My Lathe, My Wife and I
My first experience into pen making.
Saturday April 8, 2017 7:30 am
I can't sleep. The excitement is KILLING me. Over the past weeks I have been purchasing equipment to start making my own pens. Months ago I had started studying up on the process of pen turning and I was hooked from the beginning. My only major problem was that I had NO equipment. Now, today, in the mid-morning hours, laying in bed, I realized that after months of planning and dreaming, my garage, not twenty feet from where I was currently laying was packed with equipment just waiting to be used and by God I SWEAR, it was calling to me!
Having put some of the equipment together the day before, my garage had slowly started taking shape into my own little wood worker's paradise. I just had to finish putting together my Ryobi 10" Portable Table Saw with QuickSTAND and I was on my way to to having my own "Yankee Workshop" move over Norm Abram theres a new kid in town.
By 1:30 in the afternoon I was up and running. Since my workshop doubles as the family garage, sometimes I have to get creative with where things are placed and am forced to arrange things so that I take a few more steps to get to certain items that I need. I was NOT deterred. I should have brought a pedometer with me, I must have crossed that double car garage 18 dozen times. Mean while my wife was following me with the camera ever positive ....little did I know she had plans of her own.
An hour later, I found out three important points; 1.) my drill press was NOT deep enough to hold the pen blank AND the Rockler Jig. 2.) Shop towels do NOT make sufficient CA Glue applicators and finally, 3.) It looks like my wife has already made a shopping list for the next TWENTY FIVE pens that I am going to be making next. Despite all of these revealed truths, I was finished.
It was not perfect, in fact there were several errors, but it was mine and made with my own two hands. I had planned for months, researched all the alternatives and did my homework. In the end though, the most important lesson I learned was...just do it. I was terrified that I would do something wrong, material would fail, or the equipment that I got was not up to the "norm." What I figured out was, it will all work out in the end, be open to new things and be prepared to do some problem solving along the way ...that and the fact that when your wife gives you her order for your next set of pens, you must be doing something right.
I can't sleep. The excitement is KILLING me. Over the past weeks I have been purchasing equipment to start making my own pens. Months ago I had started studying up on the process of pen turning and I was hooked from the beginning. My only major problem was that I had NO equipment. Now, today, in the mid-morning hours, laying in bed, I realized that after months of planning and dreaming, my garage, not twenty feet from where I was currently laying was packed with equipment just waiting to be used and by God I SWEAR, it was calling to me!
Having put some of the equipment together the day before, my garage had slowly started taking shape into my own little wood worker's paradise. I just had to finish putting together my Ryobi 10" Portable Table Saw with QuickSTAND and I was on my way to to having my own "Yankee Workshop" move over Norm Abram theres a new kid in town.
By 1:30 in the afternoon I was up and running. Since my workshop doubles as the family garage, sometimes I have to get creative with where things are placed and am forced to arrange things so that I take a few more steps to get to certain items that I need. I was NOT deterred. I should have brought a pedometer with me, I must have crossed that double car garage 18 dozen times. Mean while my wife was following me with the camera ever positive ....little did I know she had plans of her own.
An hour later, I found out three important points; 1.) my drill press was NOT deep enough to hold the pen blank AND the Rockler Jig. 2.) Shop towels do NOT make sufficient CA Glue applicators and finally, 3.) It looks like my wife has already made a shopping list for the next TWENTY FIVE pens that I am going to be making next. Despite all of these revealed truths, I was finished.
It was not perfect, in fact there were several errors, but it was mine and made with my own two hands. I had planned for months, researched all the alternatives and did my homework. In the end though, the most important lesson I learned was...just do it. I was terrified that I would do something wrong, material would fail, or the equipment that I got was not up to the "norm." What I figured out was, it will all work out in the end, be open to new things and be prepared to do some problem solving along the way ...that and the fact that when your wife gives you her order for your next set of pens, you must be doing something right.
Regular Time.... |
...vs SLOW MOTION!! |
