Howdy Folks,
My name is Tyler and I am more or less brand new to turning. I'm an Air Force veteran and was able to snag a job with the Corps of Engineers in my hometown after I separated. I'm in a somewhat remote part of NW Montana and there aren't many clubs near me. In fact, the closest is 110 miles away. I got ahold of them and they don't meet in the middle of summer, so my first meeting will be toward the end of next month. I do intend to join AAW proper, just haven't done so quite yet.
I've always been interested in turning, but have never been able to afford the cost of entry. Now that I can, moments from buying a Harvey T-40, my brother gifted me a Jet 1236 out of the blue. The person he bought it from turned bowls on it and it came with a 4 jaw chuck with multiple inserts, an 8 piece set of Record Power Ltd. chisels (not sure where they lie on the quality scale), a mess of screws and other hardware, and an unintelligible mess of equipment that I'm told is a duplicator. It's not in the best shape, for example the handle that you turn to extend the tailstock spindle looks like it was attacked by a hungry dog - but the critical bits seem to be operational. My primary interest is bowls and hollow forms, but I'm open to all types of turning at the moment.
I've read through a good amount of the forums over the last few weeks. I took a lot of folks' advice and pulled the trigger on a sharpening system (low speed grinder, Wolverine jig system (Verigrind I not II), and CBN wheels), which should arrive early next week. I've also been watching Youtube videos including a bunch of videos by Turnawoodbowl. His classes on his website are intriguing, but they're well on the expensive side. Anyone have insight if they're worth the cost - Sharpening (or shaping gouges, can't remember off the top of my head) is about $80 and Tree to Bowl is about $100.
Speaking of which, my intent at the moment is to use found wood for the bulk of my media. I remember someone mentioned there aren't a lot of native trees in the Rockies that are great for turning, but I figure worst case scenario they're good enough for learning. Plus, it gives my wife and myself more to do when we take rides in the woods. I have a 20" EGO chainsaw I look forward to using toward turning. A good bandsaw is a ways into the future.
As a veteran I'm no stranger to PPE. I have a P100 respirator and safety glasses. I'm looking for a decent face shield, but there aren't any locally that look like they are at all comfortable. I tend to prefer to see this sort of thing in person before buying it because I'm self-aware enough to know if safety equipment isn't comfortable I won't use it. Does anyone have insight into a decent comfortable face shield? I also have a dust collection system, but I need to build a pipe system to route it to my woodworking tools. At the moment I'm using a dryer vent hose... it works, if not ideally. I also bought supplementary lighting to make sure there's enough light. My shop has enough light to play with dimensional lumber, but not enough for my comfort for turning.
I appreciate being accepted onto the forums and I look forward to getting to know you folks as I explore this new hobby.
Thank you,
Tyler
My name is Tyler and I am more or less brand new to turning. I'm an Air Force veteran and was able to snag a job with the Corps of Engineers in my hometown after I separated. I'm in a somewhat remote part of NW Montana and there aren't many clubs near me. In fact, the closest is 110 miles away. I got ahold of them and they don't meet in the middle of summer, so my first meeting will be toward the end of next month. I do intend to join AAW proper, just haven't done so quite yet.
I've always been interested in turning, but have never been able to afford the cost of entry. Now that I can, moments from buying a Harvey T-40, my brother gifted me a Jet 1236 out of the blue. The person he bought it from turned bowls on it and it came with a 4 jaw chuck with multiple inserts, an 8 piece set of Record Power Ltd. chisels (not sure where they lie on the quality scale), a mess of screws and other hardware, and an unintelligible mess of equipment that I'm told is a duplicator. It's not in the best shape, for example the handle that you turn to extend the tailstock spindle looks like it was attacked by a hungry dog - but the critical bits seem to be operational. My primary interest is bowls and hollow forms, but I'm open to all types of turning at the moment.
I've read through a good amount of the forums over the last few weeks. I took a lot of folks' advice and pulled the trigger on a sharpening system (low speed grinder, Wolverine jig system (Verigrind I not II), and CBN wheels), which should arrive early next week. I've also been watching Youtube videos including a bunch of videos by Turnawoodbowl. His classes on his website are intriguing, but they're well on the expensive side. Anyone have insight if they're worth the cost - Sharpening (or shaping gouges, can't remember off the top of my head) is about $80 and Tree to Bowl is about $100.
Speaking of which, my intent at the moment is to use found wood for the bulk of my media. I remember someone mentioned there aren't a lot of native trees in the Rockies that are great for turning, but I figure worst case scenario they're good enough for learning. Plus, it gives my wife and myself more to do when we take rides in the woods. I have a 20" EGO chainsaw I look forward to using toward turning. A good bandsaw is a ways into the future.
As a veteran I'm no stranger to PPE. I have a P100 respirator and safety glasses. I'm looking for a decent face shield, but there aren't any locally that look like they are at all comfortable. I tend to prefer to see this sort of thing in person before buying it because I'm self-aware enough to know if safety equipment isn't comfortable I won't use it. Does anyone have insight into a decent comfortable face shield? I also have a dust collection system, but I need to build a pipe system to route it to my woodworking tools. At the moment I'm using a dryer vent hose... it works, if not ideally. I also bought supplementary lighting to make sure there's enough light. My shop has enough light to play with dimensional lumber, but not enough for my comfort for turning.
I appreciate being accepted onto the forums and I look forward to getting to know you folks as I explore this new hobby.
Thank you,
Tyler
