Here is my turning setup in all of its glory. I have a Jet lathe and a Jet dust collector. Most of my turnings come from mesquite because that is what is available for free in this area of the country. Free wood to turn! What could be better than that?

My shop is a steel garage and is environmentally controlled…by the environment. Yes, I have no AC in my shop here in West Texas. I have turned bowls when it’s been over 100 degrees inside! So during the summer it is like a mild kiln which helps rough-turned bowls dry very quickly.

I don’t have a band saw so I cut all of my blanks with a chainsaw. Preparing small blanks is easy, but try to cut up a large mesquite log with a chainsaw and then mount a 30 lb block on the lathe. I have had to do some additional trimming a time or two to get a large blank balanced well.

I have a slow speed grinder (1750 RPM) for sharpening tools. Don’t even think of trying to turn mesquite unless you can sharpen gouges reasonably well. Mesquite is hard and often full of very hard spots and sometimes dirt. I almost always see sparks when cutting through bark. If you want a good example check out Bowl #16 in the archives. That piece of wood was the hardest I have ever had on the lathe. I had to sharpen my gouge at least a dozen times just to get it hollowed.

I use the BEALL wood buff system to add a polished finish. Let me tell you, a hard wood like mesquite looks fabulous after a quick run through the buffing wheels!

Turning tops is a good activity for any turner to learn!

Those pictured above are turned from mesquite and the segmented tops are black walnut and maple.

Turning tops out of mesquite is always interesting because the wood is often full of imperfections which occasionally produces a top that is not balanced well.

I have about a 75% success rate at producing balanced mesquite tops.

Tops always get people to stop at your show table, especially kids.

Something moving always captures the eye of people walking by. At the last Art Walk in Abilene I kept a wooden ball rolling around inside a bowl. The movement of the ball attracted a few more people over to look at my work.

I always invite people to handle anything on the table. It is kind of like a car salesman. Get the customer to sit inside the vehicle and you have a better chance at a sale. The same it true with good craftsmanship. If you can get potential customers to pick up a bowl or a ball and feel it, you have a better opportunity for a sale.