Hello everyone! I'm a 32 year old father of three and husband to an amazing wife. I was in the Marine Corps (aviation) for 4 years, serving one tour in Iraq. I have worked at a grain elevator for the last 8 years since moving back to Indiana.
My interest in turning and woodworking in general has been growing for a number of years. My grandfather was an incredibly talented woodworker, including furniture (he managed a furniture factory in my hometown for many years), boxes, and hand-carved figures. I may post some pictures of the two pieces I have from him someday. Anyway, my family recently moved into a new house and I finally have some room in the garage for a workshop. It's not much but I should be able to get quite a bit done in the space once I get some more tools. I just got my lathe about 10 days ago. I jumped on a Rockler sale and purchased their Excelsior lathe that came with their 3-piece pen turning tool kit for free. So far I've made a couple pens and some tops for my kids. I attempted a bowl but the mortise broke as I was hollowing it out. I'll post in the Getting Started forum to see if I can salvage it.
Here's a picture of my workshop. I have plans for at least one more table, some shelves, a table saw, and a bandsaw some day. What you can't see is my 10" sliding compound miter saw on the floor, hence the need for another table.
I look forward to getting to know some of you during my time here. Thank you in advance for you advice and help, as I have many, many questions as I begin to explore this new hobby. I've looked for clubs near me but couldn't find any turning specific clubs within an decent drive of me.
My interest in turning and woodworking in general has been growing for a number of years. My grandfather was an incredibly talented woodworker, including furniture (he managed a furniture factory in my hometown for many years), boxes, and hand-carved figures. I may post some pictures of the two pieces I have from him someday. Anyway, my family recently moved into a new house and I finally have some room in the garage for a workshop. It's not much but I should be able to get quite a bit done in the space once I get some more tools. I just got my lathe about 10 days ago. I jumped on a Rockler sale and purchased their Excelsior lathe that came with their 3-piece pen turning tool kit for free. So far I've made a couple pens and some tops for my kids. I attempted a bowl but the mortise broke as I was hollowing it out. I'll post in the Getting Started forum to see if I can salvage it.
Here's a picture of my workshop. I have plans for at least one more table, some shelves, a table saw, and a bandsaw some day. What you can't see is my 10" sliding compound miter saw on the floor, hence the need for another table.
I look forward to getting to know some of you during my time here. Thank you in advance for you advice and help, as I have many, many questions as I begin to explore this new hobby. I've looked for clubs near me but couldn't find any turning specific clubs within an decent drive of me.
