The risks of woodturning. A faceshield is standard safety equipment for a woodturner. However I have a bad habit of not allowing sufficient time for superglue to set up before I turn on my lathe. Thus, my faceshield is spattered with glue spots that lower my visibility. Yesterday I was turning some lidded boxes. Since they were small, I decided the risk was low, so I was not wearing my face shield. All was well until I was parting off the lid, and without warning, the box flew out of the chuck, past my left ear. It all happened too fast to react. All I could do was stand there and reflect on what would have happened if it had hit my face.

The box was not damaged. I only made it a bit shorter because of the damage to the lid.

Today I'll be buying a new faceshield.

What Do I Do?

I suppose I should introduce myself and what I do.

I am a woodturner, specializing in Sonoran Desert woods, like desert ironwood and mesquite. I produce bowls, writing instruments, kitchen and desk accessories and market them directly throughout Arizona and to the world.

I am a corporate refugee, having worked in the corporate world for 30 years. I retired in 2007 to pursue my passion for wood. In doing so, I have been privileged to meet people who share my passion.

I also enjoy camping. And the nice thing about living in Arizona is you can camp anytime of the year.

In the Beginning

Last year (that's 2009) I was introduced to Twitter and Facebook as ways to promote my website. Before that, social networking was what my sons did when they should have been doing homework. But once I got up and running, I was amazed to see what happened. My social network has increased geometrically.

But neither of these tools satisfied my desire for a means to easily update my website with my current work.

So off into the world of blogging I go ...