Casual turner from the left-coast

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TimS124

TimS124

Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2012
Messages
735
Location
Asheville, NC
I've been turning as part of hobby woodworking for…um…I'm not really sure how long it's been. It's been quite a few years…probably close to two decades with various chunks of very active turning and then nothing for months at a time. Not really sure how to add all that up. :big grin:

Made my first pen fairly early and have helped several others make their own. Scouts, friends, family, etc have all survived being walked through the basics of pen making.

A year or so ago, I started tinkering with the iPad stylus kits. Since I live in Silicon Valley, those quickly proved to be very popular and got me into selling some of my work. I'm not trying to make a living turning pens, but it's nice when other people help pick up the cost of experimenting with new styles, materials, etc. :)

I stuck with slimlines for much too long but eventually branched out into other styles. I really like the feel of a cigar pen! I've also cranked out lots of seam rippers, recently added bottle openers (which have been surprisingly popular), and have a few other things planned for next year…

I've built six styles of Windsor chairs, cabinets, spokeshaves, my shop, and an odd array of other things. I love tinkering in the shop and figuring out how to do something new (at least new to me).

Oh yeah, I tend to talk/type too much so mostly I try to lurk…doesn't always work though. :biggrin:
 
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Welcome Tim. I'm thinking if you want to get some operating expenses you could try some bottle stoppers. I've heard there may be a few wine drinkers in your area..:wink:
 
Welcome aboard, Tim. Glad to have you and your turning experience.

Don't forget to check out the library for great tips, tricks and best practices. As you venture into new pen kits, there are many articles on how to make them and modify them so they become something unique.

The sky is the limit here.
 
Thank you all for the warm welcome!! I've already been elbow-deep in the library here filling my head with yet more ideas! There is indeed some great stuff in there! I'm hoping I can add to it one of these days but it'll take a bit to grow into some of the big shoes around here.
 
Ambidex said:
Welcome Tim. I'm thinking if you want to get some operating expenses you could try some bottle stoppers. I've heard there may be a few wine drinkers in your area..:wink:
Click to expand...

We definitely have plenty of wine drinkers here! :big grin:

I've made stoppers as gifts in the past but haven't in a while. Usually, I make a pair of stoppers with the same shape/design but one is a light wood and the other is a dark wood. I tell the recipient it's to help them keep their red wine stopper out of their white wine bottles.

For nicer stoppers, I usually add a bit of brass pipe or copper (plumbing fittings ironically) as a decorative band just between the wood and the stopper itself. Brass turns much easier than I would've expected.

My favorite though would be the flying saucer bottle stopper. More or less shaped like a 1950's-era UFO. I need to re-do that concept though since I've gotten much better with fine detail since I made that one. The dome isn't quite shaped the way I want it…

I have to resist the urge to over-engineer it though. I keep thinking it would be cool to hollow it out and tuck in some LEDs, cheap blinking circuit…probably wouldn't hold up very well in the fridge though.
 
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