Popular Woodworking 2004-08 № 142, страница 10

Out on a Limb

Lost the Fever? Let Me Turn Up the Heat

Do you find yourself heading to the shop less? Are you spending more time puttering in the shop than actually building projects? Have you not finished a project in weeks, maybe months?

Like a fire, every passion tends to burn down over time - even woodworking. That's when it's necessary to recharge your batteries. The question is: How do you re-ignite your passion for woodworking?

The answer varies from one person to the next. I found myself in this situation a couple of years ago. After more than 20 years I was finally burned out. Completing a huge project (a new gingerbread porch for my 1870s-era Victorian home) put me over the edge. I needed more than a rest, I needed a change.

However, finding the right project or reading an inspirational book wasn't enough of a cure in this case. I needed a big fix. But what?

I actually found two solutions, and both had interesting advantages: They were two things I always wanted to do but never pursued, and both would remind me of the challenges that beginners face in the craft. I decided to make an acoustical guitar and learn how to turn on a lathe. Both were highly rewarding and took me far enough away from my usual woodworking to get refreshed without forsaking the shop.

When building the guitar, even from a kit as I did, my woodworking skills could take me only so far. I found myself frequently challenged and often full of doubt about whether I was getting each step right.

Learning how to turn was a similar test. I found myself poring over instruction books, trying to fathom various techniques for cutting using different turning tools. I was unsure

and confused about the right tools to buy.

These were important lessons because they made me all the more aware of just how important clearly written instructions and "to-the-point" tool-buying advice can be.

These projects also rekindled my woodworking passion and brought back the rewarding feeling of time spent in the shop. Being challenged and learning something new was invigorating. The guitar is one of the projects I'm most proud of in my 25 years of woodworking. And you should see me bound up the basement stairs with a newly turned bowl ready to show it off to my family.

I found that exploring a new area of woodworking can be a tonic. I'm chomping at the bit on new cabinet projects for the house. Yes, I think I'm in love again.

New Turning Column

This newfound enthusiasm for turning opened my eyes to a world that has been growing for years. After hearing from thousands of readers, we know that many of you own a lathe (and some aren't using them), so we're adding a turning column that will appear in every issue starting with this one. Professional turner Judy Ditmer has written books and taught classes across North America for more than 20 years.

"Next to the joy of turning itself" she says, "my favorite thing is to help someone experience that pleasure."

Welcome aboard, Judy! PW

Steve Shanesy Editor & Publisher

CONTRIBUTORS

JOHN WILSON

Because his father's woodshop had no electric power tools, John was permitted to use every tool in the shop, peaking his interest in woodworking (and hand tools) early. Since then he has worked as a carpenter, anthropology professor, community college woodworking instructor, Shaker boxmaker and most recently a writer. Today, John teaches on the road and at the Home Shop, a woodshop and production facility in Charlotte, Mich., that he founded to produce supplies for the oval box trade. An environmentalist (he built his own solar-powered home and shop), John always makes the most of the materials at hand. His "Canoe Paddle" on page 32 is an example of this. However, John notes that his love for paddle-making and boatbuilding far outweigh his love of the water.

GRAHAM BLACKBURN

What might surprise you about Graham is not only how much he likes traditional hand tools, but also how much he relies on power tools and machinery. For more than 40 years, Graham has built furniture, houses and a reputation as an expert on hand tools - more than a dozen of his books have taught thousands about the efficiencies of handwork. But when Graham needs to surface or rip lumber, he turns on the machines. "I couldn't possibly build furniture without power tools," he says, "but my use of hand tools increases the vocabulary of the things I can do." See page 60 to find out why woodworkers should have a few handsaws in their shops.

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My 100 percent lathe-turned stool for the shop.

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Popular Woodworking August 2004