me
First, this is an honor and a surprise.

My wife and I have two wonderful children. My daughter is twenty years old and studying to become a paramedic. My son is nineteen still trying to decide what he wants to be but he’s only just finishing his first year of college.

I consider myself to be a jack of all trades but a master of none. I’ve self trained myself in almost everything I’ve done. I’ve worked as a chef in the past and I am now working for a software company as a programmer.

I’ve always loved working with wood. I love the look, the smell, and the feel of wood. A friend of mine introduced me to cedar strip boats and I just had to build one. After my first canoe, I was hooked. I’ve since built a Whitehall dinghy, a three hole bidarka kayak, and a single handed sailing skiff.

One of my dad’s brothers was a turner. He’s turned his whole family right down through grand kids into turners. My son and mother kept telling me I needed to take up turning because it took up less space than the boats and probably wouldn't’t cost as much. In November of 2009, I bought my first lathe.

Sadly, my uncle died from a massive heart attack before I could show him some of what I’d started to do. He had given me a platter he turned at my father’s funeral a couple years earlier and I wanted so much to give him something back. I ended up giving my cousin one of my bowls in return after her father died. She and her husband are also members of the local turning club. She was the one that actually got me to join.

I’ve not had any formal training. For some reason, I think if someone else can do it, so can I so I just dove in. Hooked from the start, I try everything I see. Some work out well and some don’t but I return to the failures when I think I’ve learned enough to try again.

I turn primarily down wood that is available locally. On occasion, I’ll buy a cedar 4X4 from the local hardware if I need something dry though cedar is often sold green but it doesn’t usually split on me and it makes a good blank for goblets I’ve made for trophies.

I like to turn a mix of natural edge and refined pieces. This allows me to put bowl blanks in the “bank” for later and be able to finish some sooner with the natural edge pieces that dry in a week or two.

I’d like to thank everyone at “Woodturner’s Resource”. From the administrators, who do a fantastic job, to the members who are always there to help. I’ve learned a lot from watching the videos and reading the helpful tips.

For new people, turn often, turn safe, and share your work. This is more than a mantra. It truly is the way to learn. I turn as often as I can. Sometimes I turn as much as four or five days per week. Sharing your work inspires others and if you have things that need to be corrected, there are people who can easily spot it and point you in the right direction. Try every style you can. This helps you learn how to use your tools and keeps your turning fresh. I prefer the free form of bowls, goblets, and hollow forms over pens and spindles but I should probably throw more of those in the mix to shake things up.

Thanks again.
Robert
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1

Martini Glasses

Blue glass that I picked up from the local dollar store and I turned cherry stems from a friend's tree she had cut down. I gave the glasses back to my friend as a favor for the wood haul.

2

The Hat

From willow I picked up from a construction site where they just bulldozed the trees over so there wasn't much I could savage. I ended up with three logs. This was my first attempt at a hat. The fun part is I did this for my son and it warped on its own so it fits him perfectly.

3

Natural Edge Bowl

Russian olive from a dead tree that was cut down. The beetles had eaten the growth rings to the point that they killed the tree off and I liked the way it made the rim lacy so I kept it that way.

4

Wedding Goblet

I was going to save it for my daughter but ended up giving it to my niece for her wedding. When I give wedding goblets away as a wedding gift, I tell the new couple to use it for love notes. Then when things get tough, they can pull them out as a reminder of why they got married.

5

Cottonwood Box

The finial is cottonwood as well and stained black with a sharpie. The finish is lacquer.

6

Birdhouse Ornament

The ornament is one I sent out for last years Christmas C&T. The base and body are from pine and the finials are cedar. Finished with lacquer.

7

Box Elder Goblets

The goblets are from a box elder branch brought into my mother's senior citizen center. She had a great time telling friends to bring in their fallen branches or fall trimmings and having me make something for them.The finish on these is lacquer.

8

Natural Edge Bowl

The bowl is from a tree that was cut down at my wife's school to make room for a new building. The finish is garnet shellac

9

Russian Olive Platter

The platter is around eleven inches in diameter from an old, dry stump of Russian olive. The finish is walnut oil. I'll probably use this as a base plate for special dinners.

10

Aspen Bowl

The bowl is another in my Southwest inspired pieces. It is from aspen that I rescued from a pile on the side of the road in the fall clean up and it is bound in twine to make it look like a native American utility pot. The finish is lacquer.

11

Dino Egg

The hollow form is one of my earlier pieces that I now think I lucked out on. I turned it to final green, soaked it for a couple weeks in LDD and then finished with lacquer. I think it looks like a dinosaur egg with the way it warped.

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Cedar Bowl

The cedar piece was from a tree that was cut down at a local office building. This one was given to my mother and is finished with lacquer.