No, really. My parents named me John Smith.
My dad was a tool collector. He was also a woodworker, but he was a collector of many things, including tools. When I was young he had a lathe that he never touched. I was enthralled, but he insisted that lathe was expensive because you have to start with round wood (the corners aren’t safe) and we didn’t have a lot of money. Once or twice he gave me a piece of dowel. I made a fish billy. A handle for a fishing rod. And the rest of the time I looked longingly and watched it get buried by sawdust and other tools. I never understood why you had to start with round (cylindrical) to end up with round. But then, Dad wasn’t a turner.
Fast forward to 2020. Dad passed and left me his shop. He had gotten rid of that old lathe and he had two others- which he also never used. One is a Cal Hawk, I think. It’s a Harbor Freight type tool- nice, if you don’t have something better. The other is a Delta Midi and it’s the one I use. I’m happiest at my lathe. Some day (retirement in about 1 1/2 years) I’ll take lesson from a real teacher, not just YouTube.
I have made a variety of things from bowls to pepper mills to pens. I’m about to pull the trigger on a Rikon 70-1824VSR and I’d love to have your input about if it’s a good choice.
My dad was a tool collector. He was also a woodworker, but he was a collector of many things, including tools. When I was young he had a lathe that he never touched. I was enthralled, but he insisted that lathe was expensive because you have to start with round wood (the corners aren’t safe) and we didn’t have a lot of money. Once or twice he gave me a piece of dowel. I made a fish billy. A handle for a fishing rod. And the rest of the time I looked longingly and watched it get buried by sawdust and other tools. I never understood why you had to start with round (cylindrical) to end up with round. But then, Dad wasn’t a turner.
Fast forward to 2020. Dad passed and left me his shop. He had gotten rid of that old lathe and he had two others- which he also never used. One is a Cal Hawk, I think. It’s a Harbor Freight type tool- nice, if you don’t have something better. The other is a Delta Midi and it’s the one I use. I’m happiest at my lathe. Some day (retirement in about 1 1/2 years) I’ll take lesson from a real teacher, not just YouTube.
I have made a variety of things from bowls to pepper mills to pens. I’m about to pull the trigger on a Rikon 70-1824VSR and I’d love to have your input about if it’s a good choice.
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