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William Rogers

William Rogers

William Rogers

Joined
Mar 19, 2016
Messages
1,398
Likes
1,764
Location
Haubstadt, Indiana
I am new to this forum and thought I would introduce myself. I am retired and located in Haubstadt Indiana ( just north of Evansville Indiana ). I have been turning for about 6 years, ther first 4 years making pens, pepper mills, bottle stoppers, etc. I then had a 3 year break retiring and building a new house and shop in Haubstadt. I have three lathes, a Delta LA 200, Jet 1014VS, and a Powermatic 90 that I bought at a school auction before moving. I raised the PM 90 so I have a 18" swing, that is ideal for me. The last two years I am expanding to do bowls and larger items, however I enjoy all turning and want to do minatures someday. I am a member of a turning club and recently joined the AAW and this forum. I have also signed up to attend the AAW Symposium in Kanas City. My goal here is to gain insight from more experienced turners and new ideas. I think the gallery and tips section are great.

Advice to new turner; join a woodturning club if possible, watch videos from multiple turners on the same subject/technique. One may click and another won't.

My PM 90

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Some of my turnings
The first two are a small lidded box made from Blackwood and Pink Ivory, the second two are a combination of Blackwood and resin with pearlex and filled with brass shavings
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This bowl is hickory and the band is amber transtint

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This is the crematory where some of my turnings end up. This is why I want to get better.

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Edit: I sold my PM 90 June 2017. The PM 90 is a great lathe, however even after my many updates there were still features I did not have. Many choices, but I settled on the Laguna Revo 18-36 and have been very happy with the performance of this lathe. I added 280 lbs. sand ballast and a place for my frequent used lathe accessories. I also have a place to lay my tools instead of on the lathe ways.
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Welcome! Nothing like being retired, is there? Seems like you have a great setup with three lathes and are turning some very nice items. Thanks for sharing.
 
Hello, Welcome,
Do you on occasion go by Will? Or Bill?

You are doing some nice work. Treated well a Powermatic 90 should last another 60 years.

The KC symposium will be terrific. We will have a great line up of demos, and panels.
Be prepared to be overwhelmed.

My advice is pick 6-7 demos along the lines of what you want to turn now and in the next couple years.
Go see one demo of something you think you won't want to turn.
Fill in the rest as you go.

If you are interested in bowls you will likely want to see
See Al Stirt open Bowl ---- Best bowl demo I have seen...
Glen Lucas. Utility bowl, Dublin Viking Bowl - amazing with a gouge
Rudy Lopez - winged bowl

Also consider seeing
Trent Bosch Sunnburst platter
Jason Clark Saturn Bowl
Jimmy Clewes coloured lidded bowls
Richard Raffan lidded bowl
mark Sanger offset lidded form
Betty Scarpino Journey-Bowls to Sculpture
 
Thanks all for the welcome.
Bill I appreciate your comments I got lucky with the PM 90, as it was in great shape and in the cabinet was a second banjo, offset tool rest, three face plates, and three outboard face plates. I made a choice of buying a newer lathe or raising the PM 90 and investing in other lathe tools. No regrets. It does present challenges wit the 1 1/8 tool post and 1 1/2 spindle. I'm making a vacuum chuck system now as there is nothing that really fits my lathe.
John, you are so right. I wish I retired 50 years ago.
Hockenbery, thanks for the tips. I will definitely see most of the ones you listed. I'm not into winged bowls, but love Rudy's videos. It will be the one I don't want to turn.
Oldie, I enjoy your post and your beautiful work. The information you share is well received.

A couple of questions, say you turn a piece with a finial and stem would you post that in the gallery looking for input on proportion or in the Newbie forum?
I have a small Burl from a tree wind damaged so it's MC is 31%. I hope to get a small hollow form with a stem and finial. Do I just let it dry before working it. Would this be in the main forum?

Thanks again
 
William Rogers said:
Thanks all for the welcome.
Bill I appreciate your comments I got lucky with the PM 90, as it was in great shape and in the cabinet was a second banjo, offset tool rest, three face plates, and three outboard face plates. I made a choice of buying a newer lathe or raising the PM 90 and investing in other lathe tools. No regrets. It does present challenges wit the 1 1/8 tool post and 1 1/2 spindle. I'm making a vacuum chuck system now as there is nothing that really fits my lathe.
John, you are so right. I wish I retired 50 years ago.
Hockenbery, thanks for the tips. I will definitely see most of the ones you listed. I'm not into winged bowls, but love Rudy's videos. It will be the one I don't want to turn.
Oldie, I enjoy your post and your beautiful work. The information you share is well received.

A couple of questions, say you turn a piece with a finial and stem would you post that in the gallery looking for input on proportion or in the Newbie forum?
I have a small Burl from a tree wind damaged so it's MC is 31%. I hope to get a small hollow form with a stem and finial. Do I just let it dry before working it. Would this be in the main forum?

Thanks again
Click to expand...

William......

Your questions are not what I'd feel qualified to answer.......

If you post questions in the gallery, you probably won't have very much critical comments there. If you post here in the newbie forum, your question will remain for a considerable time, and you're likely to get more comments over a longer period of time. If you post in the main forum, you'll get quite a bit of activity over a shorter period of time, but will fall off the edge into obscurity in a relatively short length of time.

Just because you post in the newbie forum, doesn't mean you are a newbie.......I don't consider you to be a newbie, anyway......:D

ko
 
What Odie said except I havent really noticed much difference in discussions between the newbie forum and main forum other than there is a bit more more participation in the main forum. If you want a more thoughtful discussion about aspects of design then the main forum is the place to post a picture and ask questions. While people do post comments in the gallery and occasionally there is a discussion about design, the comments are generally atta-boy type comments. When you ask for a discussion about a piece that you have turned, it would be good to mention how thick your skin is. We are all proud of things that we have created and that makes it more difficult to be receptive to comments pointing out things that need improvement or that could be aesthetically improved. Being receptive to critiques is made easier when we understand that we are just hearing the opinions of other people.
 
William I was born in Seymour Indiana. We still go to Spring Mill St. Park in Mitchell every summer for a family reunion. The Hamer Mill was built by my Great Great Great grandfather if I got the number of greats correct. My Dad was buried in the Hamer Cemetary last year. I live in Middle Tennessee now.
Anyway welcome to the group. You have some nice turnings. I turn miniatures. In fact I'm working on a doll house scale spindle table right now but I have a lot of other things eating up my time so don't know when I'll have time to finish it. I've got the turning done but now have to carve the 3 legs. It's going to be similar to a quaker table but the legs will be a little fancier. Which Club to you attend. I know there is one in Louisville but haven't paid attention lately to see if there is one in Southern Indiana. I would be willing to come up there and demo sometime. It's about 3 hours to Louisville and 4 to Brownstown which is where I'm from.
 
John, if I had a nickel for every time I went through Seymour going up and down I-65 I could buy a Robust with all the trimmings. I grew up in Jeffersonville Indiana but moved to Indianapolis area in 82. Still had family in Jeff/New Albany so a lot of trips up and down I-65. I belong to IKI ( Indiana-Kentucky-Illinois) club. We are in Evansville Indiana, a little farther than Louisville. We have one member that turns beautiful minatures. I've been to his shop and it does look kind of strange seeing a 1 1/2" hollow form on a 3520. I'll bring up the demo at our next meeting unless this too far for you.
 
William Rogers said:
I'm making a vacuum chuck system now as there is nothing that really fits my lathe.
Click to expand...
Welcome Bill. A bit over 15 years ago,I had a bowl lathe with and odd ball headstock and I only had one faceplate, so designed a vacuum chuck that fits in a standard four jaw chuck. I was using a Oneway Stronghold at the time, but have used with a Talon and a Oneway. It incorporates a pice of 1/4" copper tubing sticking out the back with a number two one hole lab stopper inserted into the headstock. The vacuum adpater using lamp tubing that Packard sells was the genesis of my design. There is a picture in my web link in Tools & Jigs .
 
Thanks Mike. I'm good with my vacuum chuck. However I really like your small hollowing jig/tool. I had a blast making Christmas ornaments last fall and can see the benefit of your tool. I'm going to try to make one.
 
William Rogers said:
John, you are so right. I wish I retired 50 years ago.
Click to expand...
I would have if I have the money. My father knew a fellow who graduated college, started a business and sold it for a chunk of $$$ in three years. Retired for a couple of years, got bored so he started a sales rep business. I wouldn't have started a business. That is for people who don't know how to turn wood, fish, or hunt, or play golf.
 
William Rogers said:
Thanks Mike. I'm good with my vacuum chuck. However I really like your small hollowing jig/tool. I had a blast making Christmas ornaments last fall and can see the benefit of your tool. I'm going to try to make one.
Click to expand...
When I joined our Golden Horseshoe Guild in 2001, there were a few people using big hand held hollowing tool with the outrigger, for lack of a better term, and I got the idea to down size one for ornaments. The cutter of HSS I got from Bob Rosand's site. Makes the ornament hollowing a piece of cake. Later on I found one that someone makes very similar using round stock, might have been Don Derry. The 1/4" square stock is about the limit for the small MAPP torch. If you can find a piece of firebrick to lay it on when silver soldering, it helps. I have moved on with an 8" Oneway vacuum drum and a couple of others I have made that screw on to the head stock. Vacuum is the best! No other way to put it.
 
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