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SMC Turner Interview - Tyler Wood
- Oops I meant TYLER WOOD
Name: Charles Tyler Wood
How young are you?
Well, I’m at the age where you really don’t like to be. I’m 29, still not old, but sure I’m feeling it. Kind of like cheese, too old to be good Brie and to young to be good cheddar.
Physical description: 5’-9” 170 lbs. And starting a potbelly. Thinning hairline, beard/5 o’clock shadow most the time (I hate shaving so hair length is dependent on last urge to see my face again. With the way I look it’s not often I want to see it. :D
Where's home?
Home? Well heaven is my home. But my house is in Brownfield, Texas. I’ve lived here for 7 years. Borger, Texas is where I spent most of my time growing up (armpit of Texas, between the oil refinery next door and the cattle feed lots nearby; along with carbon black plants and fertilizer facilities we had no chance for fresh air. Bellingham, Washington is my birthplace. Military brat/preacher’s kid so we had lots of stops until I was 7.
Family information:
I have a beautiful/sexy wife (I married WAY UP!! And she’s older than me – hehe. I’m sleeping in the doghouse when she read this, going on 10 years now. We met at age 9 at a talent competition for church, and I vowed then that I was going to marry her. We kept in contact at church camp and competition for the next 7 years. After running from me for 6 years, she either found out she loved me, or her legs got tired. Not sure which, but hey worked out well for me so it doesn’t matter. I’ve saved the best for first, my bride. I love her more than turning! I know, I know – sacrilege isn’t it.
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Nope – just smart! Pray continue, Tdub.
I have two sons Caleb (4), Aiden (8 mo.), but I still would like a daughter to complete the list. I also have two dogs Duddley, a 10 year old basset hound, and Jasper (Demon spawn), a miniature schnauzer. The basset will lick you to death, the schnauzer will chew your leg off. So don’t come near my woodpile. Either way you’re gonna get it, whether it’s slimed by basset or chewed! ere is my oldest son and I cruising the lake. What a day, he was sooo excited.
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Ohhh and the other love of mine, my fish tanks. I have one built into the wall (home improvement project) and another on a stand. Have 12 cichlids in the 55 in wall tank, and the other, well it’s in neglect stage. I wonder why.
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This is one of my favorite pictures of my tanks. A hermit crab doing a hand stand! Hre is the tank I put in a wall. The wall was not there when I bought the house. By the way, there is no goop in the joints of the trim around the tank! It’s some of the best wood working I ever did.
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Do you have a favorite website besides Sawmill Creek, that is?
Texas parks and wildlife, their fishing forum is great!!!
TOS violation preempted :eek:
Vocation:
I am a cad draftsman by trade. Hence, you’ll see some cad drawings on here I’ve posted. I love to toodle around in 3d when I have the time. Been doing this stuff since a softy in HS.
Shop Overview:
1 car garage, filled to capacity with junk and saw dust/curlies. I have 3 table saws, none of them good ones, all cheap craftsman (BORG varieties), planer that doesn’t work (yet, I’ll fix it someday), a router table that hasn’t been totally put together yet (someday as well, scroll saw, compound miter saw. As for interest, I used to do the fl*tword stuff, but it’s too tedious and time consuming to do one project. I learned quickly I’m not, uhhh, cut out for that type of woodworking.
How many lathes do you own? Weren't you gonna build one?
The General is the only lathe I actually have owned. I was lent a Chinese POJ (piece of junk) that was just usable enough to get me hooked, not good enough to be useable. I fell in love going to a friend’s house using his dad’s Carbatech pen lathe. I turned a little goblet (posted here, cocobolo) and was totally hooked. I then passed the idea around for building one YES. I have the drawings ready, engineered to withstand a Sequoia trunk. I was already buying pieces for it, when my dad bought me my General. He saw me laboring on the POJ and thought it would be a well appreciated gift, and it is!!!! It still may be built just for fun. I chose the General for price, size and it’s something I had used at my mentor’s house. 12 year old lathe no problems and built like a tank. Just my style if you could see what I designed, you would know I like built to withstand anything. Hey I work for engineers what can I say.
How many turning tools do you have?
I have 3 sets of HF chisels. 1 part of the POJ lend, 1 really cheap set to learn to grind, and 1 cheap set of the HSS variety. I do have 1 hand made tool, with several others in the works (hf tool gloat coming when I have time to build the setup)
How long have you been turning, and what got you started in the first place?
I have been turning since January, so that’s 7 months. But really have only been turning consistently for about 4 months. I did not meet my mentor till February, and we only started getting together in March. I had always wanted to try turning, even in HS. The thrill of seeing something come to life right before your hands just amazed me. I saw a video of a guy turning a bowl when at a school competition in Waco. I just had to try it, it only took me 11 years to do so.
What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Cappuccino Chunky Chocolate Chip from Braum’s. They have the best cream. Too bad the nearest one is 1 ½ hours away.
What do you enjoy most about turning?
I love the smell of cut wood, so continually cutting just works for me, and the joy of seeing the work come to life in front of your hands. The instant gratification of holding a new creation in your hands just a mere hour after starting.
What do you enjoy the least about turning?
Cleanup, I’m a messy guy. Heck, I’m a guy, I don’t do clean shop. If I wanted to clean I would take up cooking (which I’m pretty good at as well, but have been banned from the kitchen due to not liking to clean up my huge mess I make when doing so
Do you belong to a turning club?
Yes, went to my first meeting in January, joined in February. Have gone each month since.
What was your first completed turned project? You get bonus points for a picture of it.
Cocobolo goblet posted here with a few other things I started with.
Nope. Not even close. No pics- no points; but you do get a lifetime supply of Moxie for at least doing the thread thing.
Okay. I found it. Points are restored and supply of Moxie returned to the vault.
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What’s your favorite individual piece that you have turned, and why?
I just finished turning a sweet gum bowl (thanks for the wood, Mark C.) that is fantastic. The consistency in the side wall thickness, the nice form, and the wood grain all together make it the best I have done yet. It’s the most complete in terms of accomplishing what a turner wants (form, finish, usefulness, tooling)
What’s your favorite form that you turn?
Bowls right now, but I am yearning to try HF. I love a challenge, so new things always interest me.
What do you not turn now that you want to - or plan to - in the future?
HF’s, I’m going to be building a capture rig, hollowing tools, and other stuff to support the long projects later on.
How do you take your Moxie?
Moxie? That’s a cross between hutzpah and cahones right? Or was that the hangover remedy? Either way, I’ll pass. But around here, Moxie, is standing up to someone bigger and meaner than you and jawing at them wishing they would do something so you could show them you ain’t skeered!
You got it Tdub. It takes moxie to both drink and have moxie.
What’s your favorite form someone else turns?
The usual suspect, Travis Stinson’s hollow forms, especially the coolibah lidded natural edge hollow form vase. I literally dropped my jaw, and stared at it for a solid 10 minutes. The grain coloration, the form, everything to me was the epitome of perfection!
When will Mayo be a part of your life?
Mayo don’t belong in a shop it belongs on a BLT, or maybe on a kid’s hamburger who hasn’t found out what m*st*rd is yet. Green for me in my shop. Well I guess if someone gave me one I might change my mind.
Sheesh. And I thought you said you had moxie!
What’s your favorite individual piece someone else has turned, and why?
See above about T.S.
What’s your favorite wood to work with and why?
I have a love for spalted elm burl. I came across a log of it as I was about to leave the tree trimmer’s lot. It was a burled log, and decided it needed a better home. Didn’t know what it was till after I sawed into it. The grain, color, and finish it takes just astounded me. I will be posting a couple pens, an angel, and a jar that I have made from it sometime down the road. I’m bad about not taking pictures, aren’t I.
Yup.
What brought you to SMC?
Google. I was looking for help on designing a lathe I WAS going to build. I found ya’ll instead. I now visit most of the time while at work. Don’t tell my boss. I’m supposed to be working right now!
What was your first post about? Or don’t you remember?
I could cheat and look, but what fun would that be. I have not a clue, maybe a post about how horrible a lathe I was given (see POJ above). I was probably gloating back then. I didn’t know what a REAL lathe was yet.
Yup
Do you recall the first thread you started?
Same as above. I think I just jumped in headfirst with a thread and not a post.
Yup – yer right. So how about this? What was the first thread you started that wasn’t in the turner’s forum?
Beats me.
‘Twas something really really cheesy.
What’s your favorite old thread on SMC?
I love the Itty Bitty contest. Took me a whole 3 hours to read through it all. We need another one of these to do.
Have you met or hung out with any fellow Creekers?
The only one I have talked to, was John. Hart on the phone. I plan on visiting Jude Kinery, as she is only 3 hours away. (That’s next door in Texas, for you East Coast folks)
Got any nicknames? How'd you get them?
Tdub, T for Tyler dub for W in wood. I was given it by two friends of mine at different times. Once in Dallas with a co-worker, and then with a guy I go to church with now.
Now let's get a little deep... If you were a turning tool, what tool would you be and why?
Skew. Pretty useless to most as they don’t know what I’m good for, but when you do figure it out, I’m indispensable. I’m catchy, sharp, and most of the time, left in the dust for other easier to use things, because most don’t know how to take me. I am a sarcastic, evil, sadistic personality type. Just like a skew!
If you won the Irish Sweepstakes what part of your life would change?
My garage would be just that a garage. My shop would be bigger and better furnished than my house. TOOLS TOOLS TOOLS!!!! And maybe a waterfall in the back yard for the LOML. Actually, most of it would be given away to church, and other ministries. I am a big proponent of spreading the gospel, no matter how you do it. Whether someone gets sent or if I do. Heck it’s what I was made for!!!
Boy I just read through this and realized, I’m long-winded and BORING!
That's it. Thanks, again. Andy
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My pleasure Tdub. And ya ain’t long-winded and boring. It’s just that Texas thing. :eek:
Here’s a few threads with some early stuff of his. ‘bout time ya posted some pics.
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So. Just who is this TYLER WOOD guy, anyway?
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