I’ve been asked to write a story on how I got involved with woodturning.
It started while I was attending shop class at BHS under E. Carlyle Lynch in the 1950’s. I was intrigued by a wood lathe. The school only had one wood lathe with 40 some students so therefore a student got to use it very little. And when he did, he had to make what was allowed.
The only thing I can remember making was the same thing every student made. A pump lamp. You got to make the pump bucket on the lathe. The rest of the lamp was made on some other machines. What there was, was good training.
After graduating from Broadway High, I never saw a wood lathe until I starting teaching Commercial Printing at Massanutten Technical Center in 1985. I became friends with Wayne Jameson who taught carpentry and I found out his department had a wood lathe. WOW!
I would stay in his department after school using the lathe. The bug bit again.
Then about 10 years ago, I found a good deal on a bigger lathe at Rocking R Hardware, a 3520B Powermatic. It was heavy enough that it wouldn’t walk around the shop behind you if you were trying to turn an unbalanced piece. When looking for a lathe get the largest you can afford. It also had an adjustable speed control, which is a very essential feature when turning large pieces, sanding, or turning out of balance pieces. It can handle pieces of wood up to 20 inches diameter, which is fine, because I can’t lift anything larger than that! My doctor forbids me to lift anything heavier than a gallon of water because of two ruptured discs in my back. A 15 in. bed extension, which I never use, came with the lathe.
I like to buy my turning tools unhandled. I make my own handles from saplings, preferably dogwood with bark still on it and long. They are rough and easier to grip and hold onto for hollowing the closed top bowls, my favorite, it takes a strong grip on the tool, or it could get away from you, catch, and knock a few teeth out. It takes courage and nerve to stick your tool into that small revolving hole. In a natural edge closed top bowl you can’t let the tool touch or rub the opening, or you will mess up the bark edge. You shouldn’t try this type until you get a lot of practice.
