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I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again (and keep saying it)—the people you meet in the woodworking community are some of the best around. Recently, I met a gentleman by the name of Larry—that’s him in the Packers sweater. (I offered to send him a better sweater, such as a Miami Dolphins one… he declined!). I first got a hold of Larry through an AAW classified ad that he had posted about his VL300 Lathe he was selling. After chatting with Larry a bit over email and phone, I suckered my dad into making the 6-hour drive with me to pick it up—that’s the three of us in the photo.
In my opinion, I feel as though Larry was asking a fair price for his lathe—it was in great shape and it was clear that Larry loved this lathe (as will I). But, being a shrewed negotiator, I had to sweeten the pot in my favor. I offered Larry’s asking price as long as he would include one of his turnings in with the deal. To my delight, he readily agreed.
Now, several months later, I’m the proud new owner of Larry’s VL300 (he’s buying a bit smaller lathe), and I’m hoping that my path crosses Larry and his wife Shirley’s again. Hopefully if we do meet again, they’ll let me buy them dinner to make up for the hole I put in their basement door as we carried this lathe out! In a few issues, I’ll introduce you to my friend Norman, who may be the kindest, most interesting retired patternmaker you’ll ever meet. Cheers!
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