June American Woodturner

Have you seen the latest issue of American Woodturner?

American Woodturner is the official publication of the American Association of Woodturners. You can buy it at most woodworking stores and better book stores. Or even better, you get it free with your membership in the AAW.

The current issue has informative and relevant articles. A feature article is about a year long project to develop a program to teach wood turning to visually impaired and blind people. As you can imagine, there are many issues with teaching our craft to someone who is blind, but they have developed and have been testing this program and will make it available in the near future. As the SPSW has members who have been losing their sight, so this program may be of interest to them.

There is an extensive article by Joshua Friend on kiln-dried, air-dried or green wood and how to deal with each for turning. There is an accompanying article by Larry Zubke that describes how he built a kiln from an old chest freezer.

Looking to try a new technique? Richard May has written a tutorial on turning inside out candle holders.

The AAW recently held its annual symposium, but there are also symposiums held all over the world. This issue of American Woodturner has a review by Malcolm Zander of the inaugural New Zealand International Turning Symposium.

There is much more in this issue, several project tutorials, shop tips, turner profiles and AAW news.

AAW / techniques

June Demonstrator – Bob Sievers

Bob SieversThis month’s demonstrator is our own Bob Sievers. Bob will be demonstrating his technique for turning bird houses.

birdhouse1Bob is a member of the American Association of Woodturners, the South Puget Sound Woodturners and the Seattle Woodturners. He likes to experiment with new techniques he sees at symposiums and demos that he frequently attends. Bob enjoys enhancing the natural beauty of wood on a wood lathe and has been turning wood for 25 years. In recent months you have seen several examples of his Rose Engine turning. For years, Bob photographed our Show and Tell turnings. He recently had to retire from this position because of his failing sight. Bob is a remarkable and talented artist.

AAW / demonstrator / Membership Meeting / woodturner profile

Congratulations to David Wahl – AAW 2013 Honorary Lifetime Member

David WahlTwo of Dave’s joys in life are woodturning and helping people. When he can help woodturners, he is in heaven. His legacy is not just what he has done for the AAW, but what he has done for the family of woodturning. Family is always the word Dave uses when talking about the woodturning community.

The maturation of the AAW from operating out of a cigar box on a card table to the multilevel organization it is today is the result of initiatives started 15 years ago by Dave. Creating the position of Executive Director was a pivotal event in the history of the AAW. When Dave first came onto the Board in 1997, he recognized that a constantly changing board of volunteer members didn’t have the time, expertise and continuity to offer new programs and better services to AAW members. Dave initiated the transition from a working board that moved lathes in and out at the annual symposium and selected t-shirt colors to a planning board that set forth goals and a vision for the organization and then charged a professional Director to execute those objectives. Dave will be the first to say credit for the AAW becoming a professionally run organization belongs to a lot of people, but his vision of a better way of doing things is how the journey began.

Dave was president of the St. Louis AAW chapter, and helped organize one of the first regional symposiums there.

Dave is also a founding member of the Collectors of Wood Art, and organized the CWA Forum in Santa Fe. He is always working to get more galleries and museums to show art that has wood elements. His promotion of woodturning and wood art is tireless. Dave and Suzy’s home has always been open to any woodturner, artist, collector, museum director, or a friend of a friend. The Wahl Home For Wayward Artists has been in continual operation for almost 20 years. There were very few times that a visiting collector or gallery owner or museum director didn’t get a turning lesson in Dave’s shop. Dave says “The most fun about being an AAW member is helping and teaching beginners to turn and seeing the look on their faces at their first success.”

[note]This article is from the AAW Newsletter[/note]

AAW / Message / woodturner profile

Upcoming Woodturning Events

Creativity in Woodturning

The Woodturners of Olympia (WOO) are holding their annual symposium on July 27th. This year’s theme is the Art of the Craft with John Jordan and Jack Wayne. Cost is $100 and includes a nice lunch.

John is known primarily for his textured and carved hollow vessels. John has been featured in nearly every major turning exhibition the past twenty-five years. He will also be presenting daily workshops on the 28th – 31st.

Jack is a former adrenaline junkie, who moved from racing power boats, motorcycles and dragsters to woodturning in 1996 and has never regretted the change. Jack has served on the board of the Seattle Woodturners for almost all the time since, and two terms as President, five terms as Vice-President. Jack has been the primary Woodturning Instructor at Seattle Woodcraft for 12 years, and initiated the Woodturning Program at Pratt Fine Arts Center as well.

More info can be found at the Creativity in Woodturning web page.

SWAT

The SouthWest Association of Turners are holding their annual symposium from August 23rd to 25th in Waco, Texas. It looks like they have a great lineup of demonstrators, including:

  • Jimmy Clewes on a square oriental box, and platter including design and ergonomics also colored rimed platter
  • Ashley Harwood on push-cut bowl turning, and turned rim and foot design
  • Marilyn Campbell on making a band saw inlay, and the simple
  • Don Derry on romancing the curve, and reverse laser hollow turning
  • J. Paul Fennell on Turning hollow forms with home made tools, and a toolbox of embellishment techniques to spark your creativity
  • Dixie Biggs on simple surface treatments, and need some relief?

They also have a nice lineup of regional demonstrators.

You can get more in formation on the SWAT Symposium webpage.

Rock Mountain Woodturning Symposium

The Rocky Mountain Woodturners are holding their 15th Woodturning Symposium on September 13th – 15th, 2013. This year’s symposium features David Ellsworth, Binh Pho, Kip Christensen, Kirk DeHeer, Jason Schneider, Michael Blankenship, Rick Orr, John Giem, Ashley Harwood, Dale Bonertz. The symposium will be held at The Ranch / Larimer County Fair Grounds in Loveland, Colorado in the McKee building.

Great Falls Woodturners Symposium

The Great Falls Woodturners are presenting Mike Mahoney on September 21st and 22nd. The symposium will be at the Great Fall College. More info at the 2013 Symposium Page.

Turning Southern Style

The Georgia Association of Woodturners is presenting their 19th Turning Southern Style Symposium. Featured demonstrators are Stuart Mortimer, Cindy Drozda and Jerry Kermode. Also demonstrating will be Nick Cook, Kirk DeHeer and David Nittmann. There will also be vendors, including a demonstration room dedicated just to tool vendors, hands-on area, instant gallery, banquet and auction.

AAW / chapter profile / demonstrator / symposiums / techniques / tools

What’s Happening at Other Chapters

The Inland Northwest Woodturners will be meeting on June 6th. The meeting will include a tool demonstration by Seattle’s Carter Turning Tools and an presentation by Spokane Clock’s Nat Williams on antique clock repair.

The Northwest Woodturners in Beaverton, Oregon will be meeting on June 6th. The demonstrator for this meeting is David Williams who will be demonstrating techniques from the book “Woodturning Evolution” by Nick Agar and David Springett. He describes it as a combination of ring turning, off-center turning and segmented turning.

The Seattle Woodturners next meeting is on June 13th. Jack Wayne will be demonstrating the turning of natural edge bowls.

The Willamette Valley Woodturners in Salem, Oregon will be meeting June 13th. Ron Gerton will be demonstrating Strobe Light Turning.

The Southwest Idaho Woodturners will be meeting on June 11th. The program has not yet been announced. The club has scheduled a Turning Study Session for June 22nd on Bowl design, roughing, chucking, turning, etc.

The Northwest Washington Woodturners are meeting on June 20th. This will be a Play Day, similar to the SPSW mini-symposium. This meeting, however, will have the demonstrators sequentially rather than all at one time.

The Cascade Woodturners are meeting on June 20th and will have a demonstration by Joe Wagner on ornaments.

The Island Woodturners Guild on Vancouver Island will be meeting on June 22nd. This will be the year end Challenge wrap up. Members were asked to create an interpretation of the word “Kitchen”. This meeting will see what members have created for the challenge.

The Greater Vancouver Woodturners Guild in Vancouver, B.C. is meeting on June 26th. The program for the evening has not yet been announced.

The Olympic Peninsula Woodturners will be meeting on June 26th and will be holding their annual wood auction.

The Woodturners of Olympia next meeting is on June 27th. David Earl will be demonstrating turning tops.

AAW / chapter profile / demonstrator