Veni, vidi, almost vici...

Or, more accurately, "I came, I saw, I turned."

One might view woodturning as just another form of spinning, but instead of a saxony wheel you use a lathe; instead of fleece you use wood; and instead of your hands you use sharp tools to shape your end product. Turning is also a lot like spinning in that it only takes minutes to learn the concepts but a lifetime to truly master them. That's why I can't say, vici: "I conquered."

I really enjoyed the wood turning class I took this past weekend at Woodcraft in Woburn, MA. There's nothing more exhilarating than learning a completely new skill and getting the hang of doing it. While I wouldn't call myself an expert yet, I feel that I made a lot of progress between my first tentative application of the gouge to the rapidly-spinning 3x3x10-inch chunk of wood (far left), and my last attempt, where I cut the smooth set of beads and coves you see on the right side of the photo.

Like any serious craftperson, I love nice tools. Consequently, I bought several wicked-looking gouges including this nearly two-foot-long high-speed steel roughing gouge.

It's really neat to think that it may soon help me make my first drop spindle.