My Wood Turning Workshop Starts to Take Shape

Some months ago I was visiting Roni and, as usual, could not wait to do a bit more wood turning. There I was turning a rather nice, if I do say so myself, mushroom when Roni asked why I did not set up my own workshop at home?

I had thought about it before and dismissed it on a couple of grounds.

Firstly there was the cost. Wood turning is not a cheap thing to set up. There is a lot of necessary kit.  A lathe for a start, have you seen how much those things cost!? Then there is extraction for the dust, gouges, saws of various types, sharpening wheels for the gouges, various oils and finishes, etc. the list goes on.  There is also a whole industry out there designed to sell the latest “must have” (for which read, “not actually must have at all” ) gadget. Even if you can resist the latest hollowing system, or the new and improved widget designed to make you a master turner that also makes tea and toast and predicts the lottery numbers wood turning is not a cheap pastime.

Secondly, there was the question of space. It is true that I have a garage but as with everyone I know it does not house a car. Instead it has all the stuff that can not go anywhere else barbeques, bicycles that are never used, half empty pots of paint that have crusts on them thicker than the earth’s. Christmas decorations that are no long used have been breeding on the shelves, there are record decks just waiting for me to set them up. There are all those things that are really necessary to maintain life that are never actually used…………..

There was also the attic (or what I laughing refer to as my office). However, the prospect of having wood dust cascading down through the house was too horrendous to consider, for more than 5 minutes.

However the seed of an idea was planted by Roni’s question. Now, how to make room, organise the area,and find the money?