Eyeing a retirement hobby

[doctormarje]

Hi, everyone! Wow, lots to read in this Forum. I'm an intermediate woodworker who received a tabletop lathe for Christmas, and have started turning pens. Had some initial hiccups, worked through most of them. Just finished making a nice fountain pen, now turning a letter holder to match. I teach fulltime at Indiana University, live in a "real" log cabin build in 1810 (yes, 1810!), and so have taken up woodworking to support the cabin restoration. Trouble is, the property also came with a 2,000 square foot garage that now houses 5 workbenches, a jointer, planer, 3 bandsaws, mortiser, routers, table saw, radial arm saw. . . you get the idea. I look forward to learning from and with you!

 

[jttheclockman]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH your troubles are terrible. I wish I can feel that pain. I think everyone here would love to be in your shoes with a shop that big. I know I would. I would have no problem filling that bad boy up.

As for hobby, yes this can be a rewarding one in many ways if you are patient (pun). It is a relaxing and rewarding hobby. I am sure you have access to alot of free wood blanks out there. Hope you stick around and jump in and show us what you can do. Welcome. Happy Turning.

 

[leehljp]

Welcome Majorie!
Your woodworking experience will help tremendously, but there are things in pen turning that are unique to pen turning. If you have hand planes and are adapt at sharpening them to razor sharp edges, then that kind of experience will translate easily to keeping sharp tools. Pen turning, to me, is closer to small appointments (the attention to detail) on woodwork.

Many of us have many tools, and I have more than I have room for. Routers, I enjoy routers; I have 7 or 8, two router tables, with one table with two routers in it. Very helpful for rail and stile work.

Enjoy this madness!

 

[FGarbrecht]

Welcome. I graduated from IU in 1975, best time of my life. What do you teach?

 

[howsitwork]

Welcome from the Uk.

Sounds like good retirement preparations to me!

 

[magpens]

Hi Marje !! . Warm welcome to IAP !! .

You have an enviable workspace ........ but ........

........ only one lathe ???????

The pen you show above is lovely !!!

 

[tomtedesco]

Welcome from Colorado.

 

[Alan Morrison]

Welcome to the forum, Marjorie.

Alan

 

[peter1958]

Welcome here, from Europe, Netherlands.
There is enough to read and learn here. Many people so talented!!
I'm learning and trying. I hope i can do this until i'm 120 or so. My bucketlist is growing like bamboo in a rainforest.
Here 2 rollerballs Lester kit. chrome and gunmetal. Testing CA finish. Gunmetal pen i tested danish oil with CA but i'm not happy with it.
Need to try that again. The chrome pen only CA finish. 5 coats of CA middle viscosity 3 times accelerator, then sanding 600 grit dry. Then 2 more coats without accelerator. Wet sanding 600 to 12000.

Must buy some more CA but low viscosity i guess.

 

[Jim15]

Welcome Marjorie.

 

[Fuzzy63]

Hi Marjorie, and welcome to IAP. You will find a lot of information here. I wish my shop was half that big. Enjoy it.
Gary

 

[darrin1200]

Welcome from Ontario, Canada

 

[doctormarje]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH your troubles are terrible. I wish I can feel that pain. I think everyone here would love to be in your shoes with a shop that big. I know I would. I would have no problem filling that bad boy up.

As for hobby, yes this can be a rewarding one in many ways if you are patient (pun). It is a relaxing and rewarding hobby. I am sure you have access to alot of free wood blanks out there. Hope you stick around and jump in and show us what you can do. Welcome. Happy Turning.

Patience is something I'm learning through woodworking. Yep, lots of wood available for blanks; I just pulled some figured maple out of the firewood pile. (Head shaking in disbelief)

 

[doctormarje]

Welcome. I graduated from IU in 1975, best time of my life. What do you teach?

Education, graduate program (Master's in Adult Education). I graduated from IU with a bachelor's in journalism in '78!