About Sean:

I am considered fairly new to the wood turning world, having only been turning about 7 years part time. I have, however, been very fortunate to quickly make quite a few friends in the wood turning family. I have a great respect for turners who still have fun turning wood after many years of standing in front of a lathe. If wood turning ever gets to be a chore for me, I am finished with it. Happily, I do not see that happening.

I live in Henderson Kentucky (heaven for wood turners) with my wife and two girls as well as our practically adopted daughter, Ava. Henderson is situated on the Ohio River and is known for its farming, beautiful countryside and early American history. Known as The Jewel on the Ohio, John James Audubon called Henderson home for many years and there is a 692 acre State Park named for him. I enjoy spending time at the park to relax and learn about all the different trees in this area. I am married to a wonderful lady who lets me indulge in my turning habit and even turns herself occasionally. I have 5 children, four girls and one boy, and four grand children. My youngest two (both girls) have some interest in the shop and I will let them experience wood working as long as they find it enjoyable. My 11 year old enjoys pen turning and I've had a lot of fun teaching her. My 7 year old wants to learn pen turning.

I enjoy dabbling in web site design, although I have not mastered it by any means. I have added a woodturning articles page on my web site and the articles are written by well known turners. There is also an archive area for past articles and a Tips section. If you have an article you would like to submit, I would be happy to post it. Weather permitting, I love to be in the outdoors. Fishing, camping, and hiking in the mountains are some of my favorite outdoor activities.

In 2006, I was elected as a board member to the American Association of Woodturners.  What an honor to serve an association with 13,000 + members and be a part of the future of woodturning. The AAW has over 270 chapters nationally and internationally.

Woodturner:

At this point in my life, I finally will start turning full time. My youngest is now in school full time. I do look forward to spending a lot more time in my shop turning. Living in Kentucky has no draw backs for a wood turner as wood is plentiful and the weather is fine. My favorite woods to turn that are local are Maple, Walnut and Oak. I find these woods through local tree trimming services or the local landfill. There are plenty of varieties of each of these species.  The temperatures are easier to handle than when I lived in Arizona where I chose to turn at night rather than the daytime. I would, however, prefer natural light over shop lighting. I get a lot of inspiration from watching other turners during demonstrations and looking at wood turners' web sites. I especially like trying something new on the lathe. Words of wisdom from a fellow turner taught me to never be afraid to try and exceed your limits. The internet has some wonderful resources for wood turners such as online forums. Some of my favorites are Wood Central, WOW, and Wood magazine has a great one also that is moderated by well known turner Phil Brennion.

Tools:

The two lathes I use are a Powermatic 4224 and a Jet Mini. The Powermatic is the one I use most often for hollow forms and bowls. The swing of the 4224 enables me to turn an object up to 24" in diameter. Swing means the distance from the center of the spindle (where the chuck or drive center gets mounted to the bed of the lathe). I use the Jet mini for boxes, finials, and collars.

For hollowing, I like to use a captive hollowing system made by John Lea as well as some of his other hollowing tools. John Jordan tools are in my line up also. I do make some of my own tools for hollow forms when conventional tools will not do. Bowl gouges I use are Sorby, Crown and Glaser. My two favorite sizes are 1/2" and 3/8". When coring out bowl blanks, I use the McNaughton coring system. My vacuum system was built by Johnny Tolly and has become a must have for finishing the bottoms of my work. Embellishment tools include a Razortip burner, Automach reciprocating carver and Dremmel tools. I will also use a micro torch, rasps and files, air hammer, sand blasting cabinet and what ever else I see laying around. Pen turning has become a new passion for me in the turning world as well as one of my daughters. Having one of your children turning with you side by side is a wonderful experience. Being able to teach a child something you enjoy so much and seeing the happiness that it brings them is an experience that all should enjoy.

Wood working tools other than wood turning tools include the basics, table saw, planer, jointer, dust collection system, band saw, down draft table, drill press, mortiser, dovetail jigs, router table, hand held tools and other portable power tools.

"Sean,
The bowl arrived today, and I am quite pleased.
Thanks for the prompt shipment.
Bob W."