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Ralph,
Beautiful work. How did you do the pinwheel top - the center points are invisible - very nice!

The Woodcraft store in Franklin, TN - South of Nashville, is holding a Freedom Pens turn-a-thon on Saturday and Sunday (7th and 8th of July) according to a recent sale flyer.

Hope to see some of...

Check out Smoky MTN Woodcarvers in Townsend. About a 1/2 hr drive from Pigeon Forge. They have a lot of excellent carvings in there.

There are a couple of woodworking supplies/tools...

I had a similar problem with the wood not wanting to feed through and after cleaning everything, it still happened.

I flipped the cutting speed switch from coarse to fine and then back again and...

Was only able to turn for about 1 hour along with my daughter, Savanna. We (she mainly) got two Ambrosia Maple pens turned. I brought in 10 pens that I had ready to ship.

The store had six...

The Franklin, TN Woodcraft is also holding their Turn-A-Thon for the Freedom Pens Project on Veterans' Day.
Dave

Joe,
Your compass will get you in the ballpark, but due to magnetic declination, true north (North Star is close) and magnetic North are a little different.
Try finding Polaris (North Star) by...

Joe,
Check out cloudynights.com - they have a very useful forum and stored articles to help out beginners in astronomy.

My 11 year old got a 4.5" Dobsonian scope for Christmas and we have enjoyed...

Kurt,
Looks good. Down here in West Tennessee, these types of calls are pretty common.
Maybe it's a southern thang!
Dave

Looking good, Ken. Thanks for the update and Monday laugh.
Dave

Steve,
Welcome! As you are aware, you have to have a lathe, mandrel, pen kit, and at least a gouge or scraper. Everything else is nice but not necessary.

You can make a blank holder to allow...

Dennis,
Thanks for sharing the beautiful scroll work. I wish I had the steady hands/patience to even attempt this type of work.
Dave

Ron - I got the boxes from Craft Supplies USA in Provo, Utah. They are the only ones I've seen that carry a box that is cut to fit the pen/letter openers.

All - thanks for the comments. The lamp...

I made music boxes for Christmas gifts for the LOML and daughter. The boxes are made with curly Maple sides and Walnut lids and bases. Finish is spray lacquer. Flocking was added to the "keepsake"...

Nothing too big or fancy, but thought I would share with ya'll some turned Christmas gifts for my friends and family.

Confetti lights from Bubinga and sparsely Spalted Maple.

European style...

Andy,
They look great. What did you use to polish them up?
Dave

Jerry,
Beautiful work! Thanks for sharing this. I hope this is for your significant other - if its not, you're in trouble!
Dave

Thanks everyone for your input. I ordered the SkyQuest XT4.5 inch Dobsonian mount telescope from Orion.
Dave

Thanks for the input! We have used binoculars every now and then. Looks like a reflector will be in the sleigh. Now to decide on the mount!

Dave

Any hobbyist heavenly observers here? My 11 year-old is getting a telescope for Christmas according to SWMBO. This sent ol' Dad on a fact finding mission to determine what to buy. So far, I think...

The Woodcraft store in Franklin, TN had 6 Jet mini-lathes set up and ready to go for Friday and Saturday. I was there Friday afternoon and all 6 lathes were kept busy.

Met some nice folks and got...

Denis,
Welcome aboard! Check out the "Freedom Pen Address" thread at the top of this page. Go to freedompens.org for info on pen kits.
Thanks for your support.
Dave

Mike,
Great job and thanks for sharing. Did you happen to keep track of which dimensions were incorrect? My wife has her eye on the same plans for my future work load.
Dave

Turned a dozen Freedom Pens out of red oak and cherry on Saturday. Sunday afternoon, turned three pens for a co-worker out of American Chestnut salvaged from his FOL's barn in NC.

Finished off...

Chris,
I'm sure we probably turned some wood together last year but didn't know each other. I was there about all day. Hope to meet you this year.
Dave