This past year, I have had a number of people ask me for advice and suggestions for choosing lathes, turning chisels, and other accessories. All of these requests were from people that were considering woodturning but had trouble finding information concerning the initial requirements. I am not an expert or an authority of any kind when it comes to choosing the right equipment but I would like to share the last email I received and the answers I provided. What I can say is that I have been at it for 10 plus years so some of my experiences may be helpful. These answers are not for everyone and will not necessarily suit your own case, but if they get you thinking in the right direction, at least we'll be heading the right way!

I was on my way to help a club member the other day. We were going to meet at Lee Valley. As I was driving, I was thinking of the many excellent tools I’ve bought there through the years. I've also been hampered by a bit of illness lately and I have to give a little more thought to my purchases. With that in mind, I started thinking about the tools I did buy and got to wondering, once again, why I had bought a particular “Signature” tool a few years back.

There are some things you should never attempt to analyze too much and this may be one of them....

I bought a wonderful cordless drill years ago. They were relatively new at the time and this "new" tool whispered something in my ear as I walked by! I couldn't resist and adopted it. It came with the drill, a flashlight, 2 batteries and a charger. Great deal!

Over the years, this drill served me well. The flashlight, not so much! But the drill had 2 torque settings and in low torque, can drive a #8 screw right through a 4 x 4. That's a lot of "oumph"! And then, as things happen, the tool started getting old. Perhaps I should say that the batteries started getting old. The tool still produced amazing torque....

It was about 6 months ago. I love to teach one on one and have done it quite a bit. I tell people, especially new turners, that if you really want to learn to turn, teach it. I don't mean promote yourself from absolute beginner to self declared expert. I mean once you have some decent skills, try teaching your skills. If you take it seriously and work to get the answers you will be asked, take the time to organize what you know in the right format for passing on the knowledge, you'll be amazed both at what you know, and at what you still need to learn!

So, like I said, it was about 6 months ago when I received an email from a chap who makes cabinets as a hobby. I'm not sure what his full time job is other than that he works in an office. I'm also not sure where he got my name from other than it was probably passed around from some other student I've helped in the past. Here was a request from a hobby cabinet maker, tired of having to buy store made legs for some of his pieces, desiring to learn how to make his own. What intrigued me most was that this lad mentioned he is blind. Well, how blind is he, really?.....