CHIPS

I love the wood chips all around my lathe.  People who have never been to the shop are shocked to see all the chips on the floor, but I take great joy in walking over the pile and standing on top of the pile to turn a new piece.  Even with my dust collector and the floor sweep installed right behind the machine, I still leave the chips on the floor more than I should.  Every now and again, I do sweep them up and mulch the flower bed with them.  The colors of the wood for the first few days is just beautiful.  Of course eventually it all fades to the same color and keeps the weeds down.

In the book about Bob Stocksdale, "To Turn the Perfect wooden Bowl" by Ron Roszkiewicz (www.highlandwoodworking.com) there is a picture of a store window where Stocksdale had set up his lathe to demo turning some bowls.  The chips had piled up several feet high against the window with beautiful stripes and layers like some ancient geological formation.  I thought it was lovely and I am so envious.  Maybe somebody will ask me to turn in their window.