Seems like I'm starting all over again

[Tom Sherman]

I've been on the injured reserve list for the past eight or so weeks and unable to work in the shop. Just this Monday the doc told me to resume normal activities in moderation. Ok so last night I went out to the shop to make a bit of sawdust, and it was like I had never held a gouge in my hand. My God I was makeing such stupid mistakes and having a terrible time. It was the first time I tried out my new Rikon midi and while that was enjoyable my talents have deteriated past the point of having ever been known. I found myself reciting my 'A B C's over and over again, after a while it got a little better but I'm back on the learning curve and it seems like an uphill grade all the way. The wood I was working with was extremely dry (I think it is maple but not sure got it at a club auction back in Feb) but has some nice figure in it. Thought of making a box but not sure my skills are up to it. Think I'll review RR's dvd on boxes and BG's dvd on bowls before I really screw up something. All in all I had an enjoyable time after I got out my head and a** wire.

[Frank Fusco]

Hang in there. Good luck.

[Keith Burns]

Welcome back to your shop Tom. Look forward to seeing some spinny stuff from ya.

[Andy Hoyt]

Tom - I feel for ya. I really do. So much so, in fact, that I've just dug up some great instructional guidance for you. Hope this helps.

Look Bob, woodturning is easy. First you put a piece of wood between the centers and you take a chisel with a large deep U-shape and you beat that piece of wood with that chisel until it is round. It helps to turn on the lathe so that you get it beat round on all sides. At least that is what I do.

Then you take another chisel and beat it round some more. You keep changing chisels and beating the wood until you get the shape you like. Then you take some sandpaper and beat the wood with that until you get the chisel marks out of it. After a while and after enough sandpaper it will be smooth. Then you slop some finish on it and let that dry.

Take it off the lathe and show it to your wife. If she lets you keep it in the house you are a woodturner. If she doesn't go back and beat enough pieces of wood with enough chisels until she does. Either way it is great fun.

I call it the fine art of woodbludgeoning.

After a while you will need a bigger lathe and lots more chisels, lots more sandpaper, lots more finish, wax, buffing wheels, photo booths and a myriad of other expensive gadgets. Heck you will even start wearing Darth Vader masks and aprons, who wouldn't like that? Sooner or later you will not be satisfied with the tools you can buy and you will start making your own. John Hart skipped buying tools and went straight to making his own and saved lots of money. He beats his wood round both on the inside and the outside. Lots of others do that also. I just try to get mine mostly round.

Have fun with it.....

There was more, but his sippy cup had run out of Moxie by that time and he was no longer making any sense.

[Henry C. Gernhardt, III]

It'll come back to you, Tom. Never fear, the Vortex is always near!

[Jim Becker]

"Re-Rax!!" It's often tension that makes the tool go where you don't intend it to go.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Tom you will be fine. It will come back pretty quick.

[Ernie Nyvall]

Yep, sounds like review time. Heck, when I started I didn't have any down time, but I kept getting worse and worse. I went back and reviewed BG's video even though I knew I was doing everything right , and low and behold I had gradually moved the bowl gouge all out of whack.

Ernie

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Don't worry, Tom. It's like riding a bike. It'll all come back.

Bruce

[Glenn Hodges]

Nice to have you back. Think of it like this Tom, you have all of this knowledge to draw from you did not have when you first started putting the gouge to the wood. Remember the bicycle?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

It won't take long Tom! I wasn't able to turn for about 3-4 weeks and when I came back I was making all kinds of mistakes. Now I've been back at it for a couple of weeks.....still making mistakes but I've lost my only excuse!

[Corey Hallagan]

Just jump in Tom, screw something up and get it out of you system and then you will be on the straight and narrow!! Good luck, I am sure you will do just fine Tom.

Corey

[Tom Sherman]

Thanks to all for your support, Andy's instructional tips have put a whole new light on my problems, guess I've been doing it wrong all allong. My review of above mentioned dvd's have also shed a bit of light (just as Ernie eluded to) on my problem. Ken if your work is exemplory of what happens to us after time off I am deffinately encouraged you are doing awsome stuff my friend. For those who made reference to riding a bicycle, I tried that a few months ago while helping my son do some repairs. It was the first time I had been on a bicycle in 30 years and I thought it was going to kill me was sore for a week. I will certainly get on with my attempt at turning and probably will screw something up as Corey stated but dude I may be able to do straight sometimes but at over 300 lbs there is no way I can do narrow. Thanks again guys for your support.

[Rich Stewart]

I've noticed that when I'm having a really bad day of turning sometimes it helps if i switch the piece to another piece of wood. I was turning a piece of dry maple with some cracks in it and it was chipping apart, flaking, grabbing. I took that one out and put in a piece of John Hart (where is he anyway?) cherry and it cut like butter and I made one of my best boxes so far.

Sometimes i go in the house, sit down and watch TV for a little while. Then go back out and try again. I find that sometimes everything that was going wrong will suddenly start going right.

Hope you keep feeling better.

Rich