Lighthouse for the Blind turning project

[sbwertz]

Our pen turning project at Phoenix Center for the Blind has been underway since the first of the year. I just gave them my old drill press (my husband bought me a new Steel City 17" variable speed, 6" quill travel drill press for Valentines day...there is a man who KNOWS his wife!)


The person I've been training down there is in the process of moving house, but when he gets settled in his new abode, I am going to give him my smaller bandsaw. I want him to keep it at home though, and he can use it to cut up blanks. I just think it would be too dangerous to have at the center. Those blades are really sharp. Don't want one of the students to blunder into it. He has my old 10" chop saw down there to use for cutting blanks to length and such. (You can see where all my "hand me down" tools go!)

Andy is trying to get us a second lathe because we have students booked up into July to make pens! They had to fit the pen turning into their regular class schedule, so there are only 3 classes a week, and can only handle one person per class with only one lathe. With a second lathe, we could double our throughput. Now I am trying to promote a slow speed grinder for them. Right now I'm sharpening on a 1" vertical belt sander. The partially sighted students can use the Easy Tools that Woodcraft donated, but the completely blind students do better with a big roughing gouge that they can lay on the top of the spinning blank and slowly draw down until it begins to bite. That way they are never pushing a tool into a spinning blank that they cannot see.

I have to say this is one of the most rewarding things I have done in my life. There are some truly amazing people down there.

They are putting together a YouTube video and when it is up I will post a link.

 

[KBs Pensnmore]

Hi Sharon, in the English wood turning magazine there was a blind person that cut all his own timber/lumber even to the extent of using a chain saw.
He sharpens all his chisels himself on various grinders set up for a particular chisel.
His wife does help him, picking the colour of the pieces to glue together.
Can find the article if required.
I find it gives a fantastic feeling to help others like that. I help out at our local Day Centre wood shed, we don't have any blind persons there, but we do have stroke and brain injured there. If it is closed for some reason, day trip etc, the stroke victim feels lost, as he can't be there.
Regards
Kryn

 

[Kragax]

Wow!

 

[sbwertz]

Andy, the woman who recruited me, is totally blind and she turns all sorts of things. Her husband and father both help her with what she doesn't feel comfortable with. She teaches at the Tampa Lighthouse project. That project has no sighted people at all in their turning program except for her father! Her father is the only sighted person who helps out. Andy taught him to turn and he helps out. She is truly an amazing person.

(Hint, hint, if you live in Tampa!)

 

[sbwertz]

Update. Thanks to the generosity of two IAP members, the project now has a lot of new equipment and LOTS of pen blanks. One member sent me a VERY generous donation to buy materials and tools for the project. Here is what I was able to buy:

Rikon low speed grinder
Wolverine sharpening system
Drill press table
centering pen vise
roughing gouge
big set of drill bits
set of punches
center finder
10 Gatsby kits
10 trimline kits
7mm starter set with 8 kits, 3 sets of bushings, and 10 cocobolo blanks.

In addition, another IAP member sent me a LFRB with about 200 pen blanks!

Also, Lighthouse project in Tampa sent 50 slimline kits, I bought 20, and Woodcraft gave me a 50 percent discount on 20 slimline kits and 2 free mandrels. Woodcraft already donated a lot of kits to get them started, along with a complete set of Easy Tools, a pen press, a pen drilling chuck, a jacobs chuck, and a set of pen turning tools and other misc. tools. AAW gave them the lathe and a scroll chuck.

So now they are pretty well equipped to teach their students how to turn pens! When I go Thursday I'll get some pictures and post them here.

 

[The Penguin]

Sharon, a suggestion...

If you are an AAW member, the AAW offers "Educational Opportunity Grants" of up to $1,000 for individuals and up to $1,500 for AAW affiliated turning clubs.

Consider completing a grant application in the next cycle and submit it.

Grant applications are due Dec. 31 of each year and are awarded around May of the following year. So you're too late for this year's grants, but be sure to apply by Dec. 31, 2015 for next year!

 

[Edgar]

That's awesome, Sharon.
Thanks to the members who made these great donations!

 

[wyone]

just one more example of what a great group this is. I feel lucky to be included

 

[oneleggimp]

Fantastic. Looks like you STILL could use another lathe or two but all the donated equipment and supplies are AWESOME. Some wonderful generous folks out there. What you are doing is wonderful. Please do post a video on Youtube.


Ernie Richardson,
Past President
Michigan Wheelchair Athletic Association.

 

[turncrazy43]

absolutely fantastic Sharon. Keep up the good work and cheers to all the generous folks that donated to your cause. It will surely give great joy to the students who will use the equipment. God bless you and the others that have participated.
_____________________________________________
Everyday I'm vertical is a great day

 

[sbwertz]

Sharon, a suggestion...

If you are an AAW member, the AAW offers "Educational Opportunity Grants" of up to $1,000 for individuals and up to $1,500 for AAW affiliated turning clubs.

Consider completing a grant application in the next cycle and submit it.

Grant applications are due Dec. 31 of each year and are awarded around May of the following year. So you're too late for this year's grants, but be sure to apply by Dec. 31, 2015 for next year!

We are in the process of submitting the paperwork to become an affiliated club. Right at the moment, I'm the only AAW member, but three others are going to join.

 

[sbwertz]

Fantastic. Looks like you STILL could use another lathe or two but all the donated equipment and supplies are AWESOME. Some wonderful generous folks out there. What you are doing is wonderful. Please do post a video on Youtube.


Ernie Richardson,
Past President
Michigan Wheelchair Athletic Association.

Thanks, Ernie. I made the decision that we needed a way to sharpen tools more than we needed a second lathe at this point in time. The wolverine lets even beginners put a good edge on their tools.

Hopefully we will be able to get another lathe soon. Even one of the little Excelsior lathes from Rockler would be fine. We are working on it!

 

[sbwertz]

Pictures of tools and materials.

Here are pictures of all the "loot" I bought for the Center for the Blind Lighthouse Turning project with the generous gifts from IAP members. They now have everything they need to run their program.



Here is the drill press table with hold down clamps

and centering pen vise, and the grinder and Wolverine jig.

Here is the LFRB of over 200 blanks sent by an IAP member

The drill bits and punches

And some of the pen kits

1

 

[oneleggimp]

Is there anything like a procedure manual for a program like this? I have friends who are involved with raising puppies for Leader Dogs For The Blind, one of the older schools (founded in 1939) that train guide dogs (because I have a wheelchair assistance dog, Ruby -birds of a feather flock together). Leader dogs has a summer camp program for 16 and 17 year old blind kids which includes a lot of recreational activities, as well as exposure to Leader Dogs, and it occurs to me that this sort of program might be neat for the kids in the summer and for those (adults and older kids) who come to the Leader Dog School in Rochester, Michigan to be paired with their Leader Dog and learn how to work together as a team. There are periods of recreation for these folks who spend some weeks in residence and this might be neat for them as well. Maybe some folks from IAP Michigan might even be willing to help some with that (can't speak for them - just speculating). I might be able to help out sometimes as well.

 

[Tom T]

Sharon,
This a fantastic thread. Thank you for what you are doing as well as the others from the IAP and elsewhere.

 

[sbwertz]

Is there anything like a procedure manual for a program like this? I have friends who are involved with raising puppies for Leader Dogs For The Blind, one of the older schools (founded in 1939) that train guide dogs (because I have a wheelchair assistance dog, Ruby -birds of a feather flock together). Leader dogs has a summer camp program for 16 and 17 year old blind kids which includes a lot of recreational activities, as well as exposure to Leader Dogs, and it occurs to me that this sort of program might be neat for the kids in the summer and for those (adults and older kids) who come to the Leader Dog School in Rochester, Michigan to be paired with their Leader Dog and learn how to work together as a team. There are periods of recreation for these folks who spend some weeks in residence and this might be neat for them as well. Maybe some folks from IAP Michigan might even be willing to help some with that (can't speak for them - just speculating). I might be able to help out sometimes as well.

If you will PM me, I will give you contact information for Andrea Sullivan, who started the project here and in Tampa and Philadelphia.

Here is some information on Andrea and other turners that were at AAW Symposium last year.

http://www.woodturner.org/default.asp?page=WBBsymposium

Sharon

 

[Jim15]

Great work Sharon.

 

[flyitfast]

Sharon, what a great project to add value to the lives of these people.
Have you heard of Steven Russell of the Lone Star Woodturners Assoc?
I don't know if he is still involved in teaching turning to those that are blind, but I know he has been involved in the past with a similar program that he organized. He might have some experience to add to the great effort you are doing to give more purpose to those that cannot see.
Thank you for what you are doing.
Gordon

 

[sbwertz]

Gordon, are those P-51 Mustangs in your avatar?

I have heard of Steve. He has some videos out there, but I didn't know he worked with blind turners. I took some pictures of our turners this week and will put them up this weekend.

One of them turned a handle for a bottle opener today. He is totally blind, and did a great job. He has already turned a couple of pens. He wanted to turn something for himself that he could actually use, since he made the pens for gifts, not having much use for one himself.

I drilled the blank for the insert and turned it round, then took a parting tool and put several grooves in the blank to indicate how deep he should turn the various areas to get the shape he wanted. He was able to taper the handle to the groove I had cut behind the bead for the bottle opener head and turn the bead down to the proper diameter. I used the skew to shape the butt end of the handle and cut it down to about a quarter of an inch and rounded the edges on the bead. He did all the rest. Sanded and finished it himself. I parted it off and hand sanded and finished the butt end for him. I'll post the pictures later tonight.

 

[Bob Wemm]

Sharon, there are some angels in this crazy world we live in, are you are certainly one of them.
Congratulations and thank you for your work, and thank you to all the members who assist in other ways.
Fantastic.

Bob.

 

[flyitfast]

Sharon, good eye. Yep, they are Mustangs which is my most favorite plane - Sadly I can only look at them and envy those that fly them.....maybe someday! Well, I did have a Ford Mustang for years - the first one in San Antonio when they came out in 1964.

Thanks for posting the pictures of your turning with the blind folks. They did great and appear to have had some very thoughtful and creative people helping them. It is always a joy to help someone to learn to turn and experience their pleasure at creating something. Great smiles in those pictures!! :smile-big:
Hope you can keep up the program. I think Steve would enjoy seeing the pictures and hear about your program. I don't know if he is on IAP or not? Website: http://www.penturners.org/links/showlink.php?l=26&catid=searchresults&searchid=45397
Thanks.
Gordon

 

[sbwertz]

Gordon, my father was an aircraft mechanic in WWII. When I was a child, we lived near an airforce base and he would point out all the planes flying by and taught me to identify many of them. The mustang was easy because of the "pregnant guppy" belly pod. And of course the P-38 because of it's twin tail. One of my favorites was the gooney bird because they turned them into gunships in Viet Nam and made the "dragon ships" that mounted the GE miniguns. Later they went to larger four engine planes for gunships, but the gooneys started it all. When I first went into the army in 1961 they flew us down the west coast in a gooney picking up enlistees all along the coast before flying us to basic on commercial airlines from LA. When I climbed aboard and the first thing they did was hand me a parachute....

I love the old tail draggers, though.

 

[sbwertz]

Thanks to a VERY generous anonymous donor, we were able to buy a belt/disk sander, new mandrel rods, bushings, pen kits, CA, face masks, goggles, a mini-chop saw for cutting tubes, anti-fatigue pads, and many other supplies. Thank you so much!