odie

[odie]

My given name is Kelly Odell, but my friends call me "odie", and I've been selling my turned bowls and platters online for the past few years, under the name of "eccentric old guy".

I have a great passion for turning. Originally, I bought some shop tools at an estate sale around 1975.....table saw (which I still have, rebuilt), band saw, jointer, drill press, 4x36 belt sander, and a few misc other tools. A couple years later, I bought a 1950's Shopsmith at a garage sale.....but didn't use the lathe function until 1982.....hook, line and sinker! From about 1975, to 1985 I was making wooden toys under the name Beaver Dam. I probably could have made a go of it, because the toys were selling at a few retail outlets......but, from the moment I began turning, my interests drastically changed! Well, you know how that goes!


Anyway, the Shopsmith was a PITA to work with, so I bought a Northwood lathe around 1985 +/-.....Northwood was one of those come-and-go outfits that went out of business. The lathe had a Reeves drive (never again!), In 1992, I bought an Australian Woodfast lathe, which I feel is an excellent lathe, and I still have it.....and use it extensively. A big mistake was buying The Woodfast lathe with a 5-speed pulley.......I changed belts positions for a dozen years, before I finally wised up and purchased a VFD.......what a difference that made! I would like to upgrade to another lathe eventually......one with a little bigger capacity, and either sliding or pivoting headstock......but, I don't feel a new lathe will make me a better turner.....since the Woodfast is such a great lathe.

Although, I am now 68 years old, I still have one son who is a senior in HS, and another 24yr old son who is moving to Oregon, as I type.
This is Kendahl:

Ken is "on again, off again" learning to turn bowls.

To be continued......maybe!

 

[Bill Boehme]

Great woodworking journey, Odie. I can relate to your experience with Reeves drives.

 

[john lucas]

I made a full set of vehicles for my son. Quite a bit of fun. Never tried to sell any of them. Glad you can get your son interested. My son wasn't interested at all and now lives too far away to work with him.

 

[odie]

I made a full set of vehicles for my son. Quite a bit of fun. Never tried to sell any of them. Glad you can get your son interested. My son wasn't interested at all and now lives too far away to work with him.

Hopefully, Ken will develop a stronger interest over time, but he's only 18yrs old......and, there are just so many other things in his life that has his attention......like girls, sports, and computer games! I'll take whatever I can get, and try to direct a little of his attention to the shop, but his "little world" is pretty busy at the moment.

John, hopefully your son will understand the personal satisfaction and value of creating......and, naturally all of us fathers want to participate in steering our sons......but, it must come naturally, and we do need to keep the fatherly effort to a point where it's appreciated, and not rejected. That's a pretty tall order, considering just how important our sons are to us daddys!

-----odie-----

 

[Lamar Wright]

Great story Odie of how your woodturning started and maybe Ken will follow in his dad's footsteps.

 

[odie]

I would like to upgrade to another lathe eventually......one with a little bigger capacity, and either sliding or pivoting headstock......but, I don't feel a new lathe will make me a better turner.....since the Woodfast is such a great lathe.

I'm now having second thoughts about upgrading to another lathe. I might just take this Woodfast lathe to the end of the line for me! After all......it is a very good lathe. Like I said before, getting a new lathe won't make me a better turner, and I just don't feel all the hassle of changing over to a new lathe will be worth the effort. A little more swing might be nice, but I so seldom have access to very large pieces of the kind of premium woods that I prefer to turn, in order to make that a major consideration. 16" swing is a good overall size for this kind of turning.....

-----odie-----

 

[Bill Boehme]

My opinion is that there is only one reason for getting a new lathe: you want it.

 

[odie]

My opinion is that there is only one reason for getting a new lathe: you want it.

Bill......If it wasn't for the upgrade of the Robust banjo, things might have been different, and a new lathe would still be very appealing......but, that great new banjo has been a "game changer" in how well the old Woodfast lathe is working out for me!

Other than the Robust banjo, there are all new new bearings, drive belt, quality VFD Minarik controller, Leeson 1/1/2 hp DC motor.......there really isn't any parts that could wear out that isn't new! What I have is the "skeleton" of the original lathe it was when I first bought it in 1992!

Keep on, keepin' on, Bill!

-----odie-----

 

[odie]

October 2022

Still turning everyday on the original Australian Woodfast 16" lathe.

If I ever get a new lathe, it will have a rotating headstock.

There are a few lathes with rotating headstocks, but there is none that checks all the boxes for me.

The Vicmarc VL240 is the closest, but that banjo doesn't match the standards I'm looking for.

If I could get the VL240 with a Robust, or Powermatic style banjo......maybe!

The Robust Sweet 16, or the Powermatic 3520c are wonderful lathes.....but, no rotating headstock.....too bad.

note: I also feel that for my kind of turning 20" is the maximum swing I would be interested in.

-----odie-----

 

[Bill Boehme]

A rotating headstock is one of those things that you alone can decide if you need it. Right now your Woodfast is in perfect working order and you like it and have no reason to change it even though it doesn't have a rotating headstock. The Vicmarc is obviously the best lathe with a rotating headstock. Still, the Woodfast is a tough old bird that probably won't ever die unless there is some unforeseen catastrophe like a direct hit by a meteorite. I had my fill of rotating headstock lathes with my first lathe, a Delta 1440 Ironbed. The two problems I didn't like were the toolrest cantilevered way off the side of the lathe bed and no tailstock support. Admittedly, the Delta was a dog that shouldn't be compared to the Vicmarc. In addition to rotating, the Delta headstock could also slide down the bed. As a newbie, I thought that was great, but it was actually the worst of both worlds. It had a loosey-goosey detent for the headstock stops, but that meant it was a royal pain in the rump to get the headstock and tailstock aligned. The upshot of all this is that I was constrained to using that lathe as a fixed-headstock lathe to avoid the hassle of trying to get the headstock aligned with the tailstock. Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[odie]

A rotating headstock is one of those things that you alone can decide if you need it. Right now your Woodfast is in perfect working order and you like it and have no reason to change it even though it doesn't have a rotating headstock. The Vicmarc is obviously the best lathe with a rotating headstock. Still, the Woodfast is a tough old bird that probably won't ever die unless there is some unforeseen catastrophe like a direct hit by a meteorite. I had my fill of rotating headstock lathes with my first lathe, a Delta 1440 Ironbed. The two problems I didn't like were the toolrest cantilevered way off the side of the lathe bed and no tailstock support. Admittedly, the Delta was a dog that shouldn't be compared to the Vicmarc. In addition to rotating, the Delta headstock could also slide down the bed. As a newbie, I thought that was great, but it was actually the worst of both worlds. It had a loosey-goosey detent for the headstock stops, but that meant it was a royal pain in the rump to get the headstock and tailstock aligned. The upshot of all this is that I was constrained to using that lathe as a fixed-headstock lathe to avoid the hassle of trying to get the headstock aligned with the tailstock. Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Howdy Bill.....

I enthusiastically agree about the Woodfast. It's an excellent old lathe, and if I never find the perfect lathe with a rotating headstock, I'm not all that disappointed. I'm not in active pursuit of the perfect rotating headstock lathe......but, if it comes along, it will be difficult to pass it up.

In the mean time.......I'm still turning every day......and, loving life!

-----odie-----

 

[RichColvin]

Odie, why are you seeking a rotating headstock?