looking for some help

[Ron Ainge]

I have a friend that is getting into turning and is really wanting to learn as much as we can teach him. His problem is that he has one arm that is not functional (he cannot control it). I was wondering if anyone on this site knows of anyone else like this and what that person does to overcome that disability. Any help would be greatly appreciated. He does not know that I am asking for help on here but I have run out of ideas to help him and I am looking for help form the ones that do so much to help others all of the time.

[Gary Max]

A couple of things come to mind----a duplicator--- one of them might do the trick.
Or
Captured Hollowing system--on a small scale--you might run one of thoses with one hand --the system supports the tool all you would be doing is adding the pressure to control the amount of cutting.

[tod evans]

ron, i would explore a method of attaching the handle of the tool to your friends forearm near the elbow so that he could use his hand to guide the tool and his elbow to steady it. .02 tod

[Henry C. Gernhardt, III]

Ron, the first thing that comes to mind for me is a slide rest of some sort.

Good luck!

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

My .02! Get Long Handled tools. That way they can be tucked between the arm and the body, allowing the hand to control the tool.

Bruce

[Andy Hoyt]

One hand and arm can probably control the tool; but it's the missing hand at the toolrest that'll be the tough part.

I wonder if you could have a machinst rig up something like a tight-fitting oarlock that can be mounted in the banjo. Said oarlock would completely encircle the tool.

Catches would be super scary!

Good luck, Ron. And good for you, too.

[Ron Ainge]

thanks everyone for the comments, I am sure we can use some of them especially the long handeled tools the oar lock and attaching the tool to the arm in some manner.

If anyone else has any additional thought please let me know.