Spring Pole Lathe in Action - Finally

After a few medical procedures and a 3 night stay at John Hopkins, I finally got feeling well enough to complete my spring pole lathe. The following is a short video showing the lathe in action. I have found out two things; one, the lathe seems to work as it should and excess vibration doesn't seem to be a problem. Two, I have absolutely NO natural ability as a turner. I think this is going to be a rather steep learning curve. I have fun with the roughing gouge though. :-)

I will try to do another video later showing all the features of the lathe.

Oh well, without further ado, here's the video, my first on this blog.

Video by Casey Bacon

Music: Protect the Innocent by The Fuzzy Mountain String Band

Slip Out The Back Jack

Finally got a set of steps off the back of the shop. Laid the stoop a few weeks back and have been piddling with the steps along with about 6 other projects for about a month. Got them installed on Monday. Rough cut 2 X 10's; leftover 2nd story floor joist material from the shop, so they're a full 2" thick, actually about 2 1/8". I can now confidently bring an elephant in the back door. Well, I guess I'd need a bigger door. But the steps could handle the weight! :-) Steps were finished with solid color white and gray stains. Left the rough surface for better traction. Through tusk tenons are pegged with 1 1/4" dowel that I cut at the appropriate angle to wedge everything together tightly. The good news is I'm really happy with the way these turned out. The bad news is I now like them better than the front steps. Oh well.