Last night I was finishing up a small bowl and got to thinking about what I have learned over the past 19 months sice I got my lathe. I have a rudimentary skill in sharpening my bowl gouge - I bought the fingernail gouge jig from Packard and due a fai job. Not that there isn't any room for improvement though. Other tools are sharp enough but again, they just won't split the photons of the dawn. My designs seem to all follow the same pattern. While turning is not boring I do expect inspiration for a new pattern or shape to strike "any day now". I pay little heed to the debate, such as it is of from following function or the other way around. I'll leave that one to those more interested in esoterica. I noticed in my thinking that sanding takes up a bit less time that when I first started although the glass-like smooth finish over the entire surface still eludes me. But then, I am not currently shooting for a piece that will sit in a glass case. The bowls do well enough to hold nuts, change, the occasional small salad and knick knacks. People receving them as gifts are appreciative and I have actually seen one or two in use. My finishes tend to be Danish oil and or shellac although I do leave the occasional piece in the raw. I have on occasion used a Minwax stain but have yet to master the technique of keeping the end grain from slurping up too much. Most, if not all of the wood I use is Maple as it is good wood [read:free]. I do wish I had some more of the hard maple that I first learned on as it was probably the prettiest I have ever had. Overall it seems the acquisition of skills one obtains with experience all tend to increase at the same pace. I wonder if anyone has just concentrated on improving just a single skill say, design, and then moved on to others.
- posted
18 years ago