Issac Curran @ Wheelchairwoodturners

Some time ago I spotted or was directed to Wheelchair Turners this site is run by Isaac Curran.
Ike granted me permission to use his material to spread the word take a good look at his site, his set up and what he does.
Ike along with Spinal Injuries Scotland produced a short video
Ike has his own Youtube Channel also in some of these he shows his workshop and talk about his lathes and other workshop tools.

A LITTLE ABOUT ME AND WHY I SET WHEELCHAIR WOODTURNERS UP

Me on my Wheeled Highchair

I served 27 years in the Armed Services, during that time I suffered a spinal injury, which is now degenerative and to cut a very long story short, now means that I can walk very little and mostly use a wheelchair for getting around, because of that I have been accepted as a member of BLESMA (British Limbless Ex Servicemen Association). I also have heart disease and have had 6 heart attacks. As you will see from my workshop pictures I am able to use stools to work from and my favorite is now a wheeled kind of high chair, which allows me to pull myself around. (you can see it on my workshop page)

 I am lucky that I manage to sell all of my work either through the Craft Fairs we organise (see Craft Fair page) and other locations this finances the workshop, well almost!

Me at the lathe June 2009

My Workshop is completely Wheelchair friendly.  The concept of WW is to set up a workshop and organization that can help and advise other people who are disabled or have limitations, whatever they are as well as able bodied folk who want to learn a new skill and get involved.  To have a website that you can contribute to, if you have solutions or ideas mail me and if they fly I will post them and give you credit.

 

The WW workshop now has four lathes, the VB36 NEW IN MAY 2009 (see Report),  and I also have a Silverdrive Statesman 280 (see Report) which can be worked at stool height, plus I have also purchased a Charnwood Mini Lathe (see Report) which is for use in the workshop and also for taking to locations for demonstrating and a Delta Midi lathe which can be used at wheelchair height.  The original garage needed a complete refit to be good for purpose, I have funded about 50% of this re-build myself and also obtained a grant from Scotland UnLtd which has allowed me to finish the work  Ongoing sales of items allows us to maintain the workshop and be self funding. 

I am offering beginners the opportunity to come to my workshop and learn the basics, plus being able to sort out what they need to set up their own place, I desperately want to keep this all FREE, so I am hoping to get advertisers on this site,   I have also built the mobile setup so that I can go out to locations and give demo's.  In time I also want to mount a webcam in the workshop so that if someone wants to see maybe how to make a certain object, then hopefully, if I'm up to the task, I can show them.  If anyone knows how to set up a webcam on this site contact me please.