Disabled turners

[geordie0928]

I was wondering if there is anyone (apart from myself) disable pen turners on this site. I have been disabled for about 6 years now, but it does not stop me from trying anything, at the moment I do volunteer work 3 days a week doing wood work. Most of the machines I can't use, but that still does not stop me from having a go, on them, people tell me off for not asking them for help but sometimes it hurts your pride to keep asking for help, so you just get on with it in own way. Anyway, if there is anyone disabled I would like to hear from you or if you know of anyone disabled doing wood work I would like to hear from them.

 

[Lons]

Bill Mooney who lives in our area is registered blind and he puts a some of us to shame with the quality of his turning. How he does it I don't know, he trips over me regularly at the Harrogate show and my feet aren't that big.

One of the regular demonstrators at Harrogate though he was to ill to attend this year is Tony Wilson who's in a wheelchair, I'm sure there re many others.

 

[Neil Lawton]

There used to be a site called wheelchair woodturners but it seems to have gone.
Bill is brill, as is Tony. (as mentioned)
Not on here but Chris Fisher (the Blind woodturner) is a lovely guy who learnt to turn after losing his sight.

Andrew Hall RPT is in Durham. He himself is not disabled but teaches Harry, a right handed chap who is now paralysed down his whole right side and has has to learn seated, left handed, on the wrong side of the lathe.

 

[Bill Mooney]

Thanks very much for the kind comments Bob & Neil. I was going to mention Tony, Harry & Chris but yu bear me to it. Bob Neil & I always seem to bump into each other at Harrogate each year.
Woodturning is good occupational therapy although I can’t stand too long because of arthritis but I still enjoy my turning.

 

[Bill Mooney]

I would just like to add that my old mate Woody & myself have taught visually impaired members of my charity Blind Veterans UK to turn pens & bowls. Some have gone home & kept on turning. I have to say that the members of this forum have shown their generosity by donate finished pens as well as pen kits & blanks so we could continue our fund raising for the charity. Thank you guys.

 

[geordie0928]

Hi Gents, its nice to hear there is people a bit like me, although I am one of the lucky one's I have only lost the some of the movement on my right hand side, but what I miss the most is playing the guitar, I have 20 or so in my bedroom, my wife want's to sell them but I will not let her maybe if I keep up with my exercises one day I will be able to try again.

 

[geordie0928]

Hi Gents, its nice to hear there is people a bit like me, although I am one of the lucky one's I have only lost the some of the movement on my right hand side, but what I miss the most is playing the guitar, I have 20 or so in my bedroom, my wife want's to sLike Andrew Hall I am paralyse down my right hand side, but I do everything with my left, I tried a lathe where I do a bit of work and I to was on the wrong side of it. Bill sorry to hear about your eyesight, what I would like to know is, how do you manage to use a lathe, surely that most be a task and a half. You have all my admiration for doing that well done mate.ell them but I will not let her maybe if I keep up with my exercises one day I will be able to try again.

 

[geordie0928]

Sorry about the part copy in the above post but I ran out time,suppose it's the virtues of only having the use of one side to type with.(LOL):mad:

 

[Bill Mooney]

Sorry to hear that Joseph. I hope exercise & a good frame of mind will give you back some of what you’ve lost.

 

[Penpal]

Hi Joseph I am disabled with my walking gear. I have always and chose turning seated using a draughtsman swivel stool. But I guess your problem is the same standing or seated. As most people over time you seem to drift into turning right hand and left without any problems,but certainly at 85 my methods allow me to make most anything. Just opted out of fitting a tow bar to my 4 wheel drive due to family pressure.Enjoy your turning.

Peter.

 

[Bill Mooney]

Hi Joseph, I use touch a lot. My fingers tell me what I’m taking off & where. I also use hearing as it tells me a lot.
Turning was part of my job & I've been turning for 62 years so I’m familiar with woodworking machinery. I also got retrained by my charity to turn & live with sight loss.

 

[geordie0928]

Hi again, just got in from the place I work a bit disappointed, I took my pen turning kit to have a bit of a practice but low and behold it is to wrong type lathe for Pen turning, there was a big chuck in the place where you fit the tm1 thing, so that was the end of my pen turning at work, maybe I should try and hunt my old Unimat 1 classic and have a go on that, if I can find it.

@ Peter thanks for the reply, it lifted me up. I hope your family did not go cross country driving with you on tow.
@ Bill, thanks for your lift up too. It helps a lot to know that there is people in the same boat and try to help you out and every one just keeps on smiling.

Cheers to you all.

 

[Woody]

I to am a disabled turner have been for many years now I have broken my back twice and have to adapt almost every day now some times left or right handed both sitting and or standing depending on how me body behaves lol as Bill said it hasn't stopped us we have taught many a blind veteran to turn one lady was 95 I think the worst thing we can do is give in to our disabilities I also have people visit my workshop to teach them turning and I now have a new project Lathes for Veterans donating pen making workshops for veteran groups as I have found it helps veterans with there invisible wounds PTSD

 

[geordie0928]

Hi Woody, sorry to hear about your bacck, it must been painfull when it happened. I think you are correct in saying thhat we shuold not give in to our disabilities, we have one where I do my volunteer work, he's only 24 and he seem's to have give in to it (or he whant's people to run after him) all he says to you I cant do it or I cant do that. When he come to us we have to hide the biscuits from him or he will stuff the lot, thats the only job he is willing to do for himself. Its a shame, maybe some day he will sort it all out.

 

[JollyJim]

Hi Joseph,

I lost an argument with my table saw a couple of months back. I lost the
top of my middle finger, little finger fused so can't bend it properly,
index finger ok, ring finger very weak, thumb - no feeling in the front of it
(all right hand). Like you, I have about 20 guitars, (much to the displeasure of
the Ruler of the House) so cannot play in the way I used to, which was fingerstyle.
So, I have had to try to adapt to playing with a plectrum which I never can and never
could hold, without dropping for more than a few bars. I found a couple of joke
plectrums on the net, about 5 inches high !!!! I can hold one of them for a while but
trying all sorts of ideas to stop dropping the darned thing !!!!! But, I'm kinda getting a bit better
with it although still very unhappy with playing this way, but, the alternative
is, that I could'nt play at all.!!!!!

So, what am I trying to say ? It's this - just pick a guitar up every day and do
something with it, make a noise, whack the dog with it, bang yourself on the
head, keep it on your lap while you watch Corrie - but, just have a go at plucking the thing
no matter how it sounds, and I promise you that, tomorrow you will be able
to do just a little bit more than today. Go give it some 'Smoke on the Water' - very loud !!!

Good luck Joseph - give it a go !!!

Best wishes and good luck - Jim

 

[geordie0928]

Hi, JollyJim, I know how you feel, mine are at the bottom of my bed, its killing to sit and watch a Les Paul, and 3 strats just collecting dust. I pick mine up and just to feel them in your arm is great, that is until the boss sees me. Never mind some day, him up stairs will shine on me, He has done the other s**t on me.

 

[alan morrison]

Reading these stories shows me that we adapt and move on maybe a bit differently from before but we move on.
I lost the ring finger on my left hand just on the joint above the ring, using a wonky drop saw.
The doctors sewed it back on and now I am unable to bend the top joint. I played in a band at the time so to adapt I learned to play 2 finger chords on the mandolin and played bass with 2 fingers. Bought an autoharp and don't need to bend my ring finger for that. I had given the guitar up as chords were impossible, though I played guitar at a recent open mike session playing in the key of C and adapted to suit the lack of movement in my finger.
So a big shout to those who have contributed to this thread, you are showing that you have ability not disability.

 

[wm460]

I also use hearing as it tells me a lot.
.

If my eyes go I buggered then.

 

[geordie0928]

Hi, Alan, sorry about you finger I think that if I had lost mine I think it would have been a gun to the head for me. But I hope and pray that I pick it up again. Like you I love to play the Bass now and again, felt it nice and calming just to sit and hear the nice and crisp notes, I have a Gibson eb3 that I have had since I was a kid and I love it.

 

[alan morrison]

Hi, Alan Like you I love to play the Bass now and again, felt it nice and calming just to sit and hear the nice and crisp notes, I have a Gibson eb3 that I have had since I was a kid and I love it.

Joseph if you look in the forum in the section ' other things we turn or make ' around page 5 or so is a ( not very good ) picture of the acoustic bass that I made a couple of winters back. Somewhere else is a picture of a 3 string guitar I made from an old hubcap !!! and a dulcimer as well.
Hope you enjoy.
Alan