Member Profile:

Club President & Program Chairman

Past Club Vice President & Club Secretary

Member of AAW

Websites:  WoodArtByDan.com   A website for my woodturnings.
                          ArtsByDan.com   A website for my art paintings.

Email:   dananddonna@comcast.net

Address & Phone: Pueblo West, CO 81007  - Cell: 719-369-4651

Years as club member - 5
Years as woodturner - 5
Years as a Woodworker - 53
My Favorite wood to turn is - Madrone
My Favorite wood overall is - Rosewoods
Brand of lathe I use is - Jet 1642VS & Jet miniVS
Brand of lathe I wish I had is - Vicmarc
My favorite tool to turn with is - Bowl Gouge
Turning tool(s) I need help with is - Roughing Gouge & Skew
Kind of turning tool I wish I had is - Indexable Profile Cutter.

About me:

My wife Donna and I maintain our modest home in Pueblo West, Colorado where I have a small woodworking shop. My grandfather, Sida O. Miller, was a long time carpenter, cabinetmaker, furniture builder and woodturner in Loveland Colorado. My father, Forrest Miller of Salida Colorado, certainly acquired his father's abilities to work with wood and made a living for his family by it for many years.

I am retired after a 34-year career in manufacturing industries with Production and CNC Machining & Instructing and am looking forward to pursuing many other interests including my woodworking, which I learned from my father and grandfather. I learned several skills as a machinist but I am especially thankful that my initial training and time spent working was on the manually operated machines with the NIBCO Co. in La Junta, Colo., though later using automatic CNC machining centers with the Trane Co. in Pueblo, Colo. This provided me with a solid understanding of the basic skills now required with woodturning. My first goblet was made from brass, turned on a Tracer Lathe. As a young 4H club member, I learned and built various wood projects, which earned me several awards and ultimately championships in wood working at the State Fair. I built many pieces of furniture for my family through the years. I supplemented my regular income by doing remodeling work on homes and building and reconditioning furniture for many years.

Recently though I am enjoying a renewed interest in woodturning, which I only previously tinkered at once in a great while. I joined this club about five years ago and am having the time of my life learning this artistic craft and working with the other members. I inherited my grandfather’s old Craftsman bench-top lathe, which I reconditioned and made use of frequently in order to learn more of this fantastic "wood art form". It wasn't long before a JetVS mini lathe and then a much larger Jet 1642VS, reversible lathe, replaced the old Craftsman lathe.

I may have grown up in a family of woodworkers but woodturning was not a very strong part of that environment and it was just recently I learned that this craft was actually enjoyed by such a large community. I discovered that there were actually schools where one could attend and learn to be skilled craftsmen and women! In a way I feel I have been in a cave for the past 40 years, not knowing that all of this "woodturning" was out there. I don't entirely regret that I missed out on this world of beautiful woods and schools of learning, but I believe I learned so much in the field of machining to be able to transfer my talents into this great new world of woodturning now in my retirement.

Member Gallery:

Click on images for a larger view

A craft show at the VFW in 2006. Shared space with Bob Sweeney. We didn't fare well though.

A craft show at the VFW in 2006. Shared space with Bob Sweeney. We didn't fare well though.

A craft show at the Eagle Lodge in 2006. Shared space with Dick Booth. I sold 2 honey dippers!

A craft show at the Eagle Lodge in 2006. Shared space with Dick Booth. Also sold a spinning top!

More to come!

I have many items for sale through my web sites and on eBay and I am willing to accept consignments.

---

      Email Us   Back to Top