Funny or Stupid Questions I Hear at Shows

One asked me if I used a chainsaw to cut out the bowls Another asked where I was able to buy such a large piece of wood

I guess if one is not involved with the process then one is not aware of what is going on... Ray

I hear all the time from women when they're looking at an art bowl or vase, and they ask, "What do you do with this?" My answer is, "You dust it."

A good friend of mine had sold a 15" natural edge bowl of Chinese Scholar to a woman at a craft show for $150. The bark stood up a couple of inches from the rim of the bowl. She called him a few days later, furious, and wanted him to come over and get the pieces out of the bottom of the machine. "What machine? What are you talking about?" he asked. "The dishwasher!" she replied.

-Jim Gott- San Jose, CA

My wife said she wanted to put curtains around our booth next time, call it the mystery booth, and charge people $1 a pop to just look inside. Lot of lookers pick up a bowl and I swear they act like they are holding a hot horseshoe when they see the price.

Glenn Hodges Nashville, Ga

Hey Glenn, You destroyed any more South Georgia rain forests lately? :)

OTOH, how about the questions some woodturners (that includes me) ask at quilting, beading, lace making, and doll shows? Or...city folk at a hog killing!

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

I would have refused to come over for that purpose. What did you do?

We stopped at the Four Corners Monument several years ago. There were 20 or

30 locals, mostly Indians, with stands or trailers selling their goods. One group had a couple of tablecloth-draped folding tables set up with an impressive array of silver and turquoise jewelry laid out and a large sign "Authentic Native American Jewelry"

As the breeze fluttered the table cloth, the area under the tables was full of boxes labeled "made in Taiwan".

Madagascar Ohio of course ;)

Back in high school, I worked in an ice-cream shop. I can't tell you how many people would ask me "What's in the pralines and caramel?" I'd tell them that it was a vanilla ice cream base with pralines and caramel, and they'd look me right in the eye, and ask me "Yes, but what's in it?"

steve

I use turquoise inlay for cracks, worm holes etc. in some of my pieces. You would not belieive how many people ask what kind of trees have turquoise in them??

My second favorite dumb question is "Are these dishwasher safe?"

Kip Powers Rogers. AR

Working at a jobsite one bright, sunny morning, a trucker pulled up and asked; "Which way's East?" Tom Work at your leisure!

I can't resist...

A friend who does drawings was busy in his booth, drawing. A woman looked over his shoulder and asked "Are you drawing that?"

Bill

I can top that. I told one of the women at work that I had a new woodturning lathe (a Stubby) on order. "Oh great, she says, you can make us a new picnic table for outside the office!" I told her, "Yeah, I'll get right on it!" Sad, isn't it?

Barry

made a wooden spoon, when I finished it my sister-in law seen it and asked how did I put the rings in the bowl of the spoon, she didn't know about growth rings.

James

Steve Wolfe wrote:

Not as far-fetched as it may seem. If a turner gets the wood from the trees of a certain city park, he will be treated to the broken glass and "found object art" of a local artist who filled the cracks with stuff and mortar. Not sure if it's the trees protesting the work done under the grant, but they're being overgrown....

I'm reminded of a girl I used to date who one day called me up and when I answered the first thing she said was "Are you near a phone?"

A relative of mine out in Seattle has one of yours, with turquoise in it, he loves it. Has it on the mantle of his timber framed house, with 18-24" cross members showing across the width of the house. I got sick of the stupid questions, what's it made of, is it safe, how to ewas it, and hand out a "Care and Feeding" paper with mine now.

Dave in Fairfax

During the first hour or two of a show I am very polite and patiently talk about turning and the creative process. By the end of the 3rd day I have been known to repeat what a gallery owner told me she had once said, "It's art, stupid, you look at it."