Your Extraordinary Gift

 

Think back to the first time you saw someone turn a lump of wood on a lathe into something beautiful. It could have been a wooden pen, a bowl, a plate, a turned lidded box or a toy spinning top. Chances are very good that you were amazed on some level. I was awestruck at the speed and smoothness of the cuts. It was the closest thing to woodworking magic I had seen in a long while and, at the time, I could only dream that I might someday be able to do the same wonderful things in my shop.

 

Making something on a wood lathe requires the most skill of any of the woodworking disciplines. It requires more operator skill than operating a table saw, a radial arm saw, a chop saw, a band saw, a planer, a jointer, a drill press, or a router. They all require knowledge and understanding to set them up, but the lathe requires the turner to handle the chisels with precision and understanding far beyond anything the other tools do all while a lump of wood spinds at 500 to 3,000 RPM.

 

When you understand the extraordinary gift you have been given by having learned to use lathe chisels to make a bowl from what would normally be a piece of firewood or a genuine wooden pen from little more than scrap, you will be able to see your gifts through the eyes of someone seeing you work for the very first time. What we do almost effortlessly nowadays, was once almost unthinkable. But you learned how to take a piece of a tree possibly blown down in a windstorm and make a beautiful serving bowl from it. You might have learned how to take a piece of curly maple and turn it into a beautiful writing instrument. We regularly give wooden pens to non-turning folks we meet just to see the expression on their faces when we tell them we made the pen.

 

We all have different gifts, some make spinning tops, some make bowls, others glue dozens of pieces of wood together to make segmented masterpieces and still others make turned lidded boxes or mind-bogglingly beautiful hybrid spheres using modern resins and exotic burls. Understand that your talents and gifts as a woodturner are extraordinary and are meant to be shared not only with your likeminded turning buddies but also with folks who might have never seen someone use a lathe.

 

I would encourage you to open your shop to neighbors, neighborhood kids or old retired folks from church or somewhere else in your circle of friends. Plan an hour or so of quick simple turning projects just to let them see some of the magic our wood lathes offer us every day. They will quickly realize many of the possibilities woodturning has to offer. You might take a mini lathe to school for a quick demo or you might consider setting up your lathe at a street art festival or county fair. All just to make spinning tops or honey dippers as a way to expose the uninitiated to the world of turning wood. All I did was run my lathe with my garage door open so my neighbors could see me working on my Powermatic. It wasn’t long before they couldn’t stand it any longer and came to see what I was doing. Wouldn't you know it, one of them eventually became a very proficient turner.

 

You enjoy your woodturning hobby, but it is meant to be shared. Look for opportunities and you will find them everywhere. Remember that wherever you go, there you are.

 

Here is my inspiration for this week’s message:

 

1Chr 29:14 HCSB But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your own hand.

Prov 18:16 KJV A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.

1 Corinthians 7:7 NIV  I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.

 

Show Sample Liquidation

 

After 13 seasons on The Woodworking Show Circuit, countless symposiums and club demonstrations, I have accumulated way too many samples. Everywhere we went, we brought samples to show folks. These items are like new and you couldn’t tell them apart from the full-priced ones, but I don’t feel right selling them as new since many folks may have handled them. We have cleaned them up and repackaged each sample so they look and work like new. All parts are included; if something was missing we have replaced it. Some items may have surface scratches, but most do not.

 

It is time to liquidate my sample inventory and save you some money. Quantities are limited so sales must be on a first-come, first-served basis. Please visit our "Sample Sale Page" for the full list.

Samples Include:

Longworth Chucks Type 2 basic and combos

Longworth Chucks Type 1 (cannot ever use doughnut rings with Type 1)

Amazing Ladle Chucks

Off-Center Chucks

Steady Rests Full Size only

See the full list here

Introducing Laser Cut Coaster Kits

(Caution, some folks will find these offensive. Do not click on this link if you are easily offended or are intollerant of a different political point of view. You have been warned.)

<More>

You Can make 5 different sized ladles. Includes 5 templates for perfect spheres. Available to fit 1x8 or 1-1/4 x 8 spindles

"Free Downloads HERE"

Free means Free. These downloads are available for immediate download. 1) You must be registered on the website, 2) You must be logged in, 3) You must follow the instructions to the letter, 4) You must click on each file individually to download it.

.

Including Bottle Stopper Designs - 50 Plus classic designs. Free PDF.

Amazing Doughnut Chuck™ Instructions

ProGrind Instructions

We have bundled several of the most popular documents into one down-loadable zip file for your convenience. Still no charge.

.