My name is Tom Mikulis and as this is a new site I want to thank you for visiting my blog site. I hope to show you some of the various objects I have turned on a lathe, sometimes fabricated of just wood while at other times using wood combined with other materials. I also have knowledge of jewelry making and scrollsaw so I hope to include blogs of these items at a future time.

There is a saying amongst woodturners that if you ask three woodturners a question you will get six answers. This is because there are typically many ways to accomplish most tasks. As there are many ways to make items using a lathe I will attempt to show you a few of ‘my’ tricks that I have learned over the years. Most of what I know about spinning wood on a lathe I have learned from other woodturners, from the books I have read or from the videos I have watched, so most of my knowledge was passed down to me. Hopefully if you learn a new technique or method of making something you will take the time to pass that information on to others.

The first item to learn is that nobody knows everything! We can all learn something even if only the humility to accept honest constructive criticism. You should take classes, read books, watch instructional DVD’s, attend symposiums, and most of all practice safe tool handling. I have always enjoyed learning new things and alternate ways to perform tasks. From my first wood turning session at a Merrimack High School’s evening class, I knew I would enjoy the ability to take a basic block of wood and make it into an object with visual appeal and most of the time also with a function.

I would like to thank Phil Carle, Mike Darlowe, and especially Ernie Conover (The Frugal Woodturner) for their instructions and encouragement.