How Long Did That Take You to Make?

There’s one question every woodturner hears sooner or later:
“How long did that take you to make?”

And every time, I have to fight the urge to say, “Define time.”

Because if we’re talking calendar time, it took about a week.
If we’re talking shop time, it took three evenings, two weekends, and several questionable life choices.
And if we’re talking actual hours, well… I honestly have no idea.

Here’s the thing: if I ever sat down and tracked every minute I spent designing, cutting, gluing, sanding, turning, sanding again, finishing, and (did I mention?) sanding — I’d probably get depressed and quit.

🪵 Segmented Turning: The Art of Organized Chaos

A segmented vase or bowl might look elegant when it’s done, but what you don’t see are the hundreds of tiny pieces of wood that had to be cut, aligned, glued, and clamped like a complicated wooden jigsaw puzzle that fights back.

Each segment has to fit perfectly, or else you’ll spend twice as long fixing it. And by the time it’s on the lathe, you’ve invested so many hours that you start referring to it as “the project that will not end.”

❤️ The Real Payoff

So no — I don’t really know how long it takes.
But I do know what happens when someone sees it for the first time.

Their eyes light up, they run their hands along the curve, and they say, “You made this?”

That’s the moment that makes it all worth it — the glue fumes, the sanding dust, the endless patience. Because at the end of the day, I don’t make art for the clock… I make it for that reaction.