Steady As She Goes

When is a woodturner not a woodturner? When he is busy making the tools needed to hone his craft. This is something that has been done all my life. Part out of necessity and part out of the pure joy of being able to do it. I think some of the first tools created were done when I owned the music store on Long Island. String Bass clamps come to mind along with all of the other orchestral clamps that I designed and made by hand and needed with much of my string repair business. After that another handy tool was the French Horn holder that I designed and created out of compelling circumstances. If you have ever seen a French Horn then you can only guess how interesting it might be to hold and repair all at the same time. But all of that is pretty much in the past chapters of life.

Today it is mostly about woodturning and woodcarving, even though there is still an instrument or two to create or repair but maybe that is a whole other post? There was never a chance to boast about the creation of those tools and there is certainly no need to now. And do understand that it is a very understated boast. In fact it is all Debbie's fault, the boldness that is. You know, Debbie wife of The WoodArt Studio artist, Steve. So onto it now. The Woodturners of the Virginias (WoVa), had their 2012's first Quarterly Challenge- Make a Tool. So what tool better to bring then the latest and possibly the best of all the woodturning tools created…the Steady Rest.

Used to keep the wood from wobbling this one is perfect for the job. And the WoVa people thought so also and gave this tool 1st place honors at the March meeting and gift certificates to buy more tools. It doesn't get too much better than this. Thanks WoVa for thinking my Steady Rest worthy. Now onto more turning.

Until next we meet…use the right branch.