This web site was created  to share some of my interests and myself .  My name is Roger Smith and I reside in the small town of Cullman in northern Alabama.  In January of 2008, I retired from my day job as a software engineer at ADTRAN, Inc. in Huntsville.  The job at ADTRAN for the past 18 years has provided a living for my dear wife and paid for my hobbies. 

Currently most of my spare time is spent wood working, particularly turning objects on the lathe.  My other hobbies includes fishing, hunting and an occasionally game of golf.  However, it is the wood turning and fishing that provides the needed relief from the stress of my occupation. 

Most of the weekends in the summer are spent following my youngest grandson, Austin, who plays baseball on the varsity at Cullman High School.  Cullman has been a dominant class 5A team in Alabama (state 5A champions in 2007 and 2008) the past 5 years.  Austin also played several years of travel ball with the North Alabama Vipers.  They were week 2 champions at Cooperstown Dreams Park in 2003.  That team went 12 and 0 for the week.  Austin plays middle infield when he is not taking his rotation on the mound.

My wood working actually began before I got out of high school.  My father was a millwright at a lumber mill.  Many of my weekends and summers was spent following him.  My first experience with a lathe cost me the tip of my index finger.  My first job out of high school was operating a debarking machine for the lumber company.  My next job was operating a lathe and overseeing the operation of a veneer mill.  The pulpwood industry, highway construction and working as a heavy equipment mechanic provide a living for my family.

Word working to some extent has always been a part of my life.  This is a requirement for those that were raised on a farm.  It was those skills learned as a young boy that allowed my wife and myself to do the remodeling on a home we purchased in 1985.  This home had been built in 1920 and was in need a major upgrade.

My real love for wood working began when I built a chess table for my grandson, Austin, as a Christmas present.  The top of the chess table was supported by a pedestal leg.  This leg was made from glued up walnut and turned on the lathe.  Turning that one piece built a fire in my heart.  However, it has been some pictures of unbelievable works of art by others that started me on the quest to learn more about turning.