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[Steve Lawrence-Hill]

Hello to everyone here.
My name is Steven Lawrence-Hill and i live in Marston Moretaine in Bedfordshire.
Ive been a lorry driver for 26 years now but that is all to change now i have bought my first lathe, Its a Charnwood W820 and it is going to be the start of my new carreer in woodcraft, I will be turning what ever i learn to turn and building small items of furniture up to the size of coffee tables etc.
So far i have only had about an hours practice on the lathe because i dont have a shed or workshop as yet but i have done a simple candle stick and tried a few shapes.
Is there any one local enough to me to perhaps offer a small amount of workshop space so i can get started to turn bits and bobs to take to local markets and boot sales and hopefully to gain enough experience to become a full time turner and build up my own small cottage business. I can pay a small amount in rent to start and as things progress i will pay more.
For me this is a massive thing to change my whole life whilst supporting a wife and 3 children so any help and advice will be greatfully received.
Thanks for your time and hope to hear from you soon.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Steve and welcome to this corner of UKW ('cept most of our corners are round)

I admire your courage and wish you good luck with your endeavour :!:

pm me if you think I might be able to help with aspects of turning.

Have you done any market research?

 

[stevebuk]

hi steven
i echo what graham has said and wish you well in your venture, i must admit to not understanding why/how you came to this decision to turn for a living when you have never done it before, i find fascinating.

What must it be like to wake up, drive the lorry around the country and on the way back say to yourself, 'i know, i am going to buy a lathe and turn for a living'
look forward to the reply.
steve

 

[CHJ]

I wish you luck Steven, but doubt you have done any proper market research and a business plan.

Hope you have enough savings to last several years whilst you find and develope your niche in the market.

 

[Steve Lawrence-Hill]

Ive posted this on the General Woodworking part of the forum.

My wife and i have worked out i can work with an Agency for 3 days of the week to keep our heads above water so i can spend 2 days practacing and we both love doing boot sales and markets anyway on a Sunday so we will not suffer in any way we can only benefit as time goes by.
I will Start on woon collected free from local craftsmen and saw mills as off cuts and sold at the markets at a reduced rate as to try to be in competition with the imported gear. Fliers will be distributed at the fairs as a way of getting Commision wk were more premium prices can be charged as i gain experience. I hope it all works out as long as we do not go short at home it can only go one way. Im never going to be rich but i will be happy.
As long as i dont do anything to lower the price of crafted pieces of work by established craftsmen/Women by charging silly prices on good quality wood pieces and only make easy softwood pieces for the market place i feel i would be doing the right thing.

 

[Steve Lawrence-Hill]

What must it be like to wake up, drive the lorry around the country and on the way back say to yourself, 'i know, i am going to buy a lathe and turn for a living'
look forward to the reply.
steve

I have for as long as i can remember had a fascination for wood and how it looks and feels. Not two pieces of wood will ever be identical as you know due to the grain and texture ect. I was never any good at school in wood work because we had to make what we was told so i didn't realise i could be any good making thing with wood until 12 years ago when i was working for a banking Furniture company in Newhaven in Sussex, I was operating a CNC machine on night shift so due to the length of some of the programs had lots of time to fiddle about and make stuff out of wood from the Skip. I made shelves, Coffee tables, Stacking corner units, A Bed in the shape of a farrari F1 Car, Vanity and jewelry boxes and loads of other stuff just for fun.
Most of the things i made are still about now in one place or another still being used for there purpose.
having a love for things that are unique and wood brings me to my choice of career for the second half of my working life, The first half being working for some one else, Now its my turn.
For some unknown reason even to me wood turning seems to be the most obvious way to go because i can build other things too and combine the two to make one off items by my own hands.
There is an element of craftsmanship in my blood as my father used to build Artist Brushes by hand so going to craft fares and being around master craftsmen is second nature anyway and to get back to that way of life would be like going back to my childhood in some way too.
I know it will work to an extent because i am still working part time in my old career to make ends meet but wouldnt it be great one day if i could burn my HGV licence and be known for my new chosen career instead of being a Statistic on Britains roads and a number in some big companys payrole.

 

[Jenx]

The very best of luck to you, Steve....

As mentioned - my guess is that you'll be pretty reliant on the Agency work for income

Softwood stuff... hmmmm.... one can go into poundstretcher and buy a pine mug tree, complete with the mugs already on it for a quid --

'best of british' to you, though.. and welcome to Spinney World !

 

[PowerTool]

Hello and welcome
Read your post in the General forum - can only wish you luck,and echo everyone else's advice (speaking as an ex-HGV driver,and current hobby woodturner,I know which has the best hourly rate;there again,I know which I get most pleasure out of..)

Andrew

 

[Gordon T]

Welcome to the forum and the world of turning, and good luck with your new venture

GT

 

[Steve Lawrence-Hill]

Hi all and thanks for your words of support.
I have now ordered a 12 x 8 Shed for the garden now so im on my way at last to getting up and running.
Is there any local people to me with any old Paving slabs they dont want to make a flat level base for the new workshop? I have a week to find some.

 

[Anonymous]

Try your local 'freecycle' (google it)

 

[Steve Lawrence-Hill]

How flat and level do these bases have to be im getting all sorts of different size slabs its hard work?

 

[PowerTool]

Your shed will have several crossmembers/bearers under the floor - where the slabs are going to be directly under these need to be flat and level at least (i.e. if the shed has 6 bearers,then you could use six lines of flags,rather than doing the whole 12' x 8' area)
Flags can be levelled fairly easily by using a bed of sand underneath to give you a bit of play.

Andrew

 

[Paul.J]

Hello Steve.
I would try and get the floor as even/flat as you can.
Depending on the type of floor in the shed i would also reinforce it,with some extra bearers.Or even if the floor seems weak replace it.
Some sheds i looked at some time ago only had 10mm thick board :shock:

 

[Steve Lawrence-Hill]

This one has 16mm Tongue and Groove, That should be ok if i just reinforce were the Lathe is going with some 18mm ply.

 

[Steve Lawrence-Hill]

I will take my last back now ive ordered a 1inch thick floor for my workshop i hope that will do, I took delivery of my Supernova2 chuck today, and my sharpening wheel for the grinder, plus a screw chuck for the S/N2 its all coming together slowly. Shed arrives hopefully on the 23rd i will have to wait 2 more weeks foe lecky cos my sparky is on his hols but i can build the bench and shelves and use an extension lead till then. Cant wait...... to be cont ...

 

[YorkieT]

The very best of luck with your new venture Steve, I think you will need it but I am sure the change in lifestyle will benefit all the family

I really hope it works out for you :wink:

 

[big soft moose]

good luck with your new venture mate - it wont be easy or make you rich but if it comes off it will be rewarding in other ways.

btw I'd highly reccomend "make money from wood turning" by ann and bob phillips GMC publications (12 notes) ISBN 0-946819-50-5 which will point you in the right direction for your enterprise.

as regards the base of your shed i'd be inclined to forget the slabs and dig a whole and fill it with concrete instead - that way you can bolt your lathe down through the floor to cut the vibration.

 

[boysie39]

Good luck with your new project. I drove trucks all over Europe for 30 odd years and it could be a lonely life. All kinds of strange thoughts go through your mind when your away from home for a few weeks at a time.You miss the wife ,the kids ,and all that goes on in the place where you live. I was a good Golfer and often had thoughts of trying my hand at it full time. Luckily I saw the way things turned out for better golfers than I so I kept doing what I was good at and gave the familey the best way of life I could. But I will always wonder, What you are doing is with the backing of your Wife so that should give you the confidence to go for it.
Now all you need to know is the Talent there and is there a market for your endevours, I hope there is and you have a standered of life that makes you and your family as happy as you want to be . God loves a tryer. God bless and have a great life. Regards Boysie