Those who know Brad Stave will tell you that Brad has always worked with wood in some form or another. And those who don’t know Brad, but meet him, soon experience the intense love he has for wood. If names are omens in a person’s life, then Brad Stave‘s name was sure to destine him to a life of woodworking.
Brad began working with wood at the age of 5 when he received his first toolbox. “There hasn’t been a time that I can remember, where wood has not been a significant part of my life,” recalls Brad.
After graduating from college, Brad remained true to his heart. He realized that working with wood was not enough. He wanted to share his love for wood through teaching; and it has rewarded him with many enriching experiences. Brad taught Graphic Arts in Mukilteo, WA and then moved to Wyoming, where he taught woodworking to Arapaho and Shoshone Native American Children (grades 3-8).
Then in 1985, Brad moved to California. There he started a new job and became a father of a newly born daughter. Sensing her husband’s need to find some avenue to work with wood, Brad’s wife Silvia bought him a wood lathe. And from that point on, Brad knew he had found his niche. Brad says, “Of all the creative endeavors I have pursued, wood turning has been the most rewarding, it is the pursuit of my heart.”
By 2006 Brad was ready to get back home to the Pacific Northwest, so Olympia is now home; let the chips fly!
I was recently explaining the markings on the bottom of a highly figured spalted maple bowl with stone inlay to a coworker who remarked that I had a story for each piece that he had seen me turn. That is when I had one of those wow moments to which I stated that I probably had at least a half a dozen for each piece that I had ever turned, some pieces have even more.
“Do you have a desire to create hollow forms on the lathe? Are you already making them, but struggling with any part of the process? Do you want to give freehand hollowing a try? I will show you my process for creating hollow forms with clean lines and small openings. Through a combination of hands-on turning and discussion, this demonstration will include everything from selecting the wood to mounting it on the lathe and shaping the form to hollowing and finishing. I will also cover tool selection and use, ergonomics and body mechanics. Hollow forms do not need to be complicated or require expensive tooling to create.”
Have you ever enjoyed the slightly confused look from someone examining one of your completed pieces and the follow-up questions around how you accomplished one or more aspects of that piece? Well, our April Demonstrator has on more than one occasion. Don’t miss this one! Forever club member, Dave Best will be sharing some of his Best Techniques developed over the years in creating his unique pieces.
Dave’s tenure with the SPSW club reaches back to the very first meeting in 1992 or 1993. At that time, He was working fulltime and had a young family, so he could not afford the time to drive up to Seattle to attend the only woodturning club meeting in the area. Then he heard through a friend, Tom Richards, that a meeting was to be held at the Fife Community Center to form a new local woodturning club and he should attend. Dave not only attended that first meeting along with 40 to 45 other men, he joined the club that night. Over the subsequent thirty plus years Dave was not always able to attend the meetings, but he stayed connected with the club. When his life allowed, he stepped up to a larger role and supported the club in the role of VP and Director of Programing. Something near and dear to me. Dave served in that capacity for seven years. These days, one can often find Dave busy taking quality photographs of club member pieces that are