On Tue, 21 Dec 2004 19:23:57 GMT, "s.bernstein"
wrote:


Anyway, when we see a wonderful turning, we want to know how it was
made. I just wonder if laymen are able to appreciate it better than we
turners can?

Besides being a turner, I'm also a hack, self-taught guitar player. I find
when I sit down to figure out how to play a tune I like, if I figure it out,
the tune loses a bit of its luster for me. Once you've solved the puzzle of
its magic, it doesn't seem so special anymore. On the other hand, if I
can't figure it out, or when I hear something I know I couldn't possibly
play for lack of skill or commitment, I think I appreciate the thing more
than a layperson can. I think woodworking/turning is exactly the same way.

In any case, to answer the "Wow..." question, I say either:

1. "A magician never reveals his secrets", which I think is a dead on
response.

or my favorite,

2. "A log, a rocking chair, a dull spoon, and lots of time." For those who
peddle their turnings from booths at arts & crafts shows, I recommend that
one. In fact, bring with you a log with a few chips hewn off with an axe,
the chips and a pile more from your lathe, and an old spoon. Pour the chips
into a pile in your booth, rest the log on top of the pile, and the spoon on
top of the log as a faux work-in-progress, and don't refer to your pieces at
"turnings". That should impress the laypeople and make your work seem well
worth the price.

--Steve

I still like "If I tell you, I have to kill you"..