Charile -

Several other things occurred to me while reading this thread:

1. With segmented bowls, you can easily save time and money by using flat
wood and making it have a nice pattern or contrast or whatever.
2. It occurred to me that perhaps the challenge is not so much the turning
as it is the process to get it. The building and avoiding cumulative
mistakes that only crop up when completed.

By #2, I mean the craftsman may have a need to express his/her precision for
something and doing a task that requires that precision may be very
gratifying to that person.

I look at woodworking in two very different ways... First, with furniture,
it has to be *precise* and *exact* to be completed correctly. Second, with
lathe work, it has to "flow" and be "smooth". This is shown in my
interests. Specifially, I like Arts & Crafts period work (I love the
precision). Then, I like the lathe work where it flows. It allows me to
use both the "precise" side of my brain (Furniture) and the "artsy" part of
my brain in watching my creation evolve in front of my eyes.

I dont know if that makes any sense, but with the lathe work, I dont have to
be as "precise" as I do with furniture building and it is a refreshing
change. However, when I feel the need to "build" and not "discover", I
build furniture (or as I am starting to do, segmented bowls). I really dont
care if other people like the work I do as long as I like it as I am not
doing it for them, I am doing it for me.

Either way, I love wood. It is too much fun (like computers).

Rob


"charlie b" wrote in message
...
As I'd hoped, mine wasn't a dumb question.

I'd not thought of using chatoyancy some
woods exhibit as a critical design element

The idea of using small "scraps" rather
than throwing them away or burning
them is a good thing.

When wood in the desired dimensions
aren't available, laminating readily
available boards makes sense. But
even in cities there are trees cut
down and cut up. Being a good scrounger
and networking with the city's tree
cutting folks, arborists, tree trimmers
etc. can provide plenty of stuff to
turn.

Doing something no one's done before
is admirable. Buying the "secrets"
on a tape or DVD ...

I still don't understand why someone
would spend hundreds and hundreds
of hours making a tooth pick bridge
unless they couldn't do anything else
OR were trying very very hard to
avoid something or someone.

In the furniture making part of my
woodworking semi-addiction/
para-obsession/hobby, while requiring
a bit of planning and pre-wood
cutting/shaping. which are inter-
esting, it's the part that is actually
working with the wood that's most
enjoyable.

It's a pity that "artists" get paid
more for their work than a
"craftsman". Could be that the
latter is seen as someone who
"merely makes what another
designed" and therefore lacks the
critical creative gift. But to me,
it is obviously more difficult to
make something that is beautiful
to look at, nice to feel AND is
utilitarian (see Sam Maloof's
chairs, his rockers specifically,
or a small Krenov cabinet)

The Art World (how presumptuous)
is a speculative business. Works
are not valued for the skill and,
dare I say it, craftsmanship, but
rather as a bet that its value will
increase over time - sort of like
the more crass stock market. There
may be some appreciation of the
piece, but that's secondary to the
profit motive.

As for satisfying a need for self
expression - I agree that there's
a need that woodworking seems to
fill. But for me, it's those instances
when everything is going just so,
the eye, the hand, the tool and the
wood all work together just so -
the Zen thing of suchness

With turning, for me, it's taking
a piece of a fresh cut branch and
discovering how it works with
various tools - how it turns, that's
the fun part. Being able to start
with no idea of what will turn out
and then watching something
evolve as if by magic - in less
than an hour - still amazes me.

Fun stuff woodworking.
Turning is a pretty nice
branch of the calling.

charlie b