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.

Pat McCartWell, 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.

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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.

demonstrator / Membership Meeting / techniques / virtual / woodturner profile / woodturning events

New Meeting Location

After many years holding our chapter meetings at the Fife Community Center the SPSW board evaluated a proposed new location and made the decision that it was in the best interest of our members to transition to the proposed location. The new location is the Washington State University Research & Extension Center, 2606 West Pioneer, Puyallup, Washington 98371. (a.k.a. Allmendinger Center)


There is plenty of parking and easy access into the building.

chapter profile / Membership Meeting

July Membership Meeting

Rick Rich is a meticulous woodturner with a passion for vintage woodturning lesson books and following the plans found inside these treasures. Some of his favorite books include: Elemental Turning by Frank Selden (Popular Woodworking had a reprint of that book); A Course in Wood Turning by Milton, Archie Seldon, 1887-; Wohlers, Otto K., 1893- joint author, Published, 1919; Art & Education in Woodturning, William W. Klenke and an older version titled, The Art of Wood Turning by William W. Klenke.

He appreciates the systematic approach in Elemental Turning and considers these books great resources for those who want or need to use a diagram. He self-confesses, “I am not an artist”. Thus, the detailed plans, illustrations and dimensions in these books provide the starting point for his woodturning passions.

Today Rick is a highly competent and thoughtful woodturner as well as a fantastic instructor. His primary passion is spindle turning. His clear, concise and easy- going teaching approach provides the learner with confidence from the very beginning and throughout the session. For those able to view the taped session from AAW 2024 Symposium, Rick’s session titled Three-Piece Dish clearly displays his teaching approach and mastery of the skew chisel.

Rick will be demonstrating Spindle Turning a Candle Stick Holder.

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Teachable Moment

Note – This post is from our newsletter archives. It was the Vice President’s message by Eric Lofstrom from the July, 2009 issue of Chips & Shavings.

Summer is the season of working in the yard, tackling projects, traveling, and turning. Well, some of us find time to turn during these warm months. It seems the past few summers have been so
busy I’ve had to block-out some time on the calendar just to ensure I made a few shavings and kept my skills sharp. During a recent scheduled turning session, I was using one of my favorite tools…the skew…and I had a moment to stop and think back to when this tool raised my hackles. Have you given any thought to how it feels to learn a “brand new” skill? I can hear some of you already saying out loud, “First of all, I still shudder when I think of the skew! Secondly, I’ve got so many things that are new to me in turning, I have those feelings all the time!” But, bear with me.

I had one of those deep thoughts… before I ever used a skew, WHY was I so afraid of putting this tool to a piece of spinning wood? I thought awhile… a trusted source told me I should be. Of course, my early stumbling attempts firmly reinforced this belief. I had several severe catches, one after another, chunks of wood flew off the lathe. When the tool caught, I tightened my grip, widened my stance and dove in as if going to battle. With each catch, the answer seemed obvious: control the tool with more force. But this sweat inducing death grip only made the tool bite with more pant filling excitement! I walked away from the lathe exhausted, nursing my bruised ego and sore forearms for days. How had the skew survived in the arsenal of so many turners when it was such a nasty tool? I would either persist in practicing skew techniques until I made more long curly shavings than catches or decide I’d wasted too many incredible chunks of wood and admit defeat. I couldn’t help but think, “How would my initial experiences have been different if my introduction to the skew was focused on its versatility and the beauty of cutting wood?”

Somewhere along the way, I began shifting away from tightening my grip to viewing each catch as a teachable moment. A moment where the wood and tool give you feedback on how they interact. An opportunity to turn off the lathe and look at why the tool is catching by performing a slow-motion replay. If I wanted to learn how to use the skew with confidence, I needed to deepen my understanding. By stopping the lathe and putting a little effort into observing the mechanics of cutting wood, my opinion of the skew began to change. The skew moved from the “barely worth hanging onto” position in my tool rack to the coveted “Top spindle tool I would want with me if I was stranded on a tropical island with a lathe and unlimited wood.”

During these summer months of traveling and tackling projects, I encourage you to take a moment to think about being “brand new” at something. What are your expectations? Are you open to observing and learning, or will you grip your ego and go to battle? Despite a busy schedule, remember to set aside time for exploring something new. You might just discover a favorite tool or technique! 🙂

demonstrator / Membership / techniques / tools / woodturner profile

May President’s Challenge Winner

The May 2024 President’s Challenge Winner is Steve Miner. If you are not familiar with his work in the past, you will surely remember him now. Steve has a love for turning a natural edge bowl; they are a thing of beauty no matterwho you are. His President’s Challenge piece was pulled off the extra turned piece table because he didn’t knowthe details of May’s challenge. With that beautiful crotch with three sides, Steve decided to go out into nature to get some inspiration in his desire to try his hand at carving following Elizabeth Weber’s April Demonstration. He took several images of azalea leaves he liked, used a photo editor and printer to resize the images to fit on each side of the bowl, and then traced the leaves onto the bowl for a cutting guide. If you looked closely, there were three different types of impressions that were carved from three different leaf patterns.

Chapter Challenge / Membership / President's Challenge / Show and Tell / woodturner profile