Howdy!  I’m Walt Nollan and I’m a segmented woodturner.  I am a retired Navy Chief Petty Officer.  I was an FA-18 squadron maintenance Chief and while deployed the squadrons Flight Deck Chief.  After 23 years I retired and then worked for the Navy Department as a civilian F/A18 Tech Rep.  I used my knowledge to teach sailors the nuts and bolts of maintaining the Airframe, Flight Controls, Fuel and Environmental Control Systems.  I taught advance trouble shooting of these systems and structural repair of metallic and composite structures.

 I’ve been turning since ’86 when I bought a Craftsman 12×36” mono pole lathe.  I wore that thing out, so I bought a used Powermatic 3520A.  I have only worn out the motor controller, replaced it and kept turning.  I originally joined the AAW back in the late 80 or early 90’s.  In 2010 I became a licensed falconer and got so involved with that that I had very little time for turning.  Yes, I know it’s very sad!  In 2020 I retired from my federal job and started a home inspection business in central California where we lived for 37 years at the time.  Again, it was a very busy time for me.  BUT!!!  We moved out of California because we felt it was going down the tubes.  We landed in Longs, South Carolina.  It’s in the North Myrtle Beach area.  It’s beautiful here and we love it.  My wife Debbie and I are both fully retired.  She’s an artist that likes to paint with watercolors and I’m turning.  Since getting back into turning I’ve had to re learn some things that I’ve forgotten.  But I’m having a blast doing it.  My shop is in our garage and it’s 350 sq feet smaller than what I had in California.  But I’m managing as best as I can.  

Once I had everything set up and working, I had to remove EVERYTHING from the shop to have the floor cracks repaired.  What a hassle, but it’s done, and I have everything back up and working again.   Even refined the dust collection system.  It really sucks now!!!  I love segmenting.  My favorite things to make are cryptex’s and kaleidoscopes.  Of course, bowls, platters, doughnuts, ribbons and anything else that’s round. What’s nice about segmenting is you get to use just about everything in your shop for the project you’re working on, not just a bandsaw/chainsaw and lathe.  I hope my contributions stack up to what y’all have been doing to advance segmented turning.  A couple of folks have been influential in my turning, Malcom Tibbets for one and

Mike Mahoney.  Yes, I know he isn’t a segmenter, but none the less a turner.  Thanks guys to all of you for your posts on what and how you make your creations.