Hello, my name is Tod Raines and I am originally from Calgary, Alberta, Canada but moved to Allen, Texas in 1997. I am happily married to my wife Shelly and we have a daughter who is now making a life for herself. I am an electrical engineer that has worked in the telecom industry for over 23 years.
I started woodworking in the 1990s making furniture and built-in cabinets for our home. I bought my first lathe in 2002 and was self taught for the first couple of years. I then joined the Dallas Area Woodturners club (an American Association of Woodturners chapter). One of the most notable training classes I haveattended was a weekend woodturning class taught by Al Stirt. These two days with Al Stirt really helped enhance my wood turning skills while expanding my knowledge about form, function, and how the wood grain and texture guides the turning decisions.
Personally, I enjoy the immediate spontaneity of wood turning. The best part is that it only takes a small amount of time to complete a turned project (however, some can take much longer). This makes it easy to keep up with your turning hobby even among a busy work life. Check out my personal turning website https://ntrwoodturning.com/. You can also check out my business site here: https://woodturningtoolstore.com/