Cody Litster

[Cody Litster]

I’m from Southeast Alaska. My boys worked on a lathe in their high school shop class. They talked me into buying an old craftsman lathe. Not even sure if the model. Now we have two tabletop lathes and am having a blast turning. We are experimenting with local woods and making tops, balls, gaff hook handles, and of course, bowls. We are mostly self taught. There are only a few turners in our small town. I am sure I will be asking lots of questions. Thank you for your patience and advice in advance.

 

[Gabriel Hoff]

Welcome! The only way to learn and have fun is to jump right in!!

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Welcome to the forum.Glad to hear you and the boys having a great time. You might want to look for a club so that the three of you could advance even more.

 

[Darryn Achall]

Welcome!

 

[Guy Burman]

Welcome Cody. Great wood to work with in Southeast AK. I really enjoyed being part of the Ketchikan Woodturning club when I lived there 13 years ago. I turned quite a few gaff handles at the time. It's a great opportunity to get good at spindle work and when you find a shape you love, it's a good chance to practice duplicating. I still miss the smell of turned yellow cedar and alder. I used to come up to Petersburg about every 6 weeks to run a surgical clinic there. I'll never forget the little Norway festival, with all the kids dressed up in their Scandinavian finest, and the Vikings and Valkyries walking the streets. I look forward to seeing your created pieces on the forum.

Guy

 

[Dean Center]

You might want to look up Zach LaPierre, who is a member here from Sitka and a very experienced turner. A play date might be extremely helpful in advancing your turning. There are a bazillion things that you don't know to notice in online videos and remote demos. Some of the online ones show a scandalous disregard for safety and horrible techniques.

 

[Michael Anderson]

Welcome to the forum Cody! I didn’t realize you were from Alaska (reference to your other post about a “last lathe”). You’re in a good place here—a bunch of very knowledgeable, very friendly folks.