teeth without getting bit. And his fingerless friends, holding back their laughter, say, "it ain't bit anybody yet".

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y66/wlhutch/crocodile-7.jpg

Tell the man the truth. Lathes are freaking additive. You will spend a boat load of money on tools and exotic woods to craft round stuff that you can make without much of a plan, finish instantly, debate 'forms' and liken yourself as an artist to boot. It's great fun and relatively quiet that you can do at all hours. And then you get to pass the leash over to another poor sap who looks longingly at your pet croc.

[Mike Cruz]

Try it...what's the worst that can happen? :rolleyes:

[Rick Markham]

I have avoided the round stuff by putting it off until I am willing to afford a 3520B or a Oneway, since I KNOW that if I start it won't be long until I end up there... about a week.

I have managed thus far to hang on to the rim of this spinning vortex thingy... steeeeks... stumps... and all... Though I feel my grasp is slipping... Unfortunately now instead of wanting to save for the 3520B I want a dang metal lathe and upright mill... Something is going to go round and round at some point... hopefully it won't be my dang head anymore.

I just took my wallet out and flushed it down the toilet... just to watch my money go down the vortex:eek:

[Tom Sherman]

You know how the old saying goes 'Misery lo...er I mean the 'More the Merrier':D

[Bernie Weishapl]

Lee get the lathe and tools. Take a lesson or two from him. Jump right on in cause the water is fine. My table saw is now a shelf for turning blanks.:eek:

[Jim Burr]

Walk toward the light!!! Only the light can set you free and by turning...you are free!!!! ;););):D:D

[Matt Ranum]

Save yourself!! Run!! :o:eek:


:rolleyes:



On second thought.....come on in the waters fine :cool:




Addicted? Me? Why I can stop this spinning stuff anytime I want I tell ya!


But......You'll never look at a tree the same way again.;)

[Chris Padilla]

I have no idea what any of you are talking about...this is the flatlander's forum here...what is this spinny thing you speak of?

Maybe this thread is in the wrong forum!! ;)

[Gary Hodgin]

Had Warren Buffett taken up turning at 40 he would be living off his social security check today.

[Mike Wenman]

Definitely come on in. How bad can it really be? Just think how nice that little mini lathe will look sitting next to your bandsaw, drill press and grinder. It's just that little something extra that you need to turn your shop into a studio. Oh, don't worry about your table saw, you can use it to cut blanks for those yo-yo's you want to turn and give as gifts to your grand kids or the blanks needed that those pens you want to give the inlaws to stay in their good graces, so don't resist..come on in.

Mike

[Dan Wasson]

But......You'll never look at a tree the same way again.;)

Oh how true that is. Now when my kids and I are walking in the woods, they find the burls and interesting trees before I do.

Jump on in, the vortex if fine!!!!!:D:D:D

[James Combs]

I built me a nice 20'x32' workshop in the spring after retiring in March (09). Stocked it with some fairly nice equipment (dust-collector, table-saw, 2 band-saws, miter-saw, router table, planer, cabinet maker's bench, drill press, metal lathe, mill, and various other tools etc..:) I look around and said to my self, this is everything I need to keep me busy now that I am retired.:D Then I went looking for projects, got an old rocker to repair that had blown out of the back of a pickup truck. It had several broken "spindles" in it's back so I went looking for spindles on the web. No such luck so I check with a friend of mine that has a lathe and he agreed to turn them for me while I watched. Hmmmm, Hmmmm, Hummm, I said to my self, I could do that.:cool: I'll just get myself a midi lathe for "repair" work,:eek: I hadn't really thought about needing one of those when setting up the shop. Of course now I had to get some turning tools, and of course a chuck will help speed things up, oh and yeah, I better get a set of cole jaws (they look handy) and why bother having to change them out, I'll just get another chuck to dedicate to them, I guess I better get another face plate or too also, never know when I might need that. By then it was getting close to Christmas and be low on funds by now :rolleyes:what can I get my family for gifts?:confused: I saw some wooden pens at Woodcraft the other day, I bet I could make some of those.;) Huhh what's that sucking sound. Must be my ears, they have been ringing a lot lately but never heard that before... well like I was saying, I can make a few pens and be done with Christmas and get back hobby stuff.:rolleyes:

...I could continue this story clear up to today, it would include cups and bowels, boxes more pens, fancy finials and the like and an ever increasing sucking noise (got to get my ears checked:D) but I think you get the idea. oh and BTW I still need to get back to the "hobby stuff":cool:

[James Roberts]

Just try some....it won't hurt you....everybody else is doing it....the wood is free, it grow on trees all the time....CANDY, LITTLE BOY???:eek:

[Robert Arrowood]

Yea it ain't bad.I watched a guy turn a pen.Thought man I want to try that.My first lathe was free "I won it".A guy on another site was gitting rid of one and had a drawing.NOW I HAVE 4 of them.So no it ain't bad.

[Bruce Page]

Sigh, another one bites the dust...

[Lee Koepke]

:D

the more I think about it, the more I like it. So, you guys probably will see me in the round forum on occasions ... gimme a couple of weeks to pick up the tool and give it a spin, so to speak ..

Thanks for the encouragement (and warnings) :cool:

[Tom Sherman]

Cool looks like we got another one Ken.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Hey Bernie....Hey John.....Chalk up another one!:rolleyes:

[alex carey]

There once was a man named lee,
a flatworker he used to be,
now hes got a lathe so theres no time to shave,
and it looks like he lives in a cave.

Trouble arose on his first turned bowl,
the sucking of the vortex was present in full,
he went to the store with one gouge in mind,
but walked out with a dozen thinking he had a real find.


thats all i could come up with. hope you enjoy turning, your wallet wont.

[Van Huskey]

One other thing is they often sell turning blanks by the pound, sounds cheap until you pick the stuff up and it feels like uranium...


Then you will start dreaming about things with names like Sorby, Easywood, Oneway, Crown, Artisan, Hamlet, P&N, Henry Tayor not to mention Tormek. It is like the neander's need for sharp things mated with motors and horsepower of the "sane" ;). Flatworkers unite and save this soul, he is headed down the dark dark path which a carver has been kind enough to adorn with a sign that says:


"Through me you pass into the city of woe:
Through me you pass into eternal pain:
Through me among the people lost for aye.

Justice the founder of my fabric mov'd:
To rear me was the task of power divine,
Supremest wisdom, and primeval love.

Before me things create were none, save things
Eternal, and eternal I endure.
All hope abandon ye who enter here.

Such characters in colour dim I mark'd
Over a portal's lofty arch inscrib'd:
Whereat I thus: Master, these words import."

The carver was also kind enough to translate for the 21st century person not aquainted with 14th century poetry:

"Dude, turn around...NOW"

[Wayne Hendrix]

You have to admit David......table saws make nice places to stack turning blanks and turning tools.

Now Ken that's just not fair. I still use my table saw. Why just the other day I used it to make a stand for my grinder so I don't have to move as far from the lathe to sharpen my tools. Of course as soon as that was done I used the mobile base on the saw to position it closer to the lathe to better hold my tools while I was turning.;)

[John Keeton]

:D

the more I think about it, the more I like it. So, you guys probably will see me in the round forum on occasions ... gimme a couple of weeks to pick up the tool and give it a spin, so to speak ..

Thanks for the encouragement (and warnings) :cool:Well, guys, I think our work here is done!!;):D:D

[Mark Woodmark]

Bought a midi lathe a couple years ago just to try turning, get my feet wet, and be able to turn things for clients who requested such items. I now have sold my PSI Turncrafter lathe and purchased a Nova DVR XP with extension bed

[James Combs]

Now Ken that's just not fair. I still use my table saw. Why just the other day I used it to make a stand for my grinder so I don't have to move as far from the lathe to sharpen my tools. Of course as soon as that was done I used the mobile base on the saw to position it closer to the lathe to better hold my tools while I was turning.;)

You know, come to think of it I used my just the other day also. I cut, squared up, and dado-ed a piece of ply to make a circle cutting jig for my band-saw to cut bowl blanks round.:D