How did you get sucked into the vortex?

[Myrel Willeford]

I was in junior high school and took wood shop because I wanted to learn how to use the lathe.:) The shop teacher was afraid of the lathe and would not let anyone turn anything at all. I spent two years trying to get him to let me use it.:mad:

I finally gave up and took metal shop. Then auto machine got to use a metal lathe just not the same though.:( I then went to work full time.

When ever I would see a turned bowl or piece if spindle work I would stop and look at it admiring the workmanship and wondering how it was done. (Fast forward thirty eight years.) One day the LOML asked me if there was anything I ever wanted to do and had never done I said yes.

She said what and I told her I wanted to own a lathe. The next day she found one used for me it was a cheep Harbor Freight tube frame type but it was a lathe.:D I got some cheep tools $18.00 for an 8 piece set. I found a 1”X 2” and turned my first spindle. I was done I am now on my third used lathe and saving for my forth.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

I did the "Woodworking thing" in H.S. Really mess up the turning part. Took a 3" square into a 1" cylinder (Wasted a lot of wood)!

Went to a Woodworking club meeting about three years ago and a very talented woodworker was giving a turning demonstration. He took a green piece of Mulberry and turned a "PAPER THIN" bowl out of it and I thought "I just GOT TO DO ONE OF THOSE!" Took a piece of the Mulberry home and made a "Weed" pot out of it on a Shopsmith. Found out that a Shopsmith, at least the model I had, was rotten as a lathe, so I sold it and bought a Jet mini and some other tools. The Jet was wonderful! I haven't stopped to look back. The future holds great things. Spin, spin,spin! Down and Down we go, into the Vortex!

Bruce

[Don Baer]

I had done some metal work and had a metal lathe sitting in my shop gathering dust. I wondered if I could turn wood on that lathe and did some searching. I found the turning forum on SMC creek and asked the question "can I use a metal lathe to turn wood".The folks here at the creek responded that I could so I got some cheap tools and gave it a "spin" after several attempt I made a small bowl I was hooked. I tried a larger bowl anfd after launching it across the gargage several time I decided that If I wanted to turn anything worthwhile I needed to get a proper wood lathe. I sold the metal lathe and bought a Rikon mini/midi and haven't looked back.

[Jim Becker]

'Blame Mr. Grumbine. I attended a pen turning course he was teaching at a Woodcraft back in about 1996 or so. A few years later (1999) when I actually got more seriously into woodworking and moved to this property with its larger shop...I bought my first lathe in early 2000--an HFT 34706. Upgraded six months later to a OneWay 1018 with all the trimmings. Upgraded in early 2004 to my present Stubby 750. Vortex. Yea, that's a good word for it!

[Doug Jones]

Actually for me, it was forums that drew me into the turning vortex. I came to forums to learn more on flat work then I started to see various round things and it caught my eye in a big way. There are a few people that I have to thank for getting me started some are still on this forum and some are not. To all them, I say Thank You.

[Mark Patoka]

My wife wanted me to make an end table she saw with a spindle leg. Of course I used the "if you want me to make that for you, I'm going to need a lathe". It's been downhill since that day four years ago.

[Myrel Willeford]

So the affects begin with the first revolution,:rolleyes: it appears to be a pretty addictive substance hope they do not try to ban it!

I turned my first bowl out of a 4 X 4 it was so much fun. My second lathe I got because LOML wanted me to turn some pens for Christmas. So she got an old small craftsman with a flat two piece bed. It was missing a lot of parts including the drive belt. I set it up to turn pens and was surprised how well it worked. Now I am hooked for sure. I needed to turn something bigger. I found a Delta 46-700 almost brand new for $125.00. LOML drove 120 miles and picked it up while I was at work. Now I can’t drive home from work with out stopping anytime I see someone cutting down a tree. Chainsaw, Bandsaw, riser block, chuck when does it stop? (I hope never) :D

[Bernie Weishapl]

I was like Don. I have a clock repair shop with a mini jewelers lathe and a Taig lathe that I converted to variable speed. I found SMC and then of course the turning form. So I bought a pen kit some walnut and turned a pen on the Taig. Had so much fun and figured if I can make gears and arbors for clocks wood can't be that much harder or as precise. Didn't want wood chip and dust in my shop so I bought a Delta midi on the big auction site for $150 almost new. Then a bigger C-man 15" lathe. 6 months later I am so far into the vortex I will never see daylight. Now I want a precision chuck and hollowing tools.

[Corey Hallagan]

For me it is plain and simple, it was all Bernies fault!

Corey

[Vaughn McMillan]

I blame Ken, Bernie, and Corey for much of my recent addiction. Seeing their enthusiasm for the sport of turning when they started was infectious, and they pulled me in with them. It also didn't hurt that I saw a bunch of good ol' boys from Down South (and a few Yankees, too), who made art look easy here on SMC. The fatal blow was one night when someone on SMC mentioned the Wilton mini lathe. I had an Amazon gift certificate burning a hole in my pocket, so I looked up the Wilton that night and bought one. Within a couple months, I upgraded like Bernie did, to a 15" Craftsman that a local guy was selling for a reasonable price.

(Mini Gloat) Two nights ago, LOML mentioned to me that the neighbor down the street had cut down a tree, and maybe I should see if they had any wood to get rid of. Bless her little heart, she's already bird-dogging wood for me. I love this girl. :) (Oh, and I did pick up one piece of eucalyptus from said neighbor on my way to work that day, although LOML didn't know that when she suggested I go check for wood.) :D

- Vaughn

[Myrel Willeford]

Well now it is looking like it may be contagious instead of just a self inflicted ailment CDC will probably be on the way soon.:rolleyes:

I think hollowing tools will be next on my list as well, LOML keeps asking when I am going to make her a vase. I have been keeping half an eye out for a pair of inline skates to make a steady with. LOML also thinks I should start selling some of the stuff I make.

Every time she comes in the shop she picks up something I have made and relegated to holding screws because I do not like it and asks why don’t you sell it?

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

For me it has been bits and stops but, I keep returning to it..... :rolleyes:

In HS I did the wood lathe thing, they had a good lathe, an old General, but the tools were crap, and not sharp, and they did not have a proper set up for sharpening. One of the teacher we had could turn, really well, but he was so disgusted with the tools etc, he did not like to do it there at the school (he was an older gent, retired and was a par-time teacher, and the union teachers did not like him donating his time to help out, so he had ZERO say in how the shop budget was spent).

I also did the metal lathe thing, which I very much enjoyed.

Fast forward about 20 years, and my wife wants me to fix a broken stretcher on a chair, well I have a hand drill powered lathe of sorts that I bought a while back, but gave up on.

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/turnings/turning_thereabouts.jpg

That stretcher is the first real thing I turned (still going strong too!).

Then I did the "Logging in Tokyo" thing, and as I was documenting it on my homepage, I was also putting it up on the Oak, but they, were having a lot of problems with crashing etc, and the posts would always be wiped out, and as I was lurking here on and off, I decided to post the Logging in Tokyo stuff here. As I spent more time on SMC, I kept hearing about this "Turners Forum" and to stay away, and be afraid, VERY afraid if I did venture down here............ well after watching all the fun you lot where having, I got hold of an old C-man tube bed lathe, that my Buddy from the Oak, Dalton Theriot sent to me for the price of shipping........ then the upgrade to the DVR 3000 and the stand upgrade, and I guess a captured hollowing rig is next.....

I still don't think I'm as bad as some of you, my lathe is still buy far the most expensive part of my turning......... for how long...........? I dunno :D

Cheers!

[Tony Kent]

Hello
I love working with my hands and my Pop and I used to fix things around the house as well as work on the cars. I joined wood shop and metal shop in Jr high and senior high, but had been bitten by the acting bug too so I spent most my time on stage. Besides I was a machinist at 15, working for my friends Father at his Photographic filter company.
Some years back when I became disabled and was homebound I bought a dreaded craftsman tube lathe that beat the heck out of me and caused much physical pain. So I gave up that idea. Flash forward 14 or so years and a bit of a miracle due to modern medicine when my Doc started me on a different and better med for the pain etc. I had mentioned to a friend that I was making a cutting board for my kitchen well he wanted one too. I was off and running with the idea of making cutting boards when not in the bed, as a side line for fun and maybe some extra money. At that time I broke out the old tube lathe and beat the heck out of myself some more with it. I was doing things the way I was taught years ago.....laminate 4-5 square pieces of wood and mount on face plate and go straight at it with a roughing gouge. Well, ouch to that, not to mention I never knew the gouges needed sharpening.....lol! Anyway, I broke the lathe with such use. My wonderful Aunt and Uncle heard of this and said if I make them a cutting board they would buy me a lathe.:)
Of course they got their cutting board and I got a jet 1236. After pain again I decided to look online to see if wood turning had changed since I was a kid....um yes it has. Not to mention my school woodshop teacher I don't think had much of a clue about turning wood. Flat work he was very good at, but the round things I don't think so. I must thank the folks at woodnet, Mr. Bill Grumbine for his video, all the people here for helping me change the way I used to do it, and of course a huge thanks to my Aunt and Uncle for that jet 1236. I no longer beat the heck out of myself and it's much safer turning the way I do now. Sadly or gratefully I gave up the cutting board biz due to cost and my woodturning addiction just won't let me do both....lol. I truly love woodturning. It has saved my sanity (ok, that's debatable...lol) what with being homebound most the time and is such fun I just can't stand it. I am having more fun then a guy should be allowed to have. hehe:) You know you're addicted when you buy a tool because their is no picture of it and you have to know what it looks like! LOL
Ok, yes I did that. But really I had to see what a 1/8 bowl gouge really looks like and it was on sale, I swear it was really! LOL
Take care all and best of luck to ya in the vortex:)