My name is Scott and I live in Macedonia, OH (about 25 miles SE of Cleveland - just about far enough).
My interest in woodworking as I recall was initiated during a visit to an art fair where I saw some very cool looking turned bowls. The guy offered to make a variety of stuff from trees on your own lot. He explained that sometimes when those big old trees are brought down in a storm, the owners realize a significant loss, and they like the idea of having something made from their "old freind". Salad bowl sets were his hot seller.
Anyway, I did some research and found that the size lathe I needed to do decent size bowls was out of my price range and maybe I needed some practice anyway - so I made pens. They were really pretty and freinds and family were quite impressed. Everyone got a pen for Christmas that year.
I graduated to larger and more complicated pieces. I turned some popular mushrooms from dead branches I would find. My acorn boxes were loved by all - (they were very attractive).
All that happened when I lived in the Chicago suburbs. Love brought me to Cleveland, and I had to put my shop into storage for awhile. Then one of my kids got married and they wanted an oak table with "those lions paw legs".
Well, of course I couldn't turn a table on a lathe, but I was up for the challenge. Except for the fact that I had only closet sized space to work in, it really wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I got a jointer and a biscuit machine to help me make the table top. Got me a router to cut the top round and do the edge. I cheated on the lion paw legs and bought them from Rockler. It turned out beautiful, the kids love it. In fact, they told me a few months that they are going to have a baby in Feb! (That's why I chose the name GrampaMac) - AND they asked me to make the baby a crib! And I'm working on that now.
I bet I've shared much more than any of you really care to know, but I'm happy to have found this forum. I've grown to really love woodworking and look forward to sharing ideas and questions with all of you.
Merry Christmas!
My interest in woodworking as I recall was initiated during a visit to an art fair where I saw some very cool looking turned bowls. The guy offered to make a variety of stuff from trees on your own lot. He explained that sometimes when those big old trees are brought down in a storm, the owners realize a significant loss, and they like the idea of having something made from their "old freind". Salad bowl sets were his hot seller.
Anyway, I did some research and found that the size lathe I needed to do decent size bowls was out of my price range and maybe I needed some practice anyway - so I made pens. They were really pretty and freinds and family were quite impressed. Everyone got a pen for Christmas that year.
I graduated to larger and more complicated pieces. I turned some popular mushrooms from dead branches I would find. My acorn boxes were loved by all - (they were very attractive).
All that happened when I lived in the Chicago suburbs. Love brought me to Cleveland, and I had to put my shop into storage for awhile. Then one of my kids got married and they wanted an oak table with "those lions paw legs".
Well, of course I couldn't turn a table on a lathe, but I was up for the challenge. Except for the fact that I had only closet sized space to work in, it really wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I got a jointer and a biscuit machine to help me make the table top. Got me a router to cut the top round and do the edge. I cheated on the lion paw legs and bought them from Rockler. It turned out beautiful, the kids love it. In fact, they told me a few months that they are going to have a baby in Feb! (That's why I chose the name GrampaMac) - AND they asked me to make the baby a crib! And I'm working on that now.
I bet I've shared much more than any of you really care to know, but I'm happy to have found this forum. I've grown to really love woodworking and look forward to sharing ideas and questions with all of you.
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
