What is your age?

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What is your (general) age?

  • 18 or younger

    Votes: 25 2.4%

  • 19-29

    Votes: 64 6.3%

  • 30-39

    Votes: 144 14.1%

  • 40-49

    Votes: 233 22.8%

  • 50-59

    Votes: 259 25.3%

  • 60 "and better"

    Votes: 299 29.2%
  • Total voters
    1,024
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I'm older than most wood I work. Most burls have better eyes than me. I smell worse than olive wood but better than desert iron wood. Seems like my hands are starting to look like bark. The filter mask marks on my face stay around a lot longer than they used to. My hair used to be as rich as Claro walnut but is now more like the ash end of the cigar pens I've seen on IAP. At 54 I find myself looking forward to retirement but know I need to build my tool enventory before fixed income becomes a reality.
 
I'm 34 and will turn (pun intended) 35 in March. I've been turning your 2 year now and love it. It's a hobby/business for me. More hobby then business but sales help off set the cost of the hobby. Sales are growing as I find new connects. So we will see where it goes.
 
This may be a fairly old post, but still a great question/topic! I just turned 47. I've been turning a few pens for the past 2.5 yrs, but have been turning on one of Dads old lathes since '99. He started woodturning in the early 1970's, so I've been exposed to it pretty much my whole life. He did hollow form vessels, beautiful pieces!!. After he passed in '09, his wife took it up and is doing pieces just as amazing as his! The man never owned a scroll chuck, did it "old school"!!:)
 
I'm 38, just started tool collecting last year. Turned my first pen last fall, which was also my first wood-working project, if you don't count the bench my grinder is on. And believe me, I don't...

This hobby (turning) is expensive, and time consuming. The older we get, the more "settled" we become and the more we appreciate what our folks did. My dad has been a craftsman of some sort all his life. His dad was before him as well. I got into computers & do that for a living.

My dad was SO excited when I sent him pictures of my shop coming together, he learned how to use his email! Who'd have thought, after all these years that I'd find tinkering in my shop so enjoyable and fullfilling!?
 
I will be 80 this year. The good Lord has allowed me to enjoy these seventy nine years and they have been wonderful. Not long ago, I was asked when were the
"good ole days" for me and my reply "shucks, I living them right now".

Ben
 
BKelley said:
I will be 80 this year. The good Lord has allowed me to enjoy these seventy nine years and they have been wonderful. Not long ago, I was asked when were the
"good ole days" for me and my reply "shucks, I living them right now".

Ben
Click to expand...

Ben,

Congratulations on still being an active woodworker at almost 80. I turn 62 in May, and had planned to retire then. I decided to retire early, which I did over the holidays. Now every day is a Saturday ... but my wife is still working, so I don't say that too loudly!

I still have WAY too many projects I want to do, so I too hope to continue doing woodworking, God willing, for another 20+ years. Besides, I've been spending a bunch of money on new tools lately, so I have to get my money's worth!
 
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The calendar say's I am 76,
My head tells me I am around 35
I can't work out how this difference came about or where those lost "head" years years have gone.
My Body at times tells me I am 101.

It is a bad sign when you are on a first name basis with your Doctor.
And your social life or what is left of it has to evolve around medical appointments.

I started working with wood, with my father who was a French Polisher, when I was about 11. I would make scenes out of veneers, glue with heated Casine Glue. Then polish them under the close eye of Dad.

After I married, I converted a single bedroom cottage into a three bedroom house, doing all the work myself, and continued doing routine maintenance ever since.

In 2000 I was retrenched, and given early retirement. I attended a Wood Turning Course at Night College. Joined the Sydney Woodturners Guild, and have been learning ever since.
As Capt Ed says, "Every Cut is a Learning Cut".

I decided and started the Pen journey some two years ago, to use some of the Special little pieces of wood one keeps incase.
I have needed to rearrange and set up the Car Evicted Garage, (my Workshop), to be able to work properly without having to move half the contents of the workshop to do so.
This task is nearing completion, if I can only cancel some of those Medical Appointments.
In the mean time I can appreciate the work of others.

All joking aside I am healthy, just the demands of aging, as a number of the seniors will confirm.
Brian.
 
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Brian,

You have given me inspiration that I do still have time to become very good at turning. If I could only master the skew!

I too feel much younger than my biological age. And then I look in the mirror and feel just a little bit older (maybe late forties to early fifties). It is only when I see family pictures, and wonder who that old geezer is with the rest of the family ...
 
LeeR said:
Brian,

You have given me inspiration that I do still have time to become very good at turning. If I could only master the skew!

I too feel much younger than my biological age. And then I look in the mirror and feel just a little bit older (maybe late forties to early fifties). It is only when I see family pictures, and wonder who that old geezer is with the rest of the family ...
Click to expand...


Lee,
Have you tried reshaping your Skew?
I suggest that you grind the Cutting edge to a slight convex curve ( that is take it away from a straight edge).
Then grind the bevel to a Convex, rather than a Concave Hollow Ground Bevel.
When cutting, keep the edge contact on the bottom third quarter of the edge (from the long point up).
There a numerous youtube videos on this style of Skew Grind.
Have a look at some.
Probably easier to understand a video, than my description.
Most important keep practicing so that your muscle memory makes it second nature, just like proper use of the clutch when changing gears.
Brian.
 
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Just made it in the 19-29 group by a few days, figured I'd vote before the 3rd so I can maintain my youthful presence here. Started traditional woodworking as a boy with my grandfather. Just got back into it a few years ago. Started turning more recently, focused primarily on game calls but several pens of late and gradually getting addicted to the idea of going kitless (spent way too much time looking at old APM threads).
Joe
 
I'm 75. I've been turning just a few months. I have been a hobbiest all my life. Model airplanes, HO trains for about 45 years, a hobby machinist and motorcycle buff. I also have been repairing antique clocks for about 45 years as a hobby. A pen turning video caught my attention and interest. The rest is history. I now have two lathes and assorted pen turning equipment and an empty wallet. Worth it tho.
 
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sarg

76 yrs old have been a woodworker since my ealy 30tys had my own cabinet shop and retired for the last 15 yrs have been doing small items on the lathe and by hand. mostly pens and tobacco pipes for the last 10yrs
John
 
40 here. Been into woodworking in various forms for 29 years or so. Wife and I have a cherry blanket chest in our bedroom that I built in 1991.

The pen thing is fairly new to me, though. All started in April of this year when I had to take a pen turning class to be able to use the lathe on base.
 
I'm on the scary edge of 65 and have officially been involved in woodworking since rejoining the Charlotte Woodworkers' Association several years ago (too long a story behind that!). Been a member of their offshoot, the Charlotte Woodturners' Association for about 2-1/2 years and a member of the Piedmont Chapter of IAP since its inception about a year ago. I lean more towards turning but still do a fair amount of flat work such as uncomplicated furniture. My turning is mostly pens but occasionally dare something bigger, like a pepper mill. I'm still amazed at some of the pens I see in the IAP postings.
 
30

Been doing wookworking for a few years but only wood turning for 1 year. Love it and now have 3 lathes. 1 year ago today I had none! My profits on selling items have greatly increased the tools in my shop!
 
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