The subject line sounds funny doesn't it?

Not so when you think about turning things on a lathe. I have not built a rod in a while(3 years, been turning pens ) but I still get my Rod Maker mag every 2 months. I have seen some crossover of crafts here in the rod handle area. Such as, snakeskin, cactus, exotic woods, acylics, exotic woods and acrylics combined just to name a few. You can pick up some great turning tips and ideas from some of the pen turning sites on the internet. I have recently joined the Gulf Coast Wood Turners (GCWA) based in Houston, TX. The mebership is a whole $25 dollars per year with meeting once a month and a mentoring program. Rod makers having trouble with there wood/cork/acrylic turning can get some great tips from a local wood turner or a club or an internet site.

My next rod is a really nice surf rod I have planned with a catus grip and a pen with a feather inlay........the possibilites are endless!

Anyway, Happy Turning and Tight Lines To All

P.Lloyd

Patrick, you have a valid point, one of my favorite sites is the penturners.org photo site [www.penturners.org] . There are a lot of ideas in that site alone, however I have found may sources besides penturners. The segmented bowls and vessels are a great place to look, pool que makers, furniture makers and the list goes on and on. I think that there is inspiration from almost every where you just have to be able to see a grip as a scaled down version (or scaled up from pens). Time with other builders and turners is a great way to pick up new ideas and techniques, so a turning club is well worth the money. The way a craft will grow is sharing information with others and sites such as this and others is a great way to start.