One of the benefits of belonging to AAW, in addition to being insured when doing demos, is that you get copies of the American Woodturner (go to
So I'm thumbing through it and I'm being reminded just how diverse turning is. Malcom Tibbetts
And I'm thinking - turners sure head off in a lot of very different directions - and once on The Road Less Traveled they keep going farther and farther Out There. Now I understand that turning is probably the least expensive form of woodworking - to get into. Ironically, it can BECOME one of the more, if not the most, expensive form of woodworking. And because its Slippery Slope is not as obvious as that of other forms of woodworking, there seems to be a LOT of people into turning. Because it inherintly dangerous looking (I still think getting a piece of sharp steel close to, let alone making contact with, a spinning chunk of wood is crazy, despite my actual experience with it) - the curious and the risk takers are attracted to it.
While other forms of woodworking follow traditional methods and techniques - all tried and true, and documented - evolving at a snail's pace compared to turning, turners play in what is The Wild Wild West - willing to try just about anything that pops in their heads.
Mr. Tibbetts turns two, or three perfectly nice identical pieces
- with 1/4" walls - and then - CUTS EACH ONE IN HALF! Why would anyone even consider doing something like that - let alone think of joining them back together, not in their original shape - but with one from Column A flipped over and glued to one from Column B and repeat the process with one from Column C?
Can you imagine a chair maker or cabinet maker looking at two of his or her pieces and thinking - "If I were to cut both of these in half - than flip this part of this one over and glue it to that one . . ."
And who in their right mind would turn a nice large piece - and then bust it up - AND put it back together i such a way as to make it a visualization puzzle to try and figure out what the original shape was.
Who would turn an almost paper thin cylinder with a round bottom - and then cut a bunch of shapes into it - then air brush part of it to create a mini-stage set/scene - with a theme?
What would make a turner decide to study metalurgy and machine shop technology in order to have the gouge or tool he wanted but couldn't buy?
Why would anyone think "I've got this big chunk of green wood. I wonder if I could make it into a cowboy hat?"?
Who would look at a piece they'd just completed - and then grab a propane torch and char the hell out of it - or - sand blast it?
Are turners doing a lot of Acid or what?
charlie b who Came of Age in the SF Bay Area during mid sixties and am not unfamiliar with weird ideas, people and things