After your access has been granted sign up for the member communication email list here.
November Membership Meeting
This month’s demonstrator is SPSW member Eileen Collins
“Think about how you sign your work. What are you trying to communicate to those who pick up your work? In my demonstration on Laser Pecker – How to Design Your Logo, I will expose you to fundamentals in Graphic Design and Techniques you may not have considered when signing your work.” ~ Eileen Collins
Bring your Logo concepts! Bring your questions!
Eileen Collins is a woodturner from Mountlake Terrace, Snohomish and Edmonds. She is a proud, 4th generation Washingtonian. Eileen has an eclectic formal education that includes costume design, textile art and industrial engineering. In her career at Boeing, she even completed a weeklong course in aircraft painting. She credits her art background for instilling a “think out of the box” approach to problem solving and creativity.
Eileen has been very gracious in support of SPSW as a demonstrator this year. Way back in January, she demonstrated Fiber Reactive Dyes and then provided an encore mini workshop on that topic during our March mini symposium. Back again for our September mini symposium, Eileen demonstrated Inside-Out Turned Ornaments. And once again in November we will be blessed with Eileen’s talents as she will demonstrate Laser Pecker – How to design Your Logo.
October Membership Meeting
How fortunate we are this month! Our October guest demonstrator is one of the most creative and prolific woodturning artists of our time. Trent Bosch is primarily a wood sculptural artist with a body of work stretching back into the late 1990’s. Many of us know him for his bowl hollowing prowess. His line of hollowing tools are considered a gold standard for their ease of use and innovative focus on reducing workload and strain on the turner.
Trent will be demonstrating Hollow Forms – Hollowing for Anyone during our October meeting as a remote demonstration from his home in Colorado. The October meeting will be a hybrid meeting. Which means we will meet at our new normal location in the Allmendinger Center and watch the IRD from that location via Zoom.
Pat McCart Three Footed Bowl Demo
Are you not a member of the SPSW and wondered what kind of programming we have? Well we have a sample for you. Our own Pat McCart, multi-time former SPSW chapter President demonstrated how he turns his world famous three footed bowls. You can view it on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb4p6biG3P4
Paid members have access to our demo videos on our website. We currently have 48 prior demo videos on here.
You can also check out our upcoming programming on our calendar – https://spswoodturners.org/events and in our newsletter.
Stop by at our next meeting if you’re in the area and see what we offer. And if you are not in the area, we also have remote members that log into Zoom to see our demonstrations.
September Membership Meeting
This month brings the second of our mini-symposiums. Here is a lineup of who you will see:
Membership Booth – Renew your membership today. Membership chair Terry Broberg will be available for you to join or renew your club membership
>Club Store – Pam Parson will be there for you to pick up your needed items for your shop
- Club Wood Sales – Devin Garlick will have a fine assortment of wood for your next project
D-Way & Box Master Tools – Jimmie Allen will be there for you to pick up that new tool you have been wanting. Locally Made in the USA / Washington
Sharpening – Michael Poirier will be there to help you to “sharpen” your sharpening skills. Mike will demonstrate how he sharpens. Bring a dull tool or two…
Figurines and Lighthouses – Jeff Marshal will demonstrate easy to make turnings for decorations
- Inside-out-Ornaments – Eileen Collins will demonstrate the process of making Inside-Out-Turnings that make great Ornaments.
Be on the Lookout for Inspiration
Note – This post is from our newsletter archives. It was the President’s message by Pat McCart from the August, 2008 issue of Chips & Shavings.
Well, its the end of August and Summer will be quickly fading to Fall. With Fall, in the great Northwest, comes rain and long periods of time spent indoors. As woodturners, our hobby keeps us indoors most of the year – except to occasionally forage for wood, we seldom see the light of day.
But now is the time, dare I say, to step away from your lathe and get outdoors. Take the rest of August and go enjoy the sunshine, experience all that nature has to offer. Or should I say observe all that nature has to offer. Just because we have come out of our shops and into the light of day doesn’t mean we should stop being woodturners. We should always be on the lookout for inspiration for our work.
Woodturning is a very visual endeavor, shape and proportion are critical to producing a visually pleasing piece of work. With long hours spent holed up in our shops, many may find that their work has become repetitious and uninspired. Outside, the careful and even the casual observer will be able to see endless examples of forms and shapes that are blended to perfection by nature and hopefully be inspired by them.
This inspiration can be had for free as well, no need to buy the latest DVD or book. Just get outside- go walking in a park, go hiking on the many trails in our area, visit the sea shore, rivers, lakes, go downtown, even your own backyard, all have inspiration to offer if you only look. The curve of a flower stem and its leaves, the shape of a weather worn rock or a piece of drift wood, the shape of the trail ahead of you or the curve of a tree branch are a few examples.
Digital cameras make capturing inspiration easy as well. Take one along with you and take lots of pictures of anything that catches your eye. The pictures can be retrieved later during the winter when your creative battery may be in need of recharge. Take a sketch pad if you don’t have a camera. If you are like me and can’t draw, a camera is definitely a good investment.
All too soon it well be Fall and the rain will be back, so get out now and enjoy Summer. Your lathe will still be there waiting for you when you come back to it in September. And who knows perhaps you will have finally found the inspiration you need to turn that prized piece of wood you’ve been saving for all those years.
August’s Demo: Pat McCart – Three Footed Bowl
20 years ago, I inherited an old Craftsman lathe that originally belonged to my Grampa. I was given some hand medown tools and a quick basic lesson which started me down the road on a wood turning journey.
I have turned 400+ bowls with a focus on locally sourced woods and simple designs that showcases the uniqueness of the wood on both sides of the bowl.
Utilizing 3 simple feet that flow out of the bottom to both elevate the form and provide lightness to the shape. 3 feet also form a stable base to rest on.
I’ll show the steps and tools I use to make bowls that highlight the best characteristics of each piece of wood. I will illustrate where to locate the feet and explain why they need to go there on both natural edge and flat rim pieces.
