My turn
It occurred to me this morning that I haven’t used my lathe in nearly two years. So, for no reason other than the sheer pleasure of it, I did.
It occurred to me this morning that I haven’t used my lathe in nearly two years. So, for no reason other than the sheer pleasure of it, I did.
The last project I did before moving to Pennsylvania was turning a set of stool spindles. Since then, I’ve not touched my lathe except to set it up in its intended location. It’s been a busy two years with lots of projects, editing and writing about all sorts of woodworking… except turning. No real reason for that; it’s just the way things unfolded. But in looking for something else near my lathe I just suddenly hit me that I had not yet used it in my new home and shop.
So, I grabbed a small bowl blank (which had been packed and moved with a faceplate already attached to it), threw it on the lathe and went to work.
The roughing took only a few minutes, followed by a few more minutes to refine the shape. Then sanding up through the grits till I was satisfied, followed by some friction polish and buffing to a nice sheen. In less than a half hour I had a nice little bowl.
It felt really good to be back at the lathe. It felt even better knowing that the little project I’d just made was something I did just for me.
A.J. Hamler is the former editor of Woodshop News and Woodcraft Magazine. He's currently a freelance woodworking writer/editor, which is another way of stating self-employed. When he's not writing or in the shop, he enjoys science fiction, gourmet cooking and Civil War reenacting, but not at the same time.