Wednesday's Wisdom For Woodturners August 16, 2023

August 16, 20232 yr

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Please keep in mind we are having our community fund raiser. Check out the cool prizes-

Our Patriot Turners-

Our "What's On Your Lathe" thread had several additions this week-

@forty_caliber, @nevinc and @HandyDan were busy-

Check out what they were up to-

What’s Coming Up-

Click on the images for links to more information and registration-

❗️For invitation to attend this zoom, simply send an email with the subject line “Invite Me” to sales@exoticblanks.com❗️

Keith was kind enough to share this from the Easy Wood Tools newsletter. The email is sent to the folks EWT has on file. If you don't get it, call @Jordan Martindale at (859)246-0294 and asked to be put on the list.

For The Newbies-

Some turning tips, hints and general information from Tim Yoder and Ron Brown-

Expand Your Horizons-

Richard Raffan- waste not, want not-

And...

Mr. Raffan also turns a lovely "breakfast bowl". Note in his description his formula for turning time to make a living! I'll never make it!

Alan Stratton turns a beautiful shallow bowl leaving natures imperfections

Carl Jacobson does a variation on the Mason jar vase lid-

Woodworker's Journal published their monthly Woodturning Monthly newsletter. Some neat projects for all skill levels

https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/woodturning-monthly/?utm_medium=email

New Turning Items-

From Woodturners Wonders a new item to help keep grinder dust under control-

https://woodturnerswonders.com/collections/grinding-wheel-accessories/products/grit-grabber-magnet-with-sleeve?_kx=gV5SF2As_3IwtBi5TrpHVQM0F3UvGVbQKzhWGippDlk%3D.VJvU8R

Niles Stoppers posted a video describing their threaded inserts-

Everything Else-

Some interesting thoughts from Ron Brown's newsletter-

Copying vs. Stealing in Woodturning

This subject comes up frequently and is not very well understood. What, then, is morally permissible and what is wrong and probably illegal?

“Art Plagiarism Defined:
Plagiarists copy sketches, paintings, photos, and even sculptures. When you copy someone else’s art without consent or credit—you are stealing. Even mere using of filter, changing of color, and adding of clip art or text are part of this poor practice.

Like literary plagiarism, art plagiarism also comes in many forms such as theft and tracing.” Source: College of Arts and Technology

Q: Is it OK to copy well-known turners work?

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Yes, provided you name the original artist as the inspiration for your version.

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You don’t try to pass off or sell yours as a piece made by them.

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Give credit where credit is due.

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If the item is for your own private use or collection and it isn’t for sale, there are no limitations, IMHO.

My first real venture into turning was making turned-lidded boxes for Christmas presents for all of the women in our extended family. I worked directly from the book “Turned Lidded Boxes – 50 Designs” by Chris Stott. I copied examples from his book as exactly as my inexperienced turning skills would allow. That Christmas I even showed everyone the book and the pages their present was displayed on. Everyone knew I wasn’t that creative on my own.

By this time in my turning career, I’ve made thousands of different items. Virtually none of them were purely my own design. Each one was taken from something I’d seen in a magazine, book, or on YouTube. Yes, I added my own twist, but the core idea was almost never original to me.

I am always quick to acknowledge the source of my inspiration by name if possible. As an example, the 10,000-plus spinning tops I’ve made are in the Bonnie Klien style. I added my own twist and used different texturing tools eventually, but I can show you the exact pages where the designs originated in her book.

I even met Bonnie at an event in Provo, Utah where I was turning "her tops." As she looked over an assortment of about 50 spinning tops, her comment was “Not Bad”.

Famous turners develop their own recognizable style over time and so will you. Think of Mike Mahoney’s Calabash bowls, David Ellsworth’s hollow forms, Cindy Drozda’s hollow forms with fancy finials, Dick Sing’s miniature birdhouses, and John Jordan’s turned and carved hollow forms. All of these styles are readily identifiable.

It is normal and healthy to study the work of folks who have figured something out that is distinctive and outstanding. The very best way to learn something is by doing practice exercises; drill for skill. In sports, you run the same plays over and over until they become second nature. In school, we call that homework exercises.

I would encourage you to copy work you admire, acknowledge their inspiration give them credit for the idea when showing it to others, and add your own twist when appropriate. Sometimes theirs can’t really be improved on so have fun and let everyone know who inspired you in the first place.

I've been taking a hint from @Gerald and making "friendship bowls". Mimi has pretty much depleted all of the bowls I've had setting on the shelves. Some of my earliest ventures aren't of the quality I'd like people to see so I needed to replenish. Have some elm and some walnut from the woodshed.