I admire folk who can make a constant living from their “craft” or art, although I do get a bit of a cringe on when people refer to woodwork as “the craft.” It conjures images of clandestine meetings, leather aprons & secret handshakes.
Not that I’m against any of that per se, whatever blows your skirt up.
I’m just a bit wary of any skill set becoming a closed shop environment, available only to an elite few.
I would like to be proficient enough at woodturning to make sufficient money to buy the tools/equipment I lust after. I am a mere beginner however, only turning at weekends and on days off when weather permits.
I am getting better though, with fewer bits of wood bouncing around the shed. I have managed to shift some stuff, and have had a few commissions. There’s something about having a unique piece of something hand-made that really brings enjoyment to some people.
Family & friends say I sell myself short from a quality/skill perspective. I am, and always will be, my own harshest critic though. If I think something is bad, then it doesn’t see the light of day. I have a shelf full of rejects in the shed.
I always try to use timber from ethical, sustainable sources. I would never knowingly use any timber cut as a result of ecological vandalism. Does that make me a hand knitted, tree hugging, swamp rat? Probably. Do I care about being labelled? Not one jot.
Perhaps more people should be aware of the mass destruction of the worlds’ forests in the name of agricultural progress. I’m not about to go all evangelical on this blog, this is not the purpose of my ramblings.
Adventures in Turning 