How has this hobby been benefitial to you?

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hewunch

hewunch

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Joined
Aug 5, 2008
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Albany, GA
When I first started turning (bowls) I did it for relaxation and to make Christmas gifts. The relaxation part was good. Some guys hunt, some fish, that isn't my thing so turning was a really God send for me in relieving stress.

Then I started turning pens. And for the first time in my life I had a hobby that supported itself. :rolleyes: And, I have made many, many new friends.

Well, today I got a new benefit....

When I was younger my family lived in Illinois, outside of Chicago. When I was in the 6th grade, my folks split up and my Mom and I moved to a town near Columbia, SC.

While I was in Illinois, I started scouts. First cub scouts and then boy scouts. I had just finished my 1st year when mom and I moved away. But, I really liked my troop in Ill and my scoutmaster was really there for me when I was going through my folks divorce.

When we moved, I found a new troop and like so many I got my Eagle between 17 and 18 yrs old.... Fast forward a couple of decades.

My oldest son is in Boy Scouts now. In the transition between cubs and BSA, I got out some of my old stuff. In it was a neckerchief from my old troop in Ill. I contacted the troop to see what ever became of my old Scoutmaster.

Turns out, he went on from there to become involved regionally and then nationally. And he received the silver buffalo (for those that don't know, that is like the congressional medal of honor for scouting). I was proud to have known him and extremely happy for him... Fast forward to today.

I get an email from out of the blue. The person it was from said he had received a pen from a friend and apparently searched to find others that made pens. In the process he ran across my name and decided to contact me. He remembered me after all those years, one of I am sure dozens of boys who was only in the troop for just over a year.

Thought I would share.... Romans 8:28
 
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Thanks! I want to encourage others to feel free to add in stories of how turning has been beneficial to you.
 
For me this has been one of my first creative outlets that has been appreciated by more people than pretty much me by myself. It's also good stress relief. It has yet to really support itself, bit I'm cool with that. There are other benefits that don't really need to be aired out on a public forum, but suffice it to say they're important.
 
That's a great story, my old scout master got busted for DWI and for beating his wife and kids. Glad to hear that some of the leaders had a good effect on their scouts.

For the benificial parts of turning, I have worked with a number of at risk kids (mostly gangbangers and drug dealers) and have seen about 90% of the kids I have worked with turn their lives around. They love coming down to my shop and working on the lathes and it gives them a break from either the streets or a disfunctional family lifestyle. Some of them have even gone on to college and are doing well.
 
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It's been a hobby that got way out of hand, but it does pay for it's self, and it keeps me off the street at night, where I would be chasing young women and punishing my liver, but best of all I've met so many great people and learned so much..
 
I started out turning pens because of the Sunday School Class that I teach. Each year I make each person a gift. In 2003 I was stumped as to what I could make each of them. Then a dear friend of 40 some odd years introduced me to Pen making.

Made each member of the class a Slimline and as a result I was totally addicted.
But the beauty of it was the stress relief I get as I get involved in the making of a new pen.

I do indeed now sell a number of pens but I often think that maybe the real joy is in those I give away. The month of May I got that joy a bit over 20 times.

It`s a great hobby that I will always be greatful to my friend for introducing me to it.

In turn I`ve introduced 4 others to the addiction:biggrin: That`s my story.
 
Well, when I stopped drinking, it was time to stop watching TV and keep my hands busy. So, Dawn got me a "turning lesson"!! I excelled!!

The instructor said no one before ME had EVER broken the 3/8" gouge handle on their very FIRST lesson.

So, I kept it up. Then MET Dick Sing as I started to do shows (Dawn's stained glass got us IN the shows, I sold a couple pens).

The biggest event was finding the IAP. For me, this has been a source of great friends and has led to another small business that allows me to talk with even MORE members.

Oh, and it has made it easier to remain "alcohol free" for nearly 20 years, now.

AS I tell people all the time---I turn pens because to me, it IS FUN!!! What more can you ask??
 
Great Stories! Its funny, my scout master moved away but was a good friend of the family. After 25+ years, I heard from him this spring. It was nice to talk and send him a box of blanks and stuff to supply his recent hobby of pen making.

I started for my wife. She bought me my first lathe and loves PENS! Naturally she is my biggest fan, but her sister takes a close second. I mostly make pens for my family and some friends but its a stress reliever for me to explore my creative side. Not to mention the fun and feeling of completing a new master piece. Of course finding this place and making new friends have been a great plus too.
 
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I started turning about 4 years ago. I have always loved writing instruments and saw a class at Woodcraft in pen making. I took the class, driving 25 miles every night after work to get to the class and then home again. The class lasted 2 night and I made 4 pens in two days. I was bitten and have been very much "in love" with making pens and slowly branching out into other types of turning. It is a great stress relief from my job of nursing and I have made a lot of new friends and opened my creative side and I am having a grand time making things on my lathe. I do some fairs to support my habit and helped me to continue my 31 years of sobriety. Isn't wood turning GRAND?
 
I do woodworking for relaxation and tension relief. I need to sell some stuff to keep the habit going but really enjoy giving my work away when I can or at special occasions.

But pens seems to be the most treasured items that I do for people. Maybe because it is something they touch and see most days, where as a vase, box or scroll work is put on a shelf somewhere.

That is a nice benefit, to put smile on people's face. It's a gift that people know you put your time and self into.
 
I enjoy the journey of creating and making a pen. Sometimes I just make a simple pen, and then at other times, I will think and think and think and create something that is just different. I haven't been able to do this for well over a year. I was at HF today and got some HD swivel rollers to make a table to put my lathe upon. Got to get back to turning soon.

Making pens are a stress relief for me too!

As to your story, I too run into people who know "of" me that I have never met, or at least I don't remember meeting. I happened to call a fellow yesterday who posted a blog concerning work in the States like I did in Japan. I was very interested in his work. We had never met, however he said he knew of me and had heard my name on a several occasions. Looks like we will be working together or at least collaborating some in the near future.

My "Thirty Pieces of Silver" pen has had the effect of bringing far more attention than I was prepared for. My personal 30 Piece of Silver pen was used during the wedding ceremony for the signing of the marriage certificate earlier this year, and a couple of "pen collectors" in the audience asked about it after the wedding. (I performed the wedding.) Both collectors said that it was worth a few hundred dollars and that encouraged me to get my tools (lathe) and work shop back together.

That same pen drew attention from many Japanese while I was living there, and one fellow whose job and name is fairly well known in central Japan commented on it several times when LOML and I went to visit him and his wife (and vice versa) on different occasions. I finally made one for him and it was the last pen that I made in Japan. For a man so wealthy and could have anything (and has a personal chauffeur) I will never forget the beaming smile when I presented him with that pen. It was worth it.
 
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I got into pen turning after I saw one of my grandpa's ancient pens he used to make. All of them were slims in gold. I have always loved pens, so I checked it out and found a wealth of websites with pen kits and blanks, I had to do it, despite my parents frowning upon me investing all of my money into a lathe and basic tools.

To me penturning is the best stress reliever in my life. School can get very stressful, but going out to the shop, putting on some nice music and making a classy pen is similar to taking a vacation. Everything else besides the pen disappears and you are left with a beautiful souvenir.
 
hewunch said:
Thanks! I want to encourage others to feel free to add in stories of how turning has been beneficial to you.
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Well then, does this count?

My wallet has been much lighter, and the needless weight in it has been beneficial to my lower back problems:embarrassed:


Seems when I first got the lathe, I'd turn a 2x4 just to be turning something and making wood chips fly. But now......I dunno? Maybe I've come to respect the wood I'm turning more and look for special stuff to turn and let other people see what comes out of it.





Scott (too deep for this time of the morning) B
 
My hobby is operating a small business as an independent artist who makes pens and other small items. The hobby has paid for a few years of college for my kids and hopefully will pay for a few more.
 
Drstrangefart said:
For me this has been one of my first creative outlets that has been appreciated by more people than pretty much me by myself. It's also good stress relief. It has yet to really support itself, bit I'm cool with that. There are other benefits that don't really need to be aired out on a public forum, but suffice it to say they're important.
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Well, since it's becoming a reoccurring thing, I had to quit drinking and plowing through painkillers cold turkey about 17 months ago. It'd been a relief to not have to be bored and to be able to do something I care enough about to want to show off when I'm done. It also gives me a something to do when inspiration to do something really different strikes.
 
I do a lot of things just because they strike me as interesting. From the first time i saw that a pen could be made it created that itch. It took quite a few years but when I started it i did it right. I was tired of trying to do things by scraping together the bits and pieces. I managed to but together a couple thousand dollars and set down and made my list. I already had most of the shop equipment. Penturning has not only been a great hobby that allows me to make some of the finest items I have ever made in my shop. It also generates a small income of it's own that allows me to add to my shop yearly. i don't even want to know what i have put into it over the years. What i do know is that it does not cut into the families finances to do it.

Still this is not what I consider the best benefit of turning pens. That having found a group of people like all of you. That is no joke. I would never have thought an internet group could develop to such a lvl of friendship and trust as this one has. I have seen this group time and time again be there with real help and concern for our members. That is more than just words and good intentions. That is nothing less than genuine good people. I have always been proud to be considered among all of you.

I have several stories of having family or friends dawn back or at least closer in my life due to my pen making. A cousin that i had seldom ever talked to has recently been contacting me regularly due to them. And on top of that are the thousands upon thousands of encounters I have had with people simply because making pens seems to be a natural ice breaker for people. I can't remember how many times I have been approaches with the words "So and So told me you make pens"? I am beginnign to think there really is somethign about the pen that makes people more civil.
 
I started penturning as a hobby. A month after I took the class at Woodcraft I lost my son in Iraq. My shop and penmaking became my refuge. It was where I could be alone with my thoughts and grieving. I can't tell you how many hours I spent each day. It was therapy for me.

However, the best benefit from my penturning is I found IAP. This led me to meet many people here. Most I've never met in person but call I call them friends. Many I have met in person including Hans and I now have many more good friends.
 
In November of 2004 Diane was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy I was a basket case for a while. I was on ebay one morning at 3 AM, just couldn't sleep and have no real reason why I did it but I bid on a lathe. To this day I still think that lathe saved my sanity. I turned my first pen just before Christmas and floundered for a little over a year until I found the IAP in May of 2006.
Not only did I kick up my pen making but made a number of cyber space friends. Started doing some local shows and in 2007 really decided that I could make my hobby more than just pay for itself but make me a pretty good extra income and started doing bigger shows and made even more friends in the art show circuit.
P.S. Diane is now completly cancer free.
 
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I have a shopsmith that I bought in 2006. I used every other option on it to do flatwork. One day I wanted to try the lathe part. I knew I wasn't going to make a baseball bat or table leg. So I got a bag of bulk wood from woodcraft and a couple of pen kits. I was afraid of going to far and blowing out the wood. I think I got the hang of it now. Now I want to do casting/labels/decals..
 
For starters, I've found that a Matthew with a creative outlet is a much happier Matthew.

But the biggest benefit I've gotten yet is how close it's brought me to my father, who lives 2000 miles away. You see, he is a silversmith/goldsmith (now semi-retired), and I decided I wanted to start making my own pen components. So I spent time in his studio learning from him when we were out for a visit, and I've spent countless hours on the phone getting advice or just commiserating with him since then. When I turn on the pickle pot and the smell of Sparex starts to fill the studio, it takes me right back to my childhood and my father's studio. And every minute I'm in the studio, I feel somehow connected to him and the work he's done for decades.

Strangely, perhaps, the fact I'm making something he never made (pens) makes it all the better - I'm taking his skill and work, and doing my own thing with them. When we talk about it on the phone, at least some of the time we are talking as "equals", and that warms my heart as well.
 
Alrighty...my turn...sorry for it being so long, I got on a roll. This has become beneficial for me bc it gave my inner craftsman a medium to create with. Growing up I lost my grandfater when I was around 10yrs old. Prior to losing him I spent the night at his house EVERY weekend while in school and most of the summer while on break. We'd spend all day in his woodshop. I was too young to really do much, but I would watch and enjoy every second of it. He would make all kinds of things from tables to bedframes. When he would do spindle legs for tables it was always my favorite part. I just couldn't grasp how it was done. After he passed that part of me passed too. My Dad has always been more of a metal worker, welding and whatnot and me not being as interested in that got out of the craftsman frame of mind and turned to electronics for a hobby. After several years (17 or so) I started to get the wood working bug again. I was looking online for ways to learn and found turning classes at Woodzone nearby. I wanted to try bowls more than anything but they had a 2 penturning classes back to back and bowls weren't being done for another month or so. So I signed up along with Shea and took the first class which was making a wood pen. I loved it! It looks like crap (still have it btw), but I loved it. The next day/class was on turning acrylics. This class was by far the most instructive and it really got me wanting more. This class was taught by my good friend Hans (hewunch here on IAP). I do have to give the props to you Hans bc you did teach me more than anyone. Although at the time I liked turning wood more than acrylics (go figure huh:eek:) I quickly became obsessed by casting, which gave my inner Artist a medium to create with. So I've been turning for almost 2yrs now and that along with casting has become an actual source of income and I'm loving every minute of it. Along with that enjoyment I've made some awesome friends. Many I've met at local chapter meetings, many here on IAP. The pros have outnumbered the cons by leaps and bounds and I can't wait to see what the next 10yrs has in store for me.
 
Ed, congratulations on 20 years of being alcohol free! But getting back to penmaking. I started a few years ago for stress relief from my job that I no longer have:rolleyes:. I got addicted! Is there a penturners anonymous?:smile:
I am now unemployed and trying to make some money at it. They say, Do what you love and success will come, but I'm still waiting on the part where I can make an actual living at it. But, I love it!

ed4copies said:
Well, when I stopped drinking, it was time to stop watching TV and keep my hands busy. So, Dawn got me a "turning lesson"!! I excelled!!

The instructor said no one before ME had EVER broken the 3/8" gouge handle on their very FIRST lesson.

So, I kept it up. Then MET Dick Sing as I started to do shows (Dawn's stained glass got us IN the shows, I sold a couple pens).

The biggest event was finding the IAP. For me, this has been a source of great friends and has led to another small business that allows me to talk with even MORE members.

Oh, and it has made it easier to remain "alcohol free" for nearly 20 years, now.

AS I tell people all the time---I turn pens because to me, it IS FUN!!! What more can you ask??
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Bruce, I am sorry for your loss! I appreciate your son very much! I too, use penturning as therapy. I find myself thinking a lot while I'm turning. It is very calming for me as my nerves are a wreck trying to find a job now. I'm 60 and it is very hard. Also, as you, I found IAP and it too, has been an awesome place with awesome people.

fiferb said:
I started penturning as a hobby. A month after I took the class at Woodcraft I lost my son in Iraq. My shop and penmaking became my refuge. It was where I could be alone with my thoughts and grieving. I can't tell you how many hours I spent each day. It was therapy for me.

However, the best benefit from my penturning is I found IAP. This led me to meet many people here. Most I've never met in person but call I call them friends. Many I have met in person including Hans and I now have many more good friends.
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hi
I also stopped drinking and needed something to keep me occupied. Got more and more interested, had my first table at a craft fair last sunday, cleared $180.00, after expenses!!! :):). Even without making anything on it, even spending what I spend on kits balnks tools etc. I am not spending a tenth on what I spent on drinking. So as we say at the meetings, I'll keep coming back, to my lathe that is :):):)
Sulli
 
I did electrical and electronics work for many years and when I retired I wanted something completely different. Seen to many retire with nothing to do but watch TV and then die within 6 months. Took up woodworking and loved it. On various forums I read about the pens for service members projects and thought that would be a good thing to do. If I'd known then what I know now it would have gone right back. To much play in the tailstock. Started making pens and my wife managed to sell a few and I thought this hobby might pay for itself. (Not even close) In a small town of 900 you quickly run out of people willing to pay more than 99 cents for a pen. Most get given away now, probably at least half to our military members. The looks of thanks or some of the letters received make it all worthwhile, like the letter from a Major stationed in Afghanistan who wrote me to thank me for the pen and mentioned he had used it that morning to sign the orders to bring his guys home. I won't use the cheap platings because even giving them away I don't want to be associated with a pen where the plating wears off in 6 months or a year. I enjoy it, the wife knows where I am and I get to make others happy, what else can you ask for?
 
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Not to hijack the thread, but I am for reasons beyond me surprised and a little relieved to find out I'm not alone with having to quit abusing my liver like it just slapped my grandmother. Way to go, pen turning!
 
Congrats to all you guys that quit the bottle! I used to call in sick with that Brown Bottle Flu on occasion...
 
I started turning pens in 2004 as therapy and pain relief, as many of you know I had an accident at work in 2001 which resulted in me breaking my back and knocking 3 vertibrae out of line (very painful), after a year or so of depression and feeling sorry for myself I started to make walking sticks for my own use.

However, this was very painful on my back whilst shaping the wooden handle with rasps etc.. Looking on the internet one evening I notice cheap penmaking starter kits for sale, bought it and then bought a small lathe, then as my interest grew I started upgrading everything.

Penturning keeps me sane, I don`t feel so useless anymore, and it really helps me with pain relief as it is a great distraction.
 
First off, it seems that the majority here began pen turning for its therapeutic values, me included. I had made something almost my entire life. I've made bars, drew pictures, wood carving, Bonsai, and mostly made custom fishing rods since 1964.

I finally quit the rods because of a saw accident and the inability to feel the fine threads on smaller rod windings. My daughter who was the real artist in the family, mentioned making pens. In 2008, I tried and liked it. I made her 3 pens and each of her costume designing friends a Mag. Necklace Pen each.

I bought more tools(toys) and more stock. And more tools and more stock. My daughter was diagnosed with cancer in 2010. I tried to stop to spend more time with her. She wouldn't have it. She wanted me to bring my lathe and stuff into her garage so I could work and be close by for her. I did that for a while til it became time for me to put all that side to be able to spend the last months with her almost full time.

Near the end she told me she wanted me to keep doing the pens. I did continue after a hiatus of about 7 months. It took a while to get up the energy to return and has been a most welcomed therapy.

I apologise for this being so long, but just want folks here to know how much pen turning and this site has helped, not only in learning new methods and ways, but in how much it has helped me.

Russ
 
I am a WW2 veteran, Marine Raider and also survivor of Iwo Jima. I still go to the VA for therapy of PTSD and the group leader has been suggesting that we all get a hobby to help releave our stress and keep our mind occupied. My hobby became pen turning and boy has it ever help on the stress things. Several others do other wood work and we all bring in stuff for show and tell. I give most of my pens away but do sell a few.
I just finished making 9 pens from Myrtle Wood and put purple heart on them to those that had received their purple heart from the Afkan' conflick. Member of congress have my pens own their desk in Washington. So I feel lucky to have found a hobby that I am able to converse with others, and share. And thanks to IAP for that.
 
Hans,
Thank you for starting this thread. It is really good to read the posts. I also think that IAP is a great community and it has enriched my knowledge of pen turning and also wood turning in general. This is a great group of people who willing share with each other and support each other in times of difficulty
 
How is turning beneficial to me? It's gets me out in the garage and away from my husband for a few hours. Also, homemade gifts are the greatest gifts.
 
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