I started turning in the summer of 2015 after I settled down in the Spokane WA area. As a veteran I have been struggling with PTSD for twenty five years and have tried numerous forms of therapy. I noticed right away during my first turning on my cousin's lathe how I felt calm and distracted from my intrusive thoughts. It was a place I wanted to be in more often and in the past three years I have determined that turning wood has been the best therapy for my PTSD. I am a self taught wood turner. I have always been a person that did things outside of the box and with woodturning it is no different. I enjoy working outside of my comfort zone and taking my skills to new levels. As a relatively new turner I know that I still have a lot to learn. I enjoy working with wood that is not considered normal turning blanks. Coloring with dyes and paints as well as texturing is my new venture in woodturning. My sincere apologies for not having a picture of myself in my bio. It is a quirk of my PTSD that is difficult to explain.
- Damon McLaughlin