Another Hawaii turner

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beerguitar

Member
Joined
May 5, 2014
Messages
11
Location
Hawaii
Hey, just started turning and new to the forum. I have a jet mini lathe that a friend of mine gave to me. Said he was never gonna use it and if I wanted it I had to supply him with beer. Twist my arm. It sat in my garage for about 4 months till another friend in North Carrolina started turning. I have been woodworking for a couple of years so I had a bunch of cut offs laying around. Some depot level repair guys were out to Hawaii from NC to help us fix a hard down airplane. Asked them if they could take some of those cutoff a back to my friend. In return for the wood, he sent me a .50 cal pen with curly, spalted koa that I had sent him. I thought that pen turning would be fun and that lathe was just chilling in the garage collecting dust.

So I did what any man in their right mind would do, Jump in head first. As of today I am about $600 into this new hobby. And I didn't even have to buy the lathe. But I am totally addicted. I have even brought the lathe with me to work.

After searching around the forums a bit, I have seen that there is so much more to turning out nice pens than slapping a blank on the lathe and making a mess.

Looking forward to turning for a long time to come. And to all the help and support I know I will find on this site.

Travis
 
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BSea

Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Messages
4,628
Location
Little Rock, Arkansas
WOW, $600 into it already. You sure got off light. :biggrin:
Look on the brightside. Curly Koa is a lot cheaper for you.

Anyway, welcome from Little Rock.
 

Cmiles1985

Member
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
Messages
1,611
Location
Aransas Pass, TX
Welcome from South Texas. Consider $600 to be merely a drop in the bucket! Look back at this thread in another three months and just smile :). Have a good one!
 

beerguitar

Member
Joined
May 5, 2014
Messages
11
Location
Hawaii
Thanks

Thanks for all the welcomes...

Here is the 17th pen in a little over 2 weeks of turning pens. Little bit of Koa I had laying around the garage collecting dust. I made a matching mech pencil out of the same Koa. Sorry for the iPhone picture.
 

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JasonC

Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2014
Messages
286
Location
Honolulu, Hawaii
Welcome to the madness. $600 in 2 weeks - ouch!

I'm in Kapolei and there's another couple of turners here in the Kapolei/Makakilo area.
 

beerguitar

Member
Joined
May 5, 2014
Messages
11
Location
Hawaii
Hooked

Again thanks for welcoming me to the "vortex". I am definitely hooked.

After looking around the site and seeing some of the amazing pens you guys have made, I realize how little I know of turning pens. I have seen the pens made without a kit, and before I started I thought that it was all just one kit and you just put it together. Never realized the effort that goes into making something like that. I can't wait until I am able to make one of those.

I see a long future in this so called "hobby" (more like a fetish haha). I look forward to getting my 8 and 4 year old boys into it also. Nothing like sharing a "hobby" with your kids.
 

glen r

Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2010
Messages
453
Location
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5W 1V8
Welcome Travis. You've jumped in with both feet, now you have to keep going and hoping that you never hit bottom - just kidding. Enjoy the hobby and since there have never been 2 pens that have been turned EXACTLY alike you don't have to worry about copying someone else's work.
 
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