Production update

New skill of the day, changing the stock photo into something more relevant.

If I have succeeded, you see in the picture above, aluminum hubs near the end of this production run. Yeh! In the background is the new Haas DS30Y which took two weeks to setup, tool up, learn how to program and start making parts that are in tolerance. If this little experiments works, next on the docket is inserting short video clips that let you look inside the machine so you can see how they are made.

If you see a beautiful landscape of mountains and small lake, that shows you that nothing is easy and I still need to figure out how to change the stock photo for something that’s relevant.

Whats up with oddnot

Attending SWAT at the beginning of September was the result of a suggestion I was given by several people at Turn On Chicago symposium in Chicago. They liked what I had created and recommended selling at the Texas show. They said it was an excellent show, and was very well attended. It was maybe second only to the AAW symposium.

Working many long days I put everything I had into filling the orders taken at the Turn on Chicago show and producing enough product to sell at SWAT (Southwest Association of Turner’s). The lesson I learned in Chicago was to have enough product so you don’t have to take orders and keep people waiting.

Quite a few vacuum cups and friction lotus were brought and available at SWAT but that was not enough to fill demand. So we took orders to bridge the gap. Most orders were filled before the Segmented turners show in Northbrook.

When you sign up for a show it is well in advance of the event. The people who organize these events want everyone to show up as expected. It’s like having a party, it’s no fun if most everyone doesn’t show up. When the date came I wanted to honor the commitment. So I showed up as prepared as I could be. Bob Lenard has been a great help in introducing me to the symposium circuit . He attended and supporteted me at both of the prior shows. This time he would not be available because surgery for his cataracts was scheduled. My wife said she would try to fill in and help with register.

All things in life are subject to change. She became ill and would not be able to attend so I decided to go it alone. To my surprise who shows up. Pirate Bob-L. Translation: Bob survived a sucksefull surgery Thursday morning and couldn’t sit still on Friday. He surprised me with a tap on my shoulder and a patch on his eye. When he heard that I would be alone he forgo watching many of the demonstrations and helped me in the booth. The show was a bigger success than expected. We sold what we had and took orders for the rest.

Square one or where are we now. I will share more details latter but here’s where things stand. I said that orders taken at the show would be starting to ship in about three weeks. It looks like that estimate will hold. I expect to start shipping out this Friday the 28th. Orders will be filled in the order they were taken. There is no easy way to update each person on their order ETA. I expect all orders to be complete in the next two and a half weeks. The new equipment is produceing aluminum hubs very quickly. There are many steps however in completeing the whole. Everything is starting to flow.

Hello world

This first blog entry is truly an experiment in how to even add blog content to my website. I would like to start this blog as a way to communicate with everyone interested in my YouTube channel and the new product ideas as they come . Everything is just at the beginning. This all started only two months ago at a show in Chicago. The Chicago Woodturners symposium 2022. That was followed by attending SWAT in Waco Texas and then the Segmented Turners show in Northbrook IL. Each show was about one month apart.

One thing you guys will learn about me is I have no sense of calendar. Over a year ago I made a bet with Bob Leonard , everyone knows him as Mr. Frugal Vacuum Chuck. I couldn’t tell you how long I’ve known Bob but it’s been a long time. I liked what he was doing and I wanted to help him do it even better. I made a lot of different suggestions that I thought would help Bob out. Giving someone advice without them asking for it isn’t something I’d recommend if you can help it.

I have a long history of helping my customers manufacture their products quicker, better, more effectively. in a polite way Bob hinted that I should try taking my own advice. So I did. That led to me creating my first version of the vacuum chuck.