October is almost in the books!

 

 

Our Patriot Turners-

@Gerald was busy turning out some really neat projects-

 

 

He posted these in "Friday's Weekend" thread. See his post for some other colorful items-

 

He even managed to score some beautiful cherry over the weekend-

 

There are more pictures at-

 

And he managed to get at least one piece underway-

 

 

 

 

Our resident Christmas ornament professional, @Ron Altier, posted some beautiful maple items. I think he used his patented epoxy finish on them.

 

Check out his post for more about where he got the wood-

 

 

 

What’s Coming Up-

Click on the images for links to more information and registration-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For The Newbies-

New turners typically have difficulty getting proficient with the skew. I still haven't mastered it! Watch Richard Raffan make it look easy-

 

 

Mike Peace demonstrated how to do some tool "makeovers"

 

 

Woodturning Monthly was published by the Woodworker's Journal. Some nice projects and articles-

https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/woodturning-monthly/?utm_medium=email

 

 

Expand Your Horizons-

Alan Stratton is always coming up with unusual turning ideas and this one is no exception-

 

 

Wish you had a Genie? Well Carl Jacobson has turned a Genie Bottle in case you ever find one

 

 

 

New Turning Items-

Niles Bottle Stoppers has added a couple of new items-

https://nilesbottlestoppers.com/product/artisan-coffee-scoop-kit/

 

 

https://nilesbottlestoppers.com/product/artisan-rasp-grater-kit/

 

 

 

Woodturners Wonders is having a sale on their lathe "Track System". Check their website at-

https://woodturnerswonders.com/collections/lathe-track?_kx=gV5SF2As_3IwtBi5TrpHVQM0F3UvGVbQKzhWGippDlk%3D.VJvU8R

 

 

 

Everything Else-

From Ron Brown's newsletter-

 

Side Gig – Sage Advice

 

I had a long visit with a friend who will be retiring in 5-6 years and is thinking about starting a woodworking business to keep busy and generate some extra income. I have been hearing from more folks than usual about generating a little cash from a side hustle in view of the current economic situation with a dollar buying less every day.

 

I’ve made extra income from my side hustle for the last 55 years. Even when I was in the corporate world, I still made and sold wooden items on the side. Sometimes for pocket change, sometimes as a second income when the first one wasn’t enough. I’ve picked up a few things along the way that you might be interested in or passing along to a friend.

 

1)   Demand – don’t just make and try to sell what you love, make and sell what they want to buy (even if you don’t particularly like it). I tell my family that I would sell dried cow patties if that was what the demand called for.

    a.   In general woodworking the good sellers might be cutting boards, stove top covers, 2x4 basic bunk beds, etc.

    b.   For woodturners it could be pens, tops, pepper mills, salad bowls, etc. I’ve learned from experience that just because I’m wild about something, doesn’t mean it will sell.

2)   If an item is in high demand and everyone else is doing it, don’t be afraid to make them also.

    a.   A prime example of this is metal tumblers like the Yeti. In the laser engraving world, there are thousands of people making laser engraved tumblers, wrapped tumblers, or personalized tumblers. I know, my kids have given me several every Christmas for the past bunch of years. My church even gave me a pair.

    b.   Hamburgers are another great example. If people were afraid of making something someone else made, there would only be one place to get a hamburger instead of a hamburger joint on every corner.

3)   Don’t be the cheapest guy on the block. Find out what the market price is and be somewhere around there. You might have to be creative to make a profit.

4)   If no one is doing it, there is probably a good reason. No demand, impossible to make a decent profit due to the material cost or excessive labor. Before you bring something totally new to the market, get half a dozen regular items well established and selling consistently before you attempt to blaze a totally new trail.

5)   You might be a perfectionist, but your customers won’t pay for perfection. They will pay for great or even good, but perfect is in the eye of the beholder. You can be perfect if you don’t mind making $2/hr. But that is not how you make a profit in the real world.

6)   Listen to your wife. She loves you and wants you to succeed. She will tell you things your friends won’t.

 

There are many more tidbits of advice, based on years of experience, but these are some of the important ones.

 

 

 

Safe turning

Thanks for the nod Lew. Saw a post talking about skittles and I had to look that up.

Thanks Lew.  Skittle video is a great idea for skew practice.  Have to give it a try to brush myself.

@Gerald  Thank You!  Never heard them called skittles either!

 

@HandyDan Thank You!