Tn-Steve
Member
Hi Gang,
Great site, HUGE amount of very useful info, and some super knowledgeable folks here. I'm not a turner yet (other than doing 1 pen at a friends shop), but he hooked me on it. (Darn him
)
I'm a computer trainer (teach Programming) in Nashville, TN, and enjoy long walks in the park, Puppies, (Oh Wait, wrong Forum). I'm not a skilled woodworker by any stretch of the imagination, but am building a 5 x 10 foot teardrop camper trailer right now. I've wanted something that I can do that doesn't involve risking a hernia everytime I move a piece that I'm working on, and Pen Turning seems like just the ticket.
I really like that the basic turning isn't that long of a process, that you can go from start to finish on a simple pen with a simple finish in under an hour with practice, but the room is there to also truly build and test your skills. It's also nice that you have something that you can carry with you, use every day, gift others with something that truely reflects something more than "I went to the mall".
I've got to get some tools for this of course (oh DARN) :smile-big: Believe it or not, most of the trailer project has been done with not much more than a set of Ryobi Cordless tools, a router, and lots of jigs and 'crutches' that I've built up to supplement my meager abilities.
I'm looking at one of the "SUPER DUPER PEN TURNER KITS" from Penn Ind. The one without the VS Lathe, but lots of blanks and parts. I'm a firm believer that if you start off with moderately good equipment from the start, (Yea, I'd love to go top-drawer all the way, but the cats get mean when they don't get their tuna), you are more likely to have success, since you aren't fighting the fact that the tools you are using require a lot of extra work. I know from experence that if you are really good at something you can compensate for bad equipment with skill and prior experence, but if you are at the beginning of the learning curve it's a lot easier if your gear isn't fighing you all the way.
Well, I've rambled long enough. Looking forward to an enjoyable hobby, and who knows, I might even get good enough to sell one. (See, this could pay for itself in no time) :biggrin:
Steve
Clarksville, TN
Great site, HUGE amount of very useful info, and some super knowledgeable folks here. I'm not a turner yet (other than doing 1 pen at a friends shop), but he hooked me on it. (Darn him
)I'm a computer trainer (teach Programming) in Nashville, TN, and enjoy long walks in the park, Puppies, (Oh Wait, wrong Forum). I'm not a skilled woodworker by any stretch of the imagination, but am building a 5 x 10 foot teardrop camper trailer right now. I've wanted something that I can do that doesn't involve risking a hernia everytime I move a piece that I'm working on, and Pen Turning seems like just the ticket.
I really like that the basic turning isn't that long of a process, that you can go from start to finish on a simple pen with a simple finish in under an hour with practice, but the room is there to also truly build and test your skills. It's also nice that you have something that you can carry with you, use every day, gift others with something that truely reflects something more than "I went to the mall".
I've got to get some tools for this of course (oh DARN) :smile-big: Believe it or not, most of the trailer project has been done with not much more than a set of Ryobi Cordless tools, a router, and lots of jigs and 'crutches' that I've built up to supplement my meager abilities.
I'm looking at one of the "SUPER DUPER PEN TURNER KITS" from Penn Ind. The one without the VS Lathe, but lots of blanks and parts. I'm a firm believer that if you start off with moderately good equipment from the start, (Yea, I'd love to go top-drawer all the way, but the cats get mean when they don't get their tuna), you are more likely to have success, since you aren't fighting the fact that the tools you are using require a lot of extra work. I know from experence that if you are really good at something you can compensate for bad equipment with skill and prior experence, but if you are at the beginning of the learning curve it's a lot easier if your gear isn't fighing you all the way.
Well, I've rambled long enough. Looking forward to an enjoyable hobby, and who knows, I might even get good enough to sell one. (See, this could pay for itself in no time) :biggrin:
Steve
Clarksville, TN
