pacer_3iii
Member
I'm Brent, and I'm in Jonesboro, Arkansas. I started out in late 2022 on a free (and very rusty) Craftsman tube lathe from I think 1981 that I restored and built a table for, then moved up to a Rikon 70-150vsr and I've loved every minute of both. I started with Christmas ornaments for my staff at work, then moved on to kitchen handles and finally tried a few pens when I found a starter kit at Rockler on a vacation to St. Louis, and I've been hooked ever since.
Jonesboro is a strange and eclectic community that doesn't really have much in the way of arts or crafts. I'm not even sure if there's any woodworking or turning groups around here. We have a Hobby Lobby and a Michael's, but as most everyone here knows, neither of those companies seems to be aware that you can make things on a lathe (which is both a blessing and a curse...no cheap competition, but also no readily available supplies.) The closest store to me that sells anything for woodworking or turning is in Memphis, and I don't go over there very much. In my search for online vendors and reviews on their service, I found IAP. Everything I know I learned from either trial/error, reddit, or youtube, so it's great to finally find a resource (the library) and knowledgeable and encouraging people.
Jonesboro is a strange and eclectic community that doesn't really have much in the way of arts or crafts. I'm not even sure if there's any woodworking or turning groups around here. We have a Hobby Lobby and a Michael's, but as most everyone here knows, neither of those companies seems to be aware that you can make things on a lathe (which is both a blessing and a curse...no cheap competition, but also no readily available supplies.) The closest store to me that sells anything for woodworking or turning is in Memphis, and I don't go over there very much. In my search for online vendors and reviews on their service, I found IAP. Everything I know I learned from either trial/error, reddit, or youtube, so it's great to finally find a resource (the library) and knowledgeable and encouraging people.