Note – This post is from our newsletter archives. It was the President’s message by Pat McCart from the March, 2009 issue of Chips & Shavings.
I am in the midst of turning a piece of Myrtle burl purchased from a fellow clearing out his fatherʼs sawdust-filled workshop. While I foraged for pieces of turnable wood, he related stories of his father and showed me several items crafted there. Roy talked about how his Dad would take him to his shop to show him the latest special board and go into detail about how he had come
about it. The bounty of wood soon filling my truck bed consisted of pieces from 3 different continents and dated to 3 separate decades of harvest.
During the trip home I pondered the potential outcome of each piece and how to best utilize the different sizes and species of wood. Iʼm not sure if they have an official name for it yet so I will just call it “wonderitist”. It afflicts you when you hold a piece of wood in your hand and let your mind wander and wonder with that wood. Ask yourself, “Where is this wood from and how did it get here? What kind of wood is it and how best to turn it?” I will often count the rings and look for any big changes and try to imagine what may have caused it. I will sometimes get lost in trying to visualize what is hiding inside the piece waiting to get out. Wood garnered from the dispersion of an estate brings its own history and I encourage you to find it out. It will add to the overall story of the item that you eventually craft.
Our February demonstrator is none other than Jay Shepard. Jay will present and demonstrate the finishing processes and techniques he uses to create his beautiful works. In May of 2024, Jay was one of the selected few to demonstrate at the AAW 2024, International Woodturning Symposium held in Portland, OR.
Jay is a long-time member of Woodturners of Olympia (WoO). His woodturning journey began in 2013 when he desired something other than square legs for a table that he was making. To enable that desire, he purchased a 1939 Delta lathe and quickly sought out somewhere to learn the basics. He connected with Larry Miller from WoO and attended an open shop. Jay found that turning those first table legs FUN! He never turned back, and he never finished that table.
Jimmie will show us three different ways to turn your own handle so that no matter what stage you are at in your woodturning journey or what tools you prefer to use you will gain knowledge for creating your own tool handles. The demonstration also includes the installation of the new tool insert Jimmie developed that facilitates the removal of tools for ease of sharpening or simply swapping out to a different tool with your new handle.
Jimmie’s nature has always been to do something to the best of his ability. If that means taking the extra time to sand a surface to 1200 or more, then buffing the final surface to a high sheen the result is worth the effort. Whomever enjoys the piece will know it was hand made by a supreme craftsman for their everlasting enjoyment.
It’s that time of year for our annual Holiday party and member appreciation meeting. Here are the details from our President:
