Newbie and new member Western NC-hope pics are ok

Rob in NC

Rob
Senior User
Afternoon, all

New member here in Western NC with interests in a few things. Started blacksmithing/knifemaking a couple years ago. I do both forging and stock removal knives. Wont call myself a knifemaker just yet, but making knife-ish objects has been fun. Put a small 10x10 shed on my property as the workshop and then built a lean to 10x10 forge area. Also have a 100 yard shooting range set up there at my work area so I can throw some lead when I need a break.

Recently tore down the lean to and going to put in a 14x22 shed up there and move the rest of my tools up there. In the mean time, I decided I wanted to try my hand at wood turning and so picked up a Nova 2 benchtop lathe about 3 weeks ago with high hopes of turning out nice resin/burl things. Those hopes diminished on my first bowl. I had studied videos and felt confident in my first bowl. Problem is, I started out with East Indian Rosewood for my first project and didnt even have a bowl gouge. I was unknowingly using a roughing gouge (and using it exactly backwards of how it should have been used while wondering why I kept 'catching'). Despite all that the bowl did turn out almost like a bowl and now houses sugar packets at my coffee bar.

After going back to the drawing board and realizing I needed a bowl gouge, I got a Hurricane bowl gouge and tried it again. This time on African Mahogany (was ok to turn), Canary wood (fairly easy) and Black Palm (a nightmare). This was yesterday.

I'm still fighting with the tools, rather than making them work for me and it seems that each time I research, I keep finding this site so I figured I'd sign up.

Been a fun process to learn and looking forward to learning more. Next buys will be a pressure pot and 'other' pot so I can stabilize wood and remove bubbles from resin things. Will do this after my new workshop is put in this Winter. In the meantime, I'll be practicing on turning and finishing up a few knives that I have on the bench. This is all just a hobby for me. I've had several requests to sell knives and I just cant bring myself to do it. Perhaps will be my retirement gig if I ever get decent at it. Till then, will just have fun with it all!
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Rob in NC

Rob
Senior User
Be easy... still new. Didnt realize the pics would be large enough to show my many flaws... note that some of the blades are not sharpened at this time.
 

Graywolf

Board of Directors, President
Richard
Staff member
Corporate Member
Welcome to the forum. It looks like you have been busy.
 

Rob in NC

Rob
Senior User
Thank you, sir. Didnt want to throw up too many knife pics as this is a woodworking forum, but the two intermingle somewhat as I will use stabilized wood for scales once I get set up. Looking forward to learning from the site here.
 

Rob in NC

Rob
Senior User
Thanks, yall... missed a couple responses here. With the blacksmithing, knives, a few little figurines, that damascus ring, and basic hooks and some RR spike bottle openers is about it. Still very new at it. Made a DIY etcher for my mark on them so at least they look like I know what I'm doing..:D. The wood working is brand new. Literally just got the wood lathe a few weeks ago.
 

JNCarr

Joe
Corporate Member
Welcome! Nice steel-work! A few people have asked about welded steel legs/trusses/supports - if you do that, let everyone know.
 

Rob in NC

Rob
Senior User
Thank you, sir... and nope... I'm delving into much of this brand new. Got an AC225 Tombstone and can make steel stick with it, but looks like a drunk chimpanzee did the welding.
 

Bas

Recovering tool addict
Bas
Corporate Member
Welcome! Thanks for sharing the pictures. Pictures are like clamps, you can never have enough of them, and while small ones work OK, big ones are better.
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
Welcome to our family.

I was going to say I could help with the bowls but it looks like you don't need it

Nice work all around.
 

Raymond

Raymond
Staff member
Corporate Member
Welcome aboard, Rob! Your turning is looking good - the more you do the better you get!
 

McRabbet

Rob
Corporate Member
Welcome to the forum -- nice work you've done. Let us know where in western NC you are located -- I'm in Hendersonville and we have a woodworking club (Western NC Woodworkers Association) that meets every 2nd Saturday at the Klingspor's Woodworking Shop in Fletcher and would be happy to have you join us.
 

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