Joined
·
642 Posts
As I made the long drive from Nashville to TN to Alexandria VA I couldn't help but tree gaze as I went. It's always fascinating to me to see the species change as you drive. When I arrived in Virginia I grabbed my dog and went for a walk along the GW parkway with my tree ident book to see what I could see. And though I know I have realized this before I was blown away by the fact that there was not a hackberry in sight. That all the common familiar trees were nowhere to be found. The same thing happened to me when I went to north carolina and saw endless pine trees and a huge oak population.
As wood turners there is a great amount of time and energy we put into technical practice. Discussions of equipment and how to refine our process as turners abound across forums and it is easy (for me atleast) to become fixated on these aspects in the pursuit to get better as a turner. To lose myself in the process when in reality it was fascination with wood that got me to the lathe. It's always nice to get out there and realize how little I know. To feel that same freshness and wonder that came when I first started getting into wood working. I remember the first time I cracked into a piece of FBE, when I first found curl in a hunk of maple and the first time I turned a burl.WOOOOOOAAAAH!!!! I about fainted when I saw spalting for the first time and remember being so excited and proud to get on here and show you all to share that moment of elation and feeling of finding something beautiful. This question or questions move away from the technical and into the personal. I would very much like to hear the story that has taken place with you all. How you got into turning or woodworking in general. What excites you and drives you to create. What personal AHA realization moments have you come across?
I know all this may sound vague and perhaps it is but I've found that one of the things I enjoy most about wood working is when I run into another enthusiast and swap stories and get to see that same geeky obsession in another person. So here's your shot to geek out about all the stuff you dig about turnin. :thumbsup: happy holidays all,
Bond
As wood turners there is a great amount of time and energy we put into technical practice. Discussions of equipment and how to refine our process as turners abound across forums and it is easy (for me atleast) to become fixated on these aspects in the pursuit to get better as a turner. To lose myself in the process when in reality it was fascination with wood that got me to the lathe. It's always nice to get out there and realize how little I know. To feel that same freshness and wonder that came when I first started getting into wood working. I remember the first time I cracked into a piece of FBE, when I first found curl in a hunk of maple and the first time I turned a burl.WOOOOOOAAAAH!!!! I about fainted when I saw spalting for the first time and remember being so excited and proud to get on here and show you all to share that moment of elation and feeling of finding something beautiful. This question or questions move away from the technical and into the personal. I would very much like to hear the story that has taken place with you all. How you got into turning or woodworking in general. What excites you and drives you to create. What personal AHA realization moments have you come across?
I know all this may sound vague and perhaps it is but I've found that one of the things I enjoy most about wood working is when I run into another enthusiast and swap stories and get to see that same geeky obsession in another person. So here's your shot to geek out about all the stuff you dig about turnin. :thumbsup: happy holidays all,
Bond