My First Turning

Here it is, the very first piece of work on my new lathe.

I made this spindle turned project from a 2" x 2" piece of pine. It's a soft wood, so it was easy to rough from a square blank to a cylinder. I used a few different tools to experiment and see what I could do.

I will say - the piece looked much better while it was spinning on the lathe then in my hand. It's a good idea to start with something small, something soft, just to get your feet wet. Since it was 2" square, it was easy to mark the center on each end (two X's) and easy to mount between the lathe centers.

I found it satisfying to be able to make something, anything, with my new investment. At the same time, this brief exercise gave me insight into the complexity of wood turning, and gave me an appreciation for the art. All at once, I knew this was something I could master, but also that I knew almost nothing and had everything to learn.

And so my journey begins.