Kelly Steeves

[Kelly Steeves]

Good Day.. I am Canadian, 62 years of age. My lathe is 81 years of age. An old Walker Turner Metal Wood Lathe.. My father passed it down to me when I moved from the North of Canada to Mexico. My pension cheque goes much farther here and no more shoveling snow or chopping wood. The wood variety is quite different from Canada. My major problem is the humidity on the old cast iron. Weekly cleaning with vinegar is required. I am a beginner wood turner and sharpening gouges is my handicap, however it is part of the learning curve. I maybe one of the few who enjoys sanding.. Thank You All in advance.

 

[John Torchick]

Welcome. could we see some photos of the lathe? Seems like an interesting item to compare with modern lathes. Never thought of humidity in Mexico.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Welcome to the forum

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

Welcome to the forum. There are hundreds of woodturners in Mexico. Most of them, however, have never taken a lesson or know any traditional turning techniques. They mostly use scraping homemade tools. There is a good turner in Cabo San Lucas, Carlos Cota Talamantes. Some have been turning toys in small cities for generations. Bocote is probably my favorite wood from Mexico. From Canada to Mexico, even I would have some culture shock, I was born in Argentina...

 

[Bill Boehme]

Welcome aboard, Kelly.

 

[Kelly Steeves]

Thank You for welcoming me. As requested here is a photo of the 1940 lathe. The motor hangs freely held up by the link belt as I replaced the old V belt. To change speeds I have to manually reposition the belt to different pulleys. She is not pretty however neither an I..