February 2012

February 2012
The symposium season is about wrapped up for the year (2011) and, at this point, I have one more to attend: The North Carolina Woodturning Symposium in Greensboro, North Carolina. I had a great time when I attended this biennial symposium two years ago, and I met many new friends. After the symposium this year, I’m staying around for a few days and will be doing a demo for the local Piedmont Triad Woodturners Association that is based in Greensboro. I haven’t done many demos for local clubs and I’m looking forward to this one. All in all, the weekend should be fun.

There has been some good response to our new Shavings page, especially to our recent request to show readers “how far you’ve come” in your woodturning endeavors. If you would like to show off your skills, send us a photo of your first turning and one more recent one. I’ve managed to find the two bowls I turned back in sophomore shop class and I’ve put them on this issue’s Shavings page for the world to see. We also asked you to send photos of your personalized license plates on which you have publicized your turning passion. I know there are more out there, so send your photos to editors@woodturningdesign.com.

The International Association of Penturners (an Internet group) recently conducted a contest and I was asked to be one of the judges (along with Kurt Hertzog and Laura Chandler from Pen World magazine). We had a variety of pens to sort through in four categories, and it was an extremely interesting and educational experience to say the least. Laura lives in Texas, which made it impossible for us to meet in person; however, Kurt and I live only about four hours apart, so we decided to meet in Buffalo, New York, to go over the pens. One of Kurt’s future columns will be devoted to the winners of each category and to the overall winner. There were some fantastic creations and ALL the entrants are to be congratulated on their efforts. Penmaking has come a long way.

I’m looking forward to next year’s round of conferences, and though it won’t be nearly as exciting as going to Norway for a woodturning cruise, it still should be a busy and fun-filled experience. I don’t have my entire itinerary planned out, but I will be going to the Utah Woodturning Symposium in Oren, Utah (of course) and to San Jose for the AAW Symposium. After the AAW Symposium, I will be traveling to Provo, Utah, to take a class with Jason Breach from the United Kingdom. I first met Jason in Hartford, Connecticut, at the AAW Symposium two years ago and was impressed with his box-making skills. It’s no secret that I like boxes and I’m looking forward to taking the class. Joining me will be my friends, John Johnson, Chuck Frichot, and Mike Boettcher, who were in the Jimmy Clewes workshop in Las Vegas, Nevada, last April. A review of that class will be coming in an issue after the workshop.

We have some very interesting articles in this issue. Robbie Graham from New Zealand tells how he makes an air-cooled pyrography pen that is sure to be a hit with anyone who is interested in learning how to have a cooler burning experience. Katherine Kowalski shows how to make a Colorwood bowl. Chris West from the UK explains how he makes a CrushGrind peppermill (which can be kind of tricky). I’ve got an article on making a square bowl that has been embellished with a little texture. And David Reed Smith shows us how to make another unique ornament.

Happy turning