Many of us have had the experience of misplacing an important key, some keys get taken home from work by accident, some hide under piles of books or papers but the result is the same, they are not there when you need them.
When I was serving in the RAF we had a hanger key attached to a pick-axe handle, it never got lost and I like to think I did my bit for the cold war by it. Through the years I have observed many instances of keys being lost, misplaced or stolen and every time it has caused an inconvenience.
The key tether I am making is for special key, one used for things like wine cellars, garden offices, store rooms, summer houses etc but not keys like car keys or house keys.
They are made on a pole lathe and this is what I was using today. A pole lathe is a lathe that uses muscle power and they are a joy to use.
When the turning is going well it is a most relaxing and enjoyable process. There is a connection of mind body and soul. One concentrates on the cutting process but one is also synchronising the speed and power of the lathe to control the cutting.
Mine is out side so I have all the sound of the country side. The smell of the wood, when green (unseasoned), is warm and moist and on a par with home baked bread or fresh coffee, not as a smell but as a complex mix of olfactory notes.
I was told by Robin Fawcett http://www.treewright.co.uk that the sound of wood being turned on a pole lathe is called the Razz and this is very much like the sound it makes.
The shavings that come from the piece depend on what you are doing and what tool you are using but most of all they have to be sharp and then even sharper.
Above is called Angel hair and is from the skew chisel.
Above are from the 2 inch flat chisel, wafer thin and delicate.
There is a great sense of achievement when using a pole lathe as the process is fairly physical. The wood has to be split and axed to size, cut with a draw knife and then turned....................who needs a gym.
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