GearHeads Forum

You have a dream shop Mark, Congratz.

I think Mark's shop is bigger than my entire house ;D

Kit

I had a few hours of wood lathe (and other shop) classes in Jr. high, token shop class for the academic track, but nothing in the <mumble> years since.&nbsp; Got a little HF VS mini wood lathe a few years ago (actually pretty nice for small stuff), tried some pen turning, started going to the adult open shop to learn something about turning, then somehow ended up with a 16x42 Grizzly rebuild project off Craigslist.&nbsp; My youngest decided she liked turning bottle stoppers while at home, so she's getting the HF and I replaced it with the PSI, both lathes are now 1-8 thread and MT2.&nbsp; Had to move fast before Mrs. Moose figured out what's going on

Went to Utah for a turning class where they spent a lot of time on sharpening.&nbsp; Picked up a CBN wheel that somebody had returned off the discount table (along with an expensive pile of HSS...); it's on the right side below.&nbsp; The stand (finally, last coat of finish today, no more bare wood!) has the grinder almost at eye level (wheel center at shoulder height) - thought that was a pretty strange suggestion from the teacher, but it works really well.&nbsp; They get seriously discounted hardwood from a big local mill, so it's made of black ash (Greg's suggestion for dimensional stability).&nbsp; Strange, but nice, when nice kiln dried hardwood is cheaper than lumber yard pine.&nbsp; The sharpening system is a wolverine copy from PSI - works just as well as the real thing at the HS, but not as nicely finished.&nbsp; Seriously sharp tools!

As you can see in the background the shop (former wood boiler room, went to an outdoor boiler) is both a work in progress and short on organization.&nbsp; I think I've strayed way OT.

Kirk

That Simpson rack was on sale at a building center that closed.&nbsp; I think I paid $10.00 for it loaded with all kinds of metal shapes and threaded rod.&nbsp; You will also notice lots of General brand equipment, I believe it is all made in Canada - very happy with the quality.

I never touched a wood lathe in high school.&nbsp; Purchased this one at a local hardware store for no other reason than I thought it would be fun.&nbsp; I spent the first year discovering that wood turning begins at the grinder, not the lathe.&nbsp; Once I got over the fear of killing myself, it's great fun and easy to make something in a couple of hours.&nbsp; It really comes in handy for making things like wooden clocks, kinetic sculptures and incidentals associated with Gearotic parts.&nbsp; Shavings are used in my gas grill to flavor meat.

Whenever someone posts photos of their projects, I always look at the shop behind the scene.&nbsp; Must be a guy thing.

Mark

I need more room and a bigger allowance

I looked at (online...) the tabletop Delta midi-lathe, but went with the 12" VS PSI since I've used one in the adult shop at the high school - if it holds up to HS students it should work for me.&nbsp; Had it about a week now, even made a couple things that didn't go into the woodstove.

We have the same metal cutting bandsaw, but mine is red and had a 20% off coupon.&nbsp; I'd like the Simpson metal rack, better than leaning it in corners against the wall...

Still impressed, and it's way neater than mine.&nbsp; Gotta get out the broom and shop vac, not to mention another sort and put away session, longer than the last one.&nbsp; Your pics are an inspiration!

Kirk

More shop photos (3 of 3).

More shop photos (2 of 3).

Kirk:

You opened a can of worms asking about my shop. &nbsp;Others have commented on it from time to time so I will give you a little pictorial tour. &nbsp;FYI, my shop is not overly neat, it varies depending on the state of my work in process. &nbsp;I will probably have to post over three messages due to the number of photos. &nbsp;Since I have limited space (don't we all), most stationary tools are mounted on wheels and I move them into a clear space as needed. &nbsp;One thing for certain, I have a very understanding wife!

Mark

I too missed it the first time around; impressive.

Your shop in the background is impressive, too.&nbsp; I don't think mine has ever been that neat and organized.&nbsp; Is that a Grizzly wood lathe hiding in the background, only caught a quick glimpse of it?

Kirk

Sounds good.&nbsp; Looking forward to seeing it.&nbsp; I purchased Clayton's Zinnia a while ago primarily to see how the mechanism worked.&nbsp; I cut much of it on a small 3040 CNC, scaled way down, and will eventually get to it's assembly.&nbsp; Over the last few months I built a larger Solsylva CNC with a cut area of around 2' x 2' which would be much more appropriate for kinetic art pieces.&nbsp;

Dan