The president of our woodturning club includes the bowl number along
with signature, date and wood - on the bottom of his bowls. At the
last club meeting he had an ash bowl that was something like No. 1352.

Maybe if I find a type of turning or a type of form I REALLY REALLY
REALLY
like, I can imagine doing maybe 20 of something - AFTER I'd tried every
other
type of turning that seemed interesting.

I understand that each piece of wood is different, with potential
treasures
hidden within to to be revealed by the turner. And turning a BIG bowl
is
different than turning a small bowl. I can get the challenge of turning
wood with holes and inclusons and punky wood mixed with sound wood.

But - with all the possibilities out there - as of right now - knowing
new ones will pop up almost daily - how do folks stick to one type
of turning?

On Aug 7, 11:10 pm, charlieb wrote:
The president of our woodturning club includes the bowl number along
with signature, date and wood - on the bottom of his bowls. At the
last club meeting he had an ash bowl that was something like No. 1352.

Maybe if I find a type of turning or a type of form I REALLY REALLY
REALLY
like, I can imagine doing maybe 20 of something - AFTER I'd tried every
other
type of turning that seemed interesting.

I understand that each piece of wood is different, with potential
treasures
hidden within to to be revealed by the turner. And turning a BIG bowl
is
different than turning a small bowl. I can get the challenge of turning
wood with holes and inclusons and punky wood mixed with sound wood.

But - with all the possibilities out there - as of right now - knowing
new ones will pop up almost daily - how do folks stick to one type
of turning?

Are they all the same? Not just wood, but form and finish and so on.
Does he sell them? Does he make enough to support his "Art"?

On Aug 8, 1:10 am, charlieb wrote:

But - with all the possibilities out there - as of right now - knowing
new ones will pop up almost daily - how do folks stick to one type
of turning?

Personally, I don't even have one remote clue or guess.

When we have our meetings, we have most guys that get up for show and
tell with their projects. Most of the time, it is bowl. If they are
happy, I am happy for them.

When it was my time, I passed around my wood handled, copper feruled,
double tined kabob skewers. Some of the guys loved it. But others
sat wondering.... no bowl? Not even a mini plate?

Next up on the drawing board for me is a European style furniture
assembly mallet. I will have to carefully measure what I do so I can
repeat it if I like it.

It will look a bit like an old 2lb mason's hand sledge, with the
bottom of the head being straight but rounded, and the top (here's the
offset part for the head) will be curved down a bit to give it some
dimension.

The handle will be shaped like a wood hammer handle, which will
require both sides of the blank which is 1 1/4" thick and 2" across to
be offset to form the pommel of the handle.

When the handle shape is being finalized, the trick will be when to
move the handle back to center on the head side so that I can turn the
handle round and mount it cleanly in the head.

I am sure I will generate some new smoker fodder when I am trying the
handle design since the whole thing will be out of white oak. (Sorry
to any Euro folks, but no traditional beech is around in S. Texas.)

The hardest thing I have to get squared away now is finding a 2 - 3
inch across piece of saddle thickness leather for the cushion side of
the mallet. So far, no luck. The intent was to glue the leather to
the mallet head and turn and finish it for an exact fit to the wood on
the lathe. So far though, no 1/4" thick hide.

Personally, unless I have a really pretty piece of wood or unless I am
showing someone how to do it, I have lost interest in turning simple
round things on the lathe.

Robert

In message
,
" writes
The hardest thing I have to get squared away now is finding a 2 - 3
inch across piece of saddle thickness leather for the cushion side of
the mallet. So far, no luck. The intent was to glue the leather to
the mallet head and turn and finish it for an exact fit to the wood on
the lathe. So far though, no 1/4" thick hide.

Hey Robert. Take a look at your feet

Leather shoe soles ? maybe from platform shoes of the 70's
--
John

Hi Charlie & Robert, I took your bait.

Charlie, Sorry, no chance that I'll turn only one type. I'd have trouble
turning the second one, not to mention the third, .... .


Robert, I sure hope you don't follow the same downhill path of my lost
interests and land up full circle like me.

Long ago my first turnings were round and plump; candlesticks, treen and
thick walled bowls. Round and reconizable.
Then came a scroll chuck and a deep fluted gouge with a swept back
bevel; thin walls and natural edges. Later on skinny scrapers and bent
tools; hollow forms with small mouths. I followed this with off center
spurs and eccentric chucks: squiggely distortions better left on one
axis. After that I made sure that my bowls didn't look like bowls or
hold anything. How tacky!

More recently I tried to make my turnings look like they weren't turned
at all and some barely were. I've twisted, warped, cut and reassembled.
I turned vessels upside down, footless in Fl. I've chopped big holes in
walls, inserted corian and copper wires, even given one or two
miscarriages arty foreign names with the artist's so-called commentary.
I almost carried this off without being embarrassed. I was a little
sheepish, but I ought to have been very much ashamed. Looking back, I
blush now.

These days, I'm back to turning small recognizable round wooden things,
but it sure is lonely out here on the full circle's leading edge.


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter


http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

In article
,
" wrote:

On Aug 8, 1:10 am, charlieb wrote:

But - with all the possibilities out there - as of right now - knowing
new ones will pop up almost daily - how do folks stick to one type
of turning?

Personally, I don't even have one remote clue or guess.

When we have our meetings, we have most guys that get up for show and
tell with their projects. Most of the time, it is bowl. If they are
happy, I am happy for them.

When it was my time, I passed around my wood handled, copper feruled,
double tined kabob skewers. Some of the guys loved it. But others
sat wondering.... no bowl? Not even a mini plate?

Next up on the drawing board for me is a European style furniture
assembly mallet. I will have to carefully measure what I do so I can
repeat it if I like it.

It will look a bit like an old 2lb mason's hand sledge, with the
bottom of the head being straight but rounded, and the top (here's the
offset part for the head) will be curved down a bit to give it some
dimension.

The handle will be shaped like a wood hammer handle, which will
require both sides of the blank which is 1 1/4" thick and 2" across to
be offset to form the pommel of the handle.

When the handle shape is being finalized, the trick will be when to
move the handle back to center on the head side so that I can turn the
handle round and mount it cleanly in the head.

I am sure I will generate some new smoker fodder when I am trying the
handle design since the whole thing will be out of white oak. (Sorry
to any Euro folks, but no traditional beech is around in S. Texas.)

The hardest thing I have to get squared away now is finding a 2 - 3
inch across piece of saddle thickness leather for the cushion side of
the mallet. So far, no luck. The intent was to glue the leather to
the mallet head and turn and finish it for an exact fit to the wood on
the lathe. So far though, no 1/4" thick hide.

Personally, unless I have a really pretty piece of wood or unless I am
showing someone how to do it, I have lost interest in turning simple
round things on the lathe.

Robert

Robert, go to a shoe repair shop, and buy a leather sole. It should be
at least 1/4" thick.

--
Dan Kozar

wrote:

I am sure I will generate some new smoker fodder when I am trying the
handle design since the whole thing will be out of white oak. (Sorry
to any Euro folks, but no traditional beech is around in S. Texas.)

While I haven't picked up any Beech in the last several months, I
was able to get 8/4 beech from Allen & Allen last year.

On Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:10:26 -0700, charlieb wrote:

The president of our woodturning club includes the bowl number along
with signature, date and wood - on the bottom of his bowls. At the
last club meeting he had an ash bowl that was something like No. 1352.

Does that mean that he only turns bowls, or that he turns a variety if things,
and numbers everything?

If that's only bowls, and he's turned over 1,300 of them, he's more than
compulsive, he suffers from CDO..
(that's the same as OCD, but with the letters in alpha order, like they should
be)

I've only been numbering my "art" pieces, and only for a few years, and I'm in
the high 300's.. maybe 25 of those are what I'd consider "bowls", though..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

mac davis wrote:

On Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:10:26 -0700, charlieb
wrote:

The president of our woodturning club includes the bowl number along
with signature, date and wood - on the bottom of his bowls. At the
last club meeting he had an ash bowl that was something like No. 1352.

Does that mean that he only turns bowls, or that he turns a variety if
things, and numbers everything?

If that's only bowls, and he's turned over 1,300 of them, he's more than
compulsive, he suffers from CDO..
(that's the same as OCD, but with the letters in alpha order, like they
should be)

I've only been numbering my "art" pieces, and only for a few years, and
I'm in the high 300's.. maybe 25 of those are what I'd consider "bowls",
though..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing


Again I`m relying (and asking) on your experience but should my turnings be
numbered? Everything I do is different in some small way, may look similar
but not the same. That applies to useable as well as "art". Everything that
leaves my workshop is photographed, signed and dated.
--
Boru

In message , Boru
writes

Again I`m relying (and asking) on your experience but should my turnings be
numbered? Everything I do is different in some small way, may look similar
but not the same. That applies to useable as well as "art". Everything that
leaves my workshop is photographed, signed and dated.


I guess if you number everything and photograph everything and sign and
date. When your work is one day worth millions, it would help identify
fakes

Alternatively having big number could imply you mass produce., One
option would be to start at 1000 so they all appear big numbers

The fact you date and photograph your work to me is most important as it
allows you to look back at your work and see how you have
changed/progressed in your skill
--
John

On Aug 9, 11:04*pm, Boru wrote:
mac davis wrote:
On Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:10:26 -0700, charlieb
wrote:

The president of our woodturning club includes the bowl number along
with signature, date and wood - on the bottom of his bowls. *At the
last club meeting he had an ash bowl that was something like No. 1352.

Does that mean that he only turns bowls, or that he turns a variety if
things, and numbers everything?

If that's only bowls, and he's turned over 1,300 of them, he's more than
compulsive, he suffers from CDO..
(that's the same as OCD, but with the letters in alpha order, like they
should be)

I've only been numbering my "art" pieces, and only for a few years, and
I'm in the high 300's.. maybe 25 of those are what I'd consider "bowls",
though..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Again I`m relying (and asking) on your experience *but should my turnings be
numbered? Everything I do is different in some small way, may look similar
but not the same. That applies to useable as well as "art". Everything that
leaves my workshop is photographed, signed and dated.
--
Boru

Hi Boru
Why number ??
It does help others to ID your turnings if you sell them in a gallery
or where others do the inventory.
If a turning has a #, and a price card or sticker with that number it
is not easily switched, or if the sticker came off or is lost, the
seller can easily find the info like price on a list they should have,
that you made and have signed by them as received.
The last place that got out of all commissioned selling, where I had
some pieces, did pay me approx $1500.-- for turnings that were sold
and yet not accounted for, it was only because of all the
documentation and with the backup of pictures and numbers that we came
to a amicable solution and I only dropped one miss-labeled piece.
It was my wife who had extensive experience with factory commissioned
selling, and knew about the common pitfalls, that we set it up like
that, has been good for us.
Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo

Lobby Dosser wrote:

Are they all the same? Not just wood, but form and finish and so on.
Does he sell them? Does he make enough to support his "Art"?

No
Though his preference is for "natural edge" bowls for probably the
last decade, he also turns "regular" bowls as well as tops and
bottle
stoppers. But since he's been turning for 25+ years, he's probably
turned just about everything that came out over those years - even
flutes - which apparently ain't trivial to do - and have them sound
good.

Between teaching, a book he wrote and sells, doing Home & Garden
and Woodworking Shows along with craft fairs and perhaps a gallery,
he apparently brings enough to own a Stubby - and just about every
turning tool of any significance that's come out over the last 25+
years.

Taking pictures of every decent piece, signing, dating,
identifying
the wod and finish, the idea of an inventory number as well
makes
sense, especially when selling through others.

On Aug 10, 3:49 pm, charlieb wrote:
Lobby Dosser wrote:
Are they all the same? Not just wood, but form and finish and so on.
Does he sell them? Does he make enough to support his "Art"?

No
Though his preference is for "natural edge" bowls for probably the
last decade, he also turns "regular" bowls as well as tops and
bottle
stoppers. But since he's been turning for 25+ years,

1350 divided by 25 years is one per week. That leaves a heckuva lot
of time for other stuff.

wrote:
On Aug 10, 3:49 pm, charlieb wrote:

Lobby Dosser wrote:

Are they all the same? Not just wood, but form and finish and so on.
Does he sell them? Does he make enough to support his "Art"?

No
Though his preference is for "natural edge" bowls for probably the
last decade, he also turns "regular" bowls as well as tops and
bottle
stoppers. But since he's been turning for 25+ years,


1350 divided by 25 years is one per week. That leaves a heckuva lot
of time for other stuff.


I wonder if he ever said what if ne numbers then consecutively and/or
what number he started with?

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA

On Sun, 10 Aug 2008 04:04:23 +0100, Boru wrote:



Again I`m relying (and asking) on your experience but should my turnings be
numbered? Everything I do is different in some small way, may look similar
but not the same. That applies to useable as well as "art". Everything that
leaves my workshop is photographed, signed and dated.

IMO, if you're already dating them and taking a photo record, you might as well
number them..
It's a marketing thing, for sure, but also helps you keep track of your work..

I give each piece to my wife as it's done, along with a tag with the number on
it.. I keep a legal pad under the bench and each time a piece is done, I write
the next number in the series and a short description..
She burns my name and the number on the bottom and then enters the stuff from my
pad into a database... (one of the things I do on the pad is put a ball park
price)
That becomes our inventory, and I print my "certificate of authenticity" from
that data.. oh, and also the price tags and any other stuff I need the data
for..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

If you look at the video of Richard Raffan "Turning Wood" - 1350
is one VHS tape :-) Green wood turns fast.

Martin

Martin H. Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
TSRA, Endowed; NRA LOH & Patron Member, Golden Eagle, Patriot's Medal.
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder
IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member.
http://lufkinced.com/


wrote:
On Aug 10, 3:49 pm, charlieb wrote:
Lobby Dosser wrote:
Are they all the same? Not just wood, but form and finish and so on.
Does he sell them? Does he make enough to support his "Art"?
No
Though his preference is for "natural edge" bowls for probably the
last decade, he also turns "regular" bowls as well as tops and
bottle
stoppers. But since he's been turning for 25+ years,

1350 divided by 25 years is one per week. That leaves a heckuva lot
of time for other stuff.



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On Aug 10, 12:49 pm, charlieb wrote:
Lobby Dosser wrote:
Are they all the same? Not just wood, but form and finish and so on.
Does he sell them? Does he make enough to support his "Art"?

No
Though his preference is for "natural edge" bowls for probably the
last decade, he also turns "regular" bowls as well as tops and
bottle
stoppers. But since he's been turning for 25+ years, he's probably
turned just about everything that came out over those years - even
flutes - which apparently ain't trivial to do - and have them sound
good.

Between teaching, a book he wrote and sells, doing Home & Garden
and Woodworking Shows along with craft fairs and perhaps a gallery,
he apparently brings enough to own a Stubby - and just about every
turning tool of any significance that's come out over the last 25+
years.


Sounds like he has enough variety. For comparison, imagine 1300
straight performances of the same musical - Cats, etc!!