Anyone heard from Bill Grumbine?

You might try catching him at WoodCentral. He goes there a couple of times a week when he isn't on the road.

Robert

Wow.. haven't been to W C in years... have you seen any recent posts from him?

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Why would you expect Grumbine to post here ?, I don't remember him posting if he hadn't something to sell. And yes he posted on Woodcentral yesterday, guess why Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

Thanks, Leo.. Glad that he's ok..

I remember him posting here quite a bit.. especially when I was shopping for my

He also helped me choose my coring system here... That's something else that's going to waste down here.. can't core a cactus.. lol

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Thanks, Reed... I'll see if I can track down his new email.. It still shows the old one on both his personal page and wonderful wood..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Maybe you should view his profile, I think your memory is going like my hair ;-)) Yes he posts on a number of forums for the above stated reason, but not to participate in it IMO. Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

Hi Mac I just did a little search, so if you do this one, you might be surprised.

"sorta newby question on turning small jars boxes"

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

You know, I hadn't thought of it until you mentioned it, but I think you are right. I went over the posts at WC, and well more than half were him mentioning something to sell. That's great, and all fine and good and I certainly don't have any problems with someone making a buck!.

Sad, but I don't think he is participating much anymore except as a drive by ad for his site, DVDs or teaching schedule.

Robert

That's really strange, Leo.. As far as I know, I've never posted questions on woodturning anywhere but this group..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

You guys should try watching WoodCentral during June and July when he is coordinating his annual Five Barns picnic. I don't remember a single sale during any of that. Nor at the picnic.

When did we turn so friggin' cynical about a really great guy?

Is there something going on with you and Bill? That's a pretty snarky attitude exhibited there. Doesn't jibe with the Bill Grumbine I know.

I just checked WC (3 Feb). I have my preferences set (on the Turning Board) for four days. There was exactly one post (dated 1 Feb) from Bill. And it was a gracious "thank you" post about some wood someone had given him. My preferences on the main board is 2 weeks and there is nothing from Bill in that time frame.

Is there another WoodCentral you're talking about?

No idea.. I've exchanged several emails with Bill over the last 3 or 4 years and he's been very helpful.. Every question that I ever asked him got answered in a way that I could understand and made me feel that he didn't mind turning questions at all. I have 2 of his DVD's and plug them all of the time.. *g* The first one showed me that I'd been holding the damn gouge wrong for like 20 years..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

It bothers me a lot, because I've cyber-known Bill for nearly ten years. We go back to Badger Pond together and I finally met him personally at a BP gathering in Indianapolis. I went to one of his picnics a couple of years later. He has always been very helpful to anyone needing it and it's never been a question of quid pro quo, just as your experience indicates.

When he decided to take on woodworking and related activities for a full time living a few years ago, I don't recall the altruism ending. He did have to skip the picnic in (I think) 2005, however, but it was back in spades the next year. It doesn't cost anyone a cent to go, and he even has some space for campers (at no charge). Doesn't sound like a money grubber to me.

He sells DVDs and charges people for lessons. Gee whiz, what a scumbag. The Bill I know is one of the straightest shooters, morally, ethically, whom I've ever met, and I'm embarrassed for him by the aspersions cast here. He doesn't deserve that. Thanks for relating your experience, Mac. It mirrors mine.

I read through the thread... I didn't see anyone that said he was. Did I miss something? Is someone blocked on my end that I don't know about?

Wow.... why would you say that? I firmly believe what I posted

I believe that too. I haven't ever heard of anyone saying anything bad about that man. He has helped a lot of people.

All too true, even though I only know him from the net.

Here's another for you. Several years ago when I was developing a finish for high speed finishing on the lathe (ultimately, it didn't pan out) he told me via email that if I sent him some and he liked it, he would be glad to use it on his projects. How great an advertising coup would that be?

But, taking up the tone of your post, I went back through the archives of this group to see if any naysayers had a point. Sadly, I didn't find one post from him in 2007.

But in 2006, there was a Nov post from him entitled "Bowl Turning DVDs For Sale " and the one before that was in Oct was " New DVD - Beyond the Basic Bowl - Shameless Ad"

I went back a few months more in 2006, and from him there were only posts of updates on his DVD and comments on compatiblity issues, etc.

I realized that; all I thought when I read mac's post was yeah, he is over at WC, as I posted. It wasn't until I thought about things that Leo said it brought some other thoughts rattling around, and then there was your post.

THAT made me go back and look to see what had or had not been posted. And I was surprised. This obviously isn't his favorite venue anymore, and as busy as he is with all his projects, you have to think, you just can't participate everywhere. The lack of time to do all you want is a casualty of success I suppose.

Still, it is sad that he doesn't post anymore here. I enjoyed the updates to his website and the stories he used to tell like making beer pulls to help pay the bills. I was glad to hear of his efforts in making his DVDs, and several here that used to participate swore by them.

Since I must have the poster that s*it on Bill kill filed or blocked, copy and paste him up here for us to see and we can all give him some hell!

Robert

Sounds like you and Bill are great friends. Good for you for taking up for him.

I anything be wrong here, and don't want to step in anything, but Leo isn't a very abrasive kind of guy. In context of first four posts in this thread, I am thinking that Leo's comments were in regards to posting HERE, not at WC. It was obvious that mac didn't have WC in mind when he asked the question.

Just a thought. Been wrong about other things though. Hell, I thought the Pat were gonna march right through the Giants.

Robert

It happens everytime someone sells something among a group of hobbyists They sell something of value to the group and someone is always put off by it. I don't know Bill, but he did kindly answer a few questions for me several years ago. I don't own any of his cd's but I am glad to know they are available. He doesn't flood us with spam but makes us aware that his videos are available. To be successful in Bill's business he has to work his behind off. I am quite confident he is not getting rich off his efforts. I have a little business buying and selling vintage travel trailers and there are a few people that think I gouge my customers. Those people are welcome to look in my wallet or bank account to witness the dark emptiness. Most of my posts in the vintage trailer discussion groups are to promote my business. There is always someone more articulate than I to answer their trailer questions.

More rambling thoughts,

cm

Google isn't the only one that takes Usenet groups and makes them look like a forum hosted at that site.

Heh. Ustabe that we'd run into people who didn't realise they were using a Usenet group gatewayed to FidoNet. Now they think they're using someone's web forum.

New medium, same confusion.

Good thoughts, you probably hang around, what is it TinTents? (I have been involved with RV groups since the very beginning of RV on the Net: I used alt.rv and the old rv-list, I was on the old Good-Sam email list and lead the effort to create rec.outdoors.rv-travel)