Welding and blacksmithing. Just what every turner aspires to right?
Well, when I moved to Colorado a few years ago, I met Trent Bosch at our turning club, and I have been intrigued by his integration of metal and wood. The problem is that the whole metal side of things is requiring a great deal of cash output! I'm currently building a workbench with a 1/2" steel top supported by timber framed members. This will be my first attempt at melding the two materials, and I hope to be set up for more of it once it's done - including forging and turning bits of metal to use with my turnings. The other thing Trent does is build his own line of tools. I think he is set up to mill, weld, forge, and turn metal.
Alain Mailland creates some really interesting turned sculptures. One of his secrets is that he has a forge that he fires up whenever he needs a uniquely shaped tool to reach into some intricate space. I don't think he actually integrates metal and wood in his art though. I sure would rather make my own tools than be subject to the costs of purchasing them from catalogs and such.
The few tools (scrapers, point tools, plane blades, etc.) I have made have been successful and as I have learned annealing and tempering, they actually have lasted for more than a few cuts.
Happy New Year!
Man advances just in proportion that he mingles thought with his labor. - Ingersoll