Woodturner's Resource

Howdy! I’m Walt Nollan. 51 years young and planning on another 51. We’ll see what happens.   My wife, of 25 years, and I have two sons, 24 and 20 We live in a small town smack dab in the center of California named Hanford.

I retired from the Navy after 22 years and I am half way through my second career as an FA-18 Air Vehicle Tech Rep for the Navy, as a civilian. This is the best job anyone in aviation maintenance could have. I get called to travel on very short notice sometimes to troubleshoot broken jets and/or provide system training to the troops on deployment. Where ever they are I go. It’s great!

I have always been interested in making things, in just about all mediums. Painting is not my thing nor is refinishing. I had wood shop in junior high school where I turned my first laminated bowl. I was 27 when I bought my first lathe and made table legs, bowls and pens. That was a Craftsman 5 speed mono-pole. It finally quit on me two years ago and I bought a 3520A. I love this lathe!

I first learned about segmentation 15 or so years ago after reading about Ray Allen in one of my woodworking magazines.   But it wasn’t until about six years ago that I fell into the turning vortex. My oldest son and I use to raced BMX bikes. After breaking my left collar bone for the third time I gave it up and started turning again. I enjoy designing my own segmented elements and devising a way to make them. I have a lot of fun creating segmented bowls, platters, ornaments and hollow forms but have tried my hand at just about everything. Put it on a face plate and I am having fun. Spindle work is not my forte. That damn skew has ruined more wood! I also enjoy making my own tools and adding new capabilities.

My shop is in an area most people call a two car garage. (No basements in California. Earthquakes don’t ya know!)   Only once have any of my vehicles ever seen the inside of my shop, 20 years ago. That was for an engine and tranny replacement. Everything got back to normal after that. Slowly but surely I have built up a full shop of tools. I have a jointer, planer, drill press, table saw with router table, home made drum sander, scroll saw, grinders, miter saw, band saw and my baby the 3520. I try to use as many of them as possible on my segmented pieces. My bowl titled “Kaleidoscope” had been on every tool.    Kaleidoscope was accepted in the 2008 California Contours art exhibit and sold. I like to enter pieces in the county fair, contests and give away as gifts. I actually only have a few of my own pieces. I never tire from hearing, “WOW! How did you make that? You have too much time on your hands!”

Segmented wood turning is a great release. I enjoy the challenge of designing segmented elements and then incorporating them into my turnings. Some have the Wow factor and are good for starting fires. In any event it is all fun and a great learning experience. My wife is really great about the time I spend in my shop. Never a complaint, she is always interested in what I’m planning on doing next. She is a very talented artist and has collaborated on some pieces. It was fun to work together. I’m presently working on a 15” cherry doughnut. I hope it turns out, time will tell.