Ken Moon wrote:

SNIP

George can use
one of his "pointy gouges" to turn most anything but a deep hollow
form, and
Darrell can do pretty much the same thing with an Oland tool.

A lot of the things a texturing tool does could probably be done with a

stripped down grinding wheel dresser with some modification and
experimentation. A chatter tool can be made by using a HSS steel hack
saw
blade. A couple of pieces of drill rod can give you several different
tools.

SNIP

Exactly. When Phil Brennon was a guest turner at our club, he
textured the rim of a bowl with a small chainsaw tool that he bought
after having luck with a regular chainsaw. He said in a more
experimental vein, he tried "Baretta texturing" on a piece and he
showed us pics of his technique. He put the piece on the ground, and
shot it a couple of times with a shotgun with #7s in it. And yes,
(Phil chuckled), the piece sold. Someone loved the embedded silver
metal beads.

In a broader since of this thread, I am concerned with where
woodturning is going dollar/cost wise. We have a lot of retired
turners in our group, and they either have disposable income, or a
pretty tight budget. Taking that to the next step, some of the younger
single guys have money and they can buy anything and everything, and
some of the younger single guys have kids (which equals little or no
money) and no bag of money to spend on tools.

I am keenly interested in helping those on a shoestring budget make the
most of their turning endeavors, and really want some of those guys
around. It is not a lark for them, and they have made a conscious
effort to take woodturning seriously. Buy a Sorby roughing gouge at
$75 bucks (*cough* choke*) is hard for me, but they literally have to
save for two to three months before they can buy one. I have worked
hard for everything I have, and they have too, but I am just farther
down the road of life. Some of those guys are so greatful for the
smallest thing it is almost embarassing to me.

And the older guys... this honestly hurts me. Some of those guys are
barely making it on their fixed incomes, and they are turning on old
Sears monotubes (yes, in the right hands they can turn our great work)
and of our older guys is turning on a Jet mini that his family got
together and bought him. He turns with a mishmash of all different
manner of ancient tools, strange grinds, and poor equipment. But when
I sharpened his parting tool correctly for him, showed him how to
sharpen it, and then showed him how to use it, he just beamed. He must
of shaken my hand five times before he left our workshop day. I want
these guys in our club. The guys that want to turn for the love of
turning, and the good comraderie we are getting back in our club.

But we need to keep the new blood, young and old in the club and we are
having problems with retention. The same old guys (like me) somce very
meeting and I miss hearing new ideas and seeing the enthusiasm of
someone that is really getting going in this craft. But I have talked
to people that have quit our club and found that they have actually
quit turning altogether. They could not afford lessons, and since they
don't use their tools for as many applications as one might, they feel
like they just can't afford the tools they need to keep up. Not
everyone learns the same, and they are frustrated by someone telling
them to go buy yet another $30 book or $45 DVD to learn how to use
their new $75 tool properly. Hence, they decide to quit.

So, since we are no longer affiliated with Woodcraft anymore on any
level (they used to give members a 10% discount on turning stuff, and
paid our whopping $25 annual fee to purchasers of new lathes) I am
trying to change things. Before we had to be sensitive to Woodcraft by
not selling any competing products or they would cut our discounts.
Since they have cut that off anyway, I am trying to lead a charge
forward.

The prez and vice prez and I are working towards having more workshops
which have been rousing successes, hopefully once a quarter. I am
wanting to give one of our monthy demos not to show how to turn, but
how to make some simple sharpening jigs. Most here will readily
acknowledge that sharpening is as important as anything else you do in
this craft. But remember back to a time when it was a frustrating
chore, or you didn't know how, and you either ground the snot out of
your tools or someone took the time to show you their technique. I am
also working with two different tool makers/distributors to bring in a
line of high quality, good value, hard working tools for our group so
that everyone can play. I mean hey... I want this club to be around
when I am one of the old guys. At fifty, I don't qualify by a long
stroke in our club.

Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox now.

And Ken.... HOW ABOUT THOSE HORNS!!!

Robert L. Witte
San Antonio, Texas