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View Full Version : SMC Turner Interview - Bob Hallowell



Andy Hoyt
10-13-2007, 9:41 PM
Name: Bob Hallowell (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=43887)

How young are you? 35

Physical description:
I’m a little teapot, SHORT and STOUT

Where's home?
I’ve lived in Dubois, Pa most of my life except for my 5 years in the Air Force during which I lived in Las Vegas, Denver, and England.

Family information:
I have a wonderful wife Heather, and 2 daughters Haley who is 14 and Aliza who is 5.

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Do you have a website?
I have a website but it’s not real good and I haven’t updated it for a while. I need to work on that.

Looks pretty good to me! (http://www.pensandwinetops.com/)

How come you don't live in Wyoming?
Not sure why, I hear there is some great fly fishing there!

Yup. Other stuff, too. (http://www.thehideout.com/)

Vocation:
For the last 11 years I have been taking care of the cellular system in my area for a major cellular company. I fix and maintain all the radio and telco equipment so the calls can be processed. Can you here me now?

Nope.

Shop Overview:
I have my half of the garage about 12x28. I’m thinking about closing in my half so I can put some heat in it for the 10deg days! I have a tablesaw, planer, jointer, drill press, bandsaw, routers and the lot. Plus a lot of handtools.

How many lathes do you own?
My first lathe was a 14” Grizzly I bought used and had it for about 4 months till it basically fell apart. Then I bought the Palmgren (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=48946) and used it for about 7 months til Frankenlathe came along.

Right now I just own Frankie (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=62129) – who is a great lathe for me. It is an older delta prototype for the dl-40 from the 80’s that I got a few months ago, it didn’t come with the factory motor or stand. I bought a vfd and just got a Baldor vector motor and put on it. She has a 16” inboard and a 23” outboard capability with about 50” between centers. I don’t see me upgrading in the near future now. I would put this lathe up there with the 16” jet, so I will save those pennies for a Oneway or a Robust way down the road.

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How many turning tools do you have?
Um, more than I thought. Mostly store-bought but I have a scraper I made out of 1-1/8x ½ HSS that I use a lot. My favorite is the first bowl gouge I bought. It is a 3/8 v-grooved pinnacle. I use it for something on almost everything I turn. It is the only bowl gouge I can get a good shear cut with.

How long have you been turning, and what got you started in the first place?
A little over a year, I saw a used lathe in the local trade magazine and I told my wife that I should get it so I could turn legs and what not for me fl*twork. Never did I dream the vortex was calling so hard!

What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?
All of them as long as it’s not chocolate.

What do you enjoy most about turning?
Creating a beautiful piece of art. Plus it helps I can finish a piece in ½ to 5 hours instead of 10-80 hours of fl*twork

What do you enjoy the least about turning?
Cleaning up the shavings, but worse having my wife be mad at me for tracking shaving in the house all of the time

Do you belong to a turning club?
No. The only near one meets on the second Tuesday of the month and that is the same day I have a commitment to my church for a leadership meeting, and in my life, God comes first.

What was your first completed turned project? You get bonus points for a picture of it.
My wife and I both made a little bowl out of some 2x2 oak stock we had. I gotta tell ya her’s was nicer than mine.

What’s your favorite individual piece that you have turned, and why?
Probably the spalted maple HF I turned a few months ago

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Hang on while I swap out the typewriter ribbon.

Andy Hoyt
10-13-2007, 9:41 PM
What’s your favorite form that you turn?
I like HFs and NEs, but end up turning a lot of pens and pepper mill to sell.

What do you not turn now that you want to - or plan to - in the future?
I would like to do some segmenting in the future.

How do you take your Moxie?
Shaken, not stirred (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=48734).

What’s your favorite form someone else turns?
Travis’s HFs (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=34820).

What’s your favorite individual piece someone else has turned, and why?
There is just too many to chose

Okay. How about these (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=38251)? :eek:

What’s your favorite wood to work with and why?
Afzelia – it works great and is very stable and the right piece looks as good as amboyna!

What brought you to SMC?
I start posting here first in the Neander Forum. Then there was the day I bought the Grizzly lathe.

What was your first post about? Or don’t you remember?
I’m sure it was about a hand plane, or something along that line

Not even close (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=398218&#post398218), Bub.

Do you recall the first thread you started?
Nope. But I’m sure you’ll dig it up.

Yup (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=40104).

Have you met or hung out with any fellow Creekers?
I met up with Blake Mculley and his wife (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=45077) for a day of turning. Plus, I took a class from Bill Grumbine (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=49445) last fall.

Now let's get a little deep... If you were a turning tool, what tool would you be and why?
Maybe a Scraper, cause I can sometimes rub people the wrong way but am normally a good guy to be around.

If you won the Irish Sweepstakes what part of your life would change?
I would have a lot more time to bike (peddle), fly fish (maybe even in Wyoming) and of coarse turn!

Thanks, Bob. Glad to know we can hear you now.

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Tom Sherman
10-13-2007, 10:44 PM
It was nice to read your interview Bob good to know more about you.

Jim Becker
10-14-2007, 9:35 AM
Very nice interview, Bob. And that's a beautiful area you're living in.

Sean Troy
10-14-2007, 9:39 AM
Thanks for the interview. It is good to get to know other Creekers if not in person, this is the next best thing.

Bernie Weishapl
10-14-2007, 12:10 PM
Great interview Bob. It is great to get to know you better.

Randy Privett
10-14-2007, 4:08 PM
Bob,
Even though I feel as if I know you, it's great to read something about you. Great interview.

Randy

Christopher K. Hartley
10-14-2007, 8:51 PM
Cool interview Bob, It is good to get to know folks.:)

sascha gast
10-15-2007, 3:12 AM
very nice interview, glad to get to know you better.
you do very nice work

Bob Hallowell
10-15-2007, 8:00 AM
Thanks guys it's been great getting to know you guys.

Bob

Ed Scolforo
10-15-2007, 10:35 AM
Beautiful kids, Bob! It's good to learn more about you. Nice woodturnings too.

Don Orr
10-16-2007, 11:53 AM
It's great getting to know you better too. Very nice interview. Beautiful work!

Ken Fitzgerald
10-16-2007, 12:44 PM
Great interview Bob! It's nice to know more about you.

Dennis Peacock
10-16-2007, 11:46 PM
Wow Bob..!!!!! Nice interview. It's nice to know a bit more about you.

Hey....can "you" hear "me" now? :rolleyes: :p :D

Larry Marley
10-18-2007, 12:21 AM
That was nice. Thanks for doing that...

Steve Schlumpf
10-20-2007, 1:22 AM
Thanks for taking the time to do the interview Bob! It's always great to get to know a fellow Creeker a little better! Looking forward to seeing lots more of your work!

Pete Jordan
11-11-2007, 7:58 AM
Good Job Bob.

Looks like you have a great family. You are doing some excellent work!