Never One to be Quiet

 

With the craziness of summer come and gone and the kids returning to in person school.....life has brought me to a new season of life. The season where, since becoming a SAHM, I am now kid free during the work week. Having all the kids back in a routine of getting on a bus and a set schedule outside of a screen has been more then beneficial for all of our mental health needs.

Speaking of a crazy summer...late July I had a bit of a mental break down. Considering all that I had been going through, I thought it must be even more then my medications could handle. I was exhausted in the physical and emotional sense, but if I didn't keep continually busy, all I wanted to do was cry. I was super irritable, snapping at my kids over small things, patience extremely limited and unless certain people needed to know specific information, I felt it was best to keep things on a need to know basis. Otherwise, I couldn't handle having to explain all the details. Unbeknown at the time, and by my husband, there had been a big goof in my daily medications that had me going cold turkey on a very important prescription.

After all this was figured out, I had the motivation to set up a piece of heavy machinery that has changed much of my free time in the barn....

With the sale of my childhood home, I acquired a Delta wood lathe, complete with many standard cutting tools, accessories and slow speed grinder. In the last several years, I had eyed a few on FB market place. Except I either didn't have really ANY space in my 10x10 wood shed and/or they weighed nearly a TON and purposed for commercial shop space.

This new passion of wood turning has captured my heart and rekindled my years of throwing pots in high school and college ceramics. Now with my old love and passion for wood working, I spend as much of my time in the barn covered in wood shavings.

With MANY learning curves, near disasters, splitting final pieces due to improper wood drying and a few expensive trips to Woodcraft...

             

All of these pieces started off as a log, still holding the bark.

I've been scouting for free wood and different species. My favorite seems to be Honey Locust and most Maple varieties for how smooth I can get them in the finish sanding stages. All pieces are only finished off with a wood turners varnish to seal things, but let the organic nature of the grain shine.

I do hope to sell a few pieces this gift giving season. Not to make really a profit, but to take the earnings to reinvest into better tools to continue this passion. A passion that has been an added savior for my mental health. In order to cut costs, I've repurposed a graduation gown from a thrift store by tailoring in the gaping sleeves to make it safe. Every day is pomp, wood shavings and circumstance!   

Let me know if you would like to order a piece as advanced notice is appreciated. After each item is finished, it is plunged into a giant tub of wood shavings to slowly dry out evenly and avoid any splitting due to atmospheric changes.