I am the sort of guy that likes the challenge of making things and loves the feeling I get from finishing a successful project. Woodworking took root in me back in junior high school. At the beginning of 2009 I started a job that added a lot of stress to my life and did not leave me with much free time. It was then that I decided to buy a lathe. I thought back to my high school shop class and the handful of small projects that I made on the lathe. They were enjoyable to make, and I like the spontaneous and creative nature of the work. I also had a scheme that I could get my wife in on the wood turning hobby resulting in her not minding my being in the shop. That is still a work in progress - one of those things that works better on paper, but I have gotten her out in the shop a few times. I started out by purchasing an old Rockwell lathe for $150 and am currently using my fifth lathe, a Vicmarc VL300CS. I started making bowls because I could not think of anything else that seemed practical. There is nothing like the feel of large wood shavings coming off my gouge while roughing out a bowl on the lathe. I also love the fact that as a wood turner, I can cut out the middle man and go right to the tree. I can obtain a bowl blank with a chainsaw and a log. I have been able to get most of my wood from trees that have blown down or had to be cut down for one reason or another. Getting my own wood has also been a great learning experience - which woods are the best, what parts of the tree produce the best wood, how to get the best yield and so on. Wood turning has become my passion, just behind God and my family. I started selling my work on Etsy in 2011. In 2012 I more than doubled my 2011 sales and look to do the same in 2013. My goal is to become a full time professional wood turner making bowls and similar items, and I look to Etsy to play a major role in this endeavor. Currently, I work on the lathe 15 to 20 hours a week to bring this to fruition, and I have benefited greatly from Apple Valley Wood Turners which I joined in 2010. I have since been able to give back by demonstrating for my club.