Do you turn exclusively?

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Hi All, I was wondering how many of us are turners only and do little if any flat work? I really like turning but still try to learn new things about woodworking in general. But sometimes I think I'd really like to just turn and do nothing else. I don't know if that would get boring or not. I'm not saying that turning is easy, far from it, but sometime flatwork stuff gives me a headache trying to figure things out. :D

So how many of you still do flatwork AND turn and how many just turn? That is if you don't mind me asking. :rolleyes:

[Donn Morris]

I still do lat work. I am working on Walnut Shoji screens for a window in our house right now.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

I do some lat work too but mostly work on my biceps for now. :D But seriously thanks for the reply.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Alan - I have a fairly well equiped shop and was just starting to do some custom flatwork when I was given my first lathe. Enter the big change!! While I still do flatwork projects I would have to say that over 99% of my woodworking time is spent on the lathe. I find it a lot more challenging and also a lot more satisfying than any of the flatwork that I have done up to this point. I would have to say that I have an engineering type of personality - meaning I love angles, numbers and even straight lines... but when I started lathe work all those restrictions went out the window and for the first time I actually find some of the items I turn to border on the artistic. That - for me - was and still is - a huge draw into the world of turning.

Man - sure can get longwinded when typing with 2 fingers...

[Raymond Overman]

I do enough flat work to build a few jigs and fixtures. I do a little carpentry here and there to accommodate my growing shop and my little girl's playhouse. Other than that, it's mostly turning. I do a little carving, but only on my turnings so I guess that's still turning related.

[Jon Lanier]

I still do a lot of scroll work and box making.

[Donn Morris]

I do some lat work too but mostly work on my biceps for now. :D But seriously thanks for the reply.
Thats what happens when I get up early in the morning to do lat work at the gym; it takes a while for the brain to wake up.:( I'll save the flat work for after work!

[Bob Hallowell]

I do f*** work still here's a bathroom vanity I just finished. I posted it in the general forum. Notice that the feet are turned.

Bob

[Scott Lux]

I never did much flat work anyway. Now, it's only when LOML wants a new shelf, or someone offers me $350 for a pair of Adirondack chairs. I gotta pay for the lathe toys somehow.

Lux

[Bernie Weishapl]

I fell in love with woodturning and it changed my shop habits. I do probably 99% turning and every once in a while I will do some F***** only for the LOML.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Oh, I get it. F*** work is like LOrd Voldermort in Harry Potter who's name is not supposed to be spoken. O.K. I won't spell out f*** work anymore. Sorry. :D Thanks for the replies guys. I'm still trying to get my head around this. I think I'm looking for an excuse not to do much f** work anymore. But I do still like it. I think I need wood working mental therapy. :)

[Gary Herrmann]

Lots of flatwork. I think my wife views turning as my reward. Getting more and more into handtools too.

[Matt Hutchinson]

The only reason I am exclusively doing woodturning is cuz I don't have a well equipped shop. My love of wood started with furniture dedign. I no longer have access to a shop, but even if I did I would do mostly turning. However, once I get a tablesaw, router, jointer and planer I will be making some combination work. For instance, I plan on making a complex humidor, one with flat sides involving veneer work and marquetry, but with shaped quarter-round corners using split turning methods on the lathe.

In short, I would like to be doing both, but turning will probably always be my emphasis.

Hutch

[Don Orr]

I do mostly turning but I guess I am kind of an exception. A lot of flatboarders try turning and never go back. I am going the other way. I am trying to learn more about flat work like furniture and cabinets. I am lucky to have a nicely equipped shop. I just finished a small Shaker style end table and bought a new Dewalt planer. My lathes are getting jealous:D. Don't even ask how many planes I have:eek:.

[Daniel Heine]

Hello,

I do not do any "woodworking" at all. I do, however, carve caricatures, reliefs, and do some chip carving(kerbschnitzen). My son saw a pen turning demonstration at a local Woodcraft store while I was looking for carving tools. He begged, and begged until I finally bought him a little Shop Fox mini lathe. I tried my hand at it, and I've been falling into the abyss since. I'm wondering now if I'll ever hit bottom!!! I hope not, at least not for a long time!!! LOL.

Dan Heine

[John Derbabian]

I been doing flat work from the time I could hand my dad a plane (let's just say > 40 yrs). I dabbled a little in turning a while back. Now this past winter it's peaked my interest. I still have several pieces of furniture going and one boat. For me, it been a nice change of pace, but my heart is in flat work/boat building. I was able to earn my Launch Wings this winter on the lathe. :D

[Frank Kobilsek]

Alan,

Just Turning and carving for me and even 90% of the carving has something to do with turning. Dad is my F***work guy but he is slipping rapidly into the abyss too. He is 77 year old so he should be able to do whatever he wants. It won't be long until only the brother does the f***work.

Turning offers more of an intant gratification that no other form of woodworking can deliver except maybe spliting firewood.

Frank

[Bill Wyko]

I love both.

[Burt Alcantara]

I started off with ***work. Never really built anything, mostly just fixings around the house. When ever I saw a lathe I knew it was something that would take over my life so I resisted. Ultimately, I succumbed to the call and abandoned all else.

If called upon to do ***work I have to make a great effort because I'd rather be turning.

My other true addiction is airbrushing.

Burt

[curtis rosche]

i try to do only turnings at school just because its easier. theres no measuring or any figureing unless you want there to be. i almost failed last semester in the shop because all i would do is turn and almost never worked on the required projects like the table i made.

you are definiatly one of us. you have benn officaily sucked in to the point of no return:D:p ha ha we score again

[Alan Tolchinsky]

The responses have been really interesting. I guess I'm in the camp of "don't have a full shop set up" . After thinking about this more, I think I like both. I started off with just f*** work for 4-5 years before the spinny thing started calling me. I agree, the instant gratification is part of it and also you're always performing some kind of procedure(cutting, etc.) when the wood is spinning. You're not just sitting there waiting for the glue to dry or whatever. It's a dynamic thing I guess. There's just something inately fun about using a lathe that's hard to exactly put into words. God knows I'm trying here. :rolleyes:

[David Wilhelm]

I turn and whittle the rest of the time i'm fishin. I have made square trays. But God doesn't want wood to be flat or square that's why he makes the trees round. Turners just do it with God's ideas in mind. Thats my answer to those dark side comments LOL.

[Judy Kingery]

Hi Alan, yep, I'd have to say I pretty much turn exclusively. I like the no measure (other than segmented turnings) and it's the most fun to me as opposed to other types of woodworking. Interesting thread and I'm glad you posted it. Jude

[Allen Neighbors]

I once had a full blown, one man, cabinet shop. When I started turning, I sold my table saw, planer, router table, shaper, some other stuff to make room for two lathes. It's comforting now, to be able to say, "Sorry, Ma'am, I don't do that type of work anymore." :D
Totally turning - 4 to 10 hours a day, 6 days a week... retired life is awesome!!!

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Hey Allen,

That "sorry m'am" ain't going to cut it with my wife. Hey, I have to make her something so I can keep buying my "toys". :o

[Russ Peters]

I do some scroll work and bandsaw boxes but am doing less of those and more turning. I enjoy the almost instant gratification of it. I guess the main reason for going round and round is the sanding. I hate sanding the bandsaw boxes no matter how appealing they are in the end.

[Dennis Puskar]

I do flat work as well as turning,currently woking on a head board for the bed.

Dennis

[Alan Tolchinsky]

I do some scroll work and bandsaw boxes but am doing less of those and more turning. I enjoy the almost instant gratification of it. I guess the main reason for going round and round is the sanding. I hate sanding the bandsaw boxes no matter how appealing they are in the end.

Russ, I like doing bandsaw boxes but sanding them will lead to insanity without a spindle sander. Even with it they do require a LOT of sanding.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I might turn exclusively but if She Who's Paying For The New Shop wants flatwork....she'll get it!

[Richard Madison]

Ditto what Ken said. Lost almost two years moving, building new shop, building new deck around veranda, and other stuff that my sweetie wanted. Paid my dues and can now turn almost full time, except as needed elsewhere. Works for me.

[Jerry Rhoads]

I have aways done a lot of F*** work. But any more it takes me quite a while to remove all the bowl blankls & chunks of wood from the table saw, planer table, drum sander table, radial armsaw, shaper,workbenches, and of course all the chunks laying on top of the boards. Only have to this now when Honey want a new vanity, end table, or shelf.
Jerry

[Andy Hoyt]

For Sale: Used table saw, planer, jointer, etc etc etc. All ran pretty good the last time I used 'em

Rust comes at no extra charge.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Psssst....Hey Andy....Don't use the word rust....advertise them as color co-ordinated.....oxide red color....

[Paul Douglass]

I love most woodworking, and I find I go in spurts at different phases of it. I dream of building boats, but I have a short attention span. I've been working on the same little sail boat for 3 years now.

Right now all I think about is turning. Don't know how long this will last, but it has been going on longer than my normal for me.

Right now I look around my shop and think I could have spent the money I spent for that planer, jointer and some other tools on a big lathe! I'll get over it..

[Alan Tolchinsky]

For Sale: Used table saw, planer, jointer, etc etc etc. All ran pretty good the last time I used 'em

Rust comes at no extra charge.

No, no Andy. Save all that iron for segmented bowls. That's if you have an interest. If nothing else they're a great place for your bowl blanks, lathe tools, etc.

p.s. I just looked at your "information" found this hysterical: " Manufacturer of quality shavings, sawdust, and scrap wood"

That seems to describe me perfectly so I may have to steal your motto.

[Allen Neighbors]

Alan...
"Sorry, Ma'am, if you want something from the shop it'll have to be round." :D

[Steve Campbell]

I used to do all flat work. I would build furniture. I have a small house and soon ran out of room. Next I started doing scrollsaw wall plaques. My walls are now full enough. Then it was on to cars and trucks. I have them stuffed every where. Now I am on to bowls. I turn a number of them. When I get more than I care to look at I go across the alley to the bar and give them away. Since I go out in the woods and cut my own bowl blanks it doesn't cost me much to give them away. Loven it.

Steve

[Alan Tolchinsky]

I wish I could give more bowls away. I too have them almost everywhere, except the bathroom.:D But I have the hardest time giving them away because I put so much work into them. Maybe when I get better and faster I won't feel so bad.

[Rob Bourgeois]

For Sale: Used table saw, planer, jointer, etc etc etc. All ran pretty good the last time I used 'em

Rust comes at no extra charge.

you pay shipping? ;) :D

[Andy Hoyt]

No, no Andy. Save all that iron for segmented bowls. That's if you have an interest. If nothing else they're a great place for your bowl blanks, lathe tools, etc. I hate to let you down, Alan; but the limit of my segmenting interest is best described here (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=46440).


p.s. I just looked at your "information" found this hysterical: " Manufacturer of quality shavings, sawdust, and scrap wood"

That seems to describe me perfectly so I may have to steal your motto. Steal away. I probably stole it from someone else.


you pay shipping? ;) :D Only on the rust. No wait. Hang on. Just looked. Only on the non-rusted parts.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Oh I see Andy. I once had a segmented bowl I spent a long time on go ballistic on me. So I just picked up all the pieces from the floor, and as you might say, glued the begeebers(sp), out of it. It turned out o.k. like your exploding example. The bowl went from pieces to whole just like the operator's mental state.