Comments on: Wood on the Lathe

By: Sean Troy

Sean Troy — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 20:55:04 +0000

I think you hit the nail on the head. You have to keep it fun. I did production turning for a short period and it was not fun. I just don’t do it anymore. I’ll make small items for friends and family and enjoy every minute of it. Nice work by the way. natural talent.

By: lorin bartels

lorin bartels — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 17:53:55 +0000

Don’t forget about spindle turning, I have made rocking chairs for each of my 5 grand children and am now making one for each of the nephews families. I know you have one grand from your earlier articles. Lorin

By: Leo R.

Leo R. — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 05:01:17 +0000

Hello Rob,
By the way I like that name, ROB. I have a son the III and grandson the IV who also use that . LOL You know what that makes me correct. Junior.

You may already have heard this from others, but thought I might mention it any way. Wood turning, especially pen turning probably ought to have meetings, such as AA, but we don’t and there are no plans to start them. In addition no chance of getting on the wagon once you are on board. Fair warning OK ?

By: Robert Rose

Robert Rose — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 16:36:43 +0000

I have dedicated my life to service the country and state first as a proud Marine for eleven wonderful years and then as a school teacher. Although my spine and various other parts of my body have given out due to my days in the Corps and I have had to give up teaching, my workshop, the Doghouse, is my escape. Admittedly it is difficult to hold tools most of the time and my concentration is shot from pain meds, my lathe, when I am able to hold the tools, is my greatest release from having lost so much. I am definitely not even in the same arena as your “non-expert” status you claim but it is so much fun when something finally falls off the face plate all shiney and beautiful. It just goes to show, God’s blessings are all around us. He blessed me with many wonderful years in the Corps and even more blessings in the classroom with an awesome bunch of students over the years. I miss the Corps and will miss the classroom but God has given me yet another gift as turning at my lathe helps take my mind off all the things I am no longer able to do. As I turn trinkets at the lathe, I anxiously wait for God’s next grand adventure He has planned for me. Through God, all things are possible.

Mr. Johnstone, please keep up the wonderful job with both the online and print magazines as I look forward to both. And those turnings above, are absolutely AWESOME!

By: Thomas Spoo

Thomas Spoo — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 12:00:25 +0000

Very nice work for just having fun I do the same thing just for fun.

By: Charles from New Albany, MS

Charles from New Albany, MS — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 02:15:23 +0000

I have been turning wood since 1957, have taught many kids in my industrial arts classes to turn wood, and I consider the wood lathe the easiest woodworking machine to learn to use but the hardest to learn to use well. Anyone can go to a lathe and with a little instruction turn a very suitable project. It takes many years and much sawdust on the floor to get good enough to turn duplicate parts.

I was doing a demo at out state craftsmen’s guild several weekends ago and a fellow was watching me and asking good questions about how to do different things. I gave him the round nose tool I was using and turned the lathe over to him. Of course I was watching him since the piece of wood he was turning on was going to be a project that I was going to finish and sell later. After a while he said, “I could do this all day long.” I think we have a new wood turner in the making.

By: Vern Steinbrecker

Vern Steinbrecker — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 01:50:29 +0000

Thats how I started out, have used other tools very rarely in the last 6-7 years. In fact have sold some off for more room for my 3 lathes. I know buy only with wood turning projects at the news stands

By: Sue

Sue — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 23:39:34 +0000

Maybe your form isn’t “correct”, but your 3 items you picture are to me beautiful, and pretty “expert”. — the NON-expert.