Started Woodturning Again in 2018

Yee Haw finally got out to put chisel to wood! You know you’re addicted to woodturning when you are sitting around with your family eating dinner or watching TV and thinking….. “I really want to put that new piece of oak on the lathe….when are they going home”! I love my family, I love being with them but I just want to turn wood!!!

Haven’t done much woodturning since Christmas, been feeling pretty rough. I never know when it’s gonna hit me so I treasure the moments I have that I’m feeling well enough to do something outside or in the shop. I like to call it my shop, guess it is ….but really just an old garage with a couple of additions that had an oak tree come down and take off the roof. The roof has been off and covered with a tarp for over 5 years, the first problem was with insurance, the second problem was with getting a permit. Getting close though might get everything straightened out by this spring.

So, I’m cool and call it my shop 🙂

Still not feeling that hot, but it was around 1 am, decided I would go out there and clean up.

Made A Wood Handle for A
Robert Sorby 3/8″ Spindle Gouge

As I was putting things away, I purchased a Sorby 3/8″ spindle gouge  , just the tang and gouge, in other words, a tool without a handle. I had been using it stuck in something I turned that looked like a dildo…sorry, really would like to keep this family friendly but there’s no other way to describe it.

If money is tight, most manufacturer’s will offer the tool without a handle, just turn your own and you might save 50 bucks.

So, I figured ….heck with cleaning up. This thing needs a handle. As I was turning billy clubs before Christmas I turned about 15 ash, oak and beech blanks. They were anywhere from 3″ in diameter to 24″ long. Actually, I was practicing my spindle turning, using different tools. Mainly trying my Benjamins Best Roughing Gouge. I turned extra because I knew I wanted to make some tools and would need some handles.

Moral of this Woodturning Story

I say all this to encourage you to turn some blanks and have them laying around ready to use. For me, I was able to turn a handle, make a copper ferrule and …sand and but a couple coats of OB Shine Juice on it.

I didn’t glue the tool in, but the hold is drilled. Just need to mix up some epoxy and glue in the tool and copper ferrule.

If I didn’t have the blanks, I would not have done the tool. I would not have got the enjoyment of turning again, I would have just cleaned up my messy shop….how boring is that.

I think I’m gonna try to make 10 or 20 bowl blanks so I can have them on standby. That way, when all I can manage to do is chuck up a bowl, and start gouging….I’ll be ready to go. Guess I was never that organized in my lifetime….never too late.

Happy Turning to All