I’m a self-taught woodturner — though I got into it completely by accident. My wife, a high school math teacher (she has since retired), had a teaching aid shaped like a cone that was missing a piece. Naturally, to fix this tiny part, I did what any logical DIY husband would do... I bought a lathe.

A small wood lathe and a few cheap gouges from the local Harbor Freight later, I grabbed a chunk of poplar, figured out how to mount it (after a few YouTube tutorials and some head-scratching), and went to work. Once I finished the piece she needed, I was hooked. The next thought was, “Well, since I have this lathe now...”

One project led to another — pens, bottle stoppers, bowls, some segmented pieces (because who doesn’t love a good geometric challenge?) and eventually hollow form vessels. What started as a quick fix for my wife’s classroom has turned into one of my favorite ways to relax, create, and occasionally fill the garage with sawdust.

Woodturning has become more than a hobby — it’s a mix of patience, precision, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting.

You can follow my work (and my sawdust adventures) on Instagram and Facebook, where I often share works in progress before they make their way here. Links are below — come say hi!

Thanks for stopping by — and remember, it all started with a math problem.