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As The Wood Turns Internet Version
March 2003
Location:
Woodcraft
Supply Store, 1280 E. Dundee Rd, Palatine IL
847-774-1186
In
this Issue
> Curls
from the President
> Dan
Anderson— From a Log to a Bowl
> Demonstrators Schedule
for meeting nights & weekend
Master Demos
>
CWT Mentors
> David Nittman Demonstrating
in May
> March
Meeting Note’s
>
March Gallery — See
Gallery section of web site
By Paul Shotola
It’s like riding a bicycle. Turning, that is. Once you know the basics, they are with you for a lifetime. Learning the basics takes practice, however. You didn’t learn to ride that bike in one session, did you? No, it took a few skinned knees, a couple of big (or so they seemed at the time) falls, and at least a couple of sessions with your mentor holding onto the seat and running along beside you before you could take off and find your own path. Once you know the basics, however, they stay with you. Athletes call it “muscle memory”. Repetition, combined with coaching, produces positive results. It’s more than muscle, though. It’s training your brain, too. Your brain responds to exercise, just like your body.
Pro golfers hit hundreds of balls every day, refining their technique, reinforcing good habits, eliminating bad ones. Figure skaters invest hours working on their compulsories. There are no spotlights on the ice and no enthusiastic crowds in the arena for these sessions. Musicians spend untold hours just playing scales and practicing fingerings on their instruments, with no applause. Sammy Sosa did not just show up at Wrigley Field and say: “Mind if I hit a couple of balls?” He practiced. And practiced some more. He whiffed a few. And a few more. But he eventually connected. And he remembered what went right when he connected. His coaches also knew when it was right, and reminded him of it the next time he stood at the plate. He developed muscle and mental memory, and hopefully we'll see a pennant in Chicago this year. It could happen, you know.
The turned birdhouse in the photo is from a long time friend of the CWT, and it was displayed on the side table at the March meeting. Why it wasn't on the gallery table escapes me, because it is a fine piece of turning. Perhaps the artist felt that because he hadn’t turned for a while or that his technique was a little rusty, that this birdhouse didn’t deserve the spotlight. Not so, folks. The gallery exists to illustrate examples of design and technique. Having a table full of turnings to examine helps to train your eye for form and balance, and the comments of an experienced reviewer will help you produce even better design in your next piece.
Woodturning is a complex and fascinating interaction of physical and mental skills. Being able to turn a symmetrical bead and designing a turning where the bead is in exactly the right place is two different things, but as craftsmen and artists, we must do both. As turners, we must have the tool skills to produce the vision in our minds, and the mental, or artistic ability to conceive of the vision in the first place. Both of these skills can be improved with practice and proper coaching. Just don't be afraid to whiff a few. If you never step up to the plate, you'll never improve. Just ask Sammy.
Until April, turn lots, practice your basics, and
turn safely.
Email address: p.shotola@attbi.com
Meeting Demonstrators 2003
April 15
Paul Shotola — Chucks & Other Tools
See Fran Islin to sign up to
be a demonstrator
Weekend Master Turner Demo Schedule
David Nittman, Colorado — May 24,
hands on After
Steve Sinner, Iowa — August 23, hands on After
Nick Cook, Georgia — Sept 20
Alain Mailland, France — Oct 11-12,
No hands on After
CWT Mentors
The following individuals have volunteered as mentors. Their contact information
is listed in the CWT roster, available at our monthly meetings and on
the Yahoo club website. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ChiWT/
(You must be a CWT member to access the Yahoo website)
Name Teaching Level
| , | City |
Starter
|
1-2 Years
|
2+ Years
|
Advanced
|
$$$
|
| Anderson, Dan | Itasca |
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
,
|
| Barbier, Harris | Lisle |
X
|
X
|
X
|
,
|
,
|
| Brooks, Jim | E Moline |
X
|
X
|
,
|
,
|
,
|
| Eovaldi, Tom | Evanston |
X
|
X
|
X
|
,
|
,
|
| Friedman, Jim | Antioch |
X
|
X
|
,
|
,
|
,
|
| Hubbard, Gary | Palatine |
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
| Olszewski, Tony | Rockford |
X
|
X
|
X
|
,
|
,
|
| Rader, Darrell | Palatine |
X
|
X
|
X
|
,
|
,
|
| Shotola, Paul | Vernon Hills |
X
|
X
|
,
|
,
|
,
|
| Sinner, Steve | Bettendorf, IA |
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
| Szakonyi, Ed | Roselle |
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
| Waterstraat, George | Elmhurst |
X
|
X
|
,
|
,
|
,
|
| Your Name Here? |
,
|
,
|
,
|
,
|
,
|
Mentors have indicated the skill level that they are comfortable
teaching.
This is not the same as their personal skill level. Some mentors may charge
for their services, and have indicated so by checking the “$”
column.
To add your name to this list, contact Paul Shotola
David Nittman Demonstrating in May
By Paul Shotola
David Nittman is a self proclaimed “wood guy”, and the CWT looks forward to his demo on May 24, 2003. Wood guys that are also artists are always welcome.
Nittmann’'s specialty is his “Basket Illusion” series, a fascinating blend of turning, carving, pyrography (wood burning, to most of us) and the use of that dreaded tool, the computer. His art is influenced by Native American baskets and pottery, but is in no way limited to these influences. A look at his web site shows his appreciation of other artists and art forms, as his “links” page lists many artists, some
familiar, some new to most of us, that motivate and inspire him. David’s website is: www.davidnittmann.com for more information and inspiration.
Plan to attend David’s demonstration, May 24, 2003 at the Woodcraft location. Remember, as a benefit of membership in the Chicago Woodturners, you are entitled to attend one all day demonstration at no additional charge every year. Make good use of your membership benefits, and attend David’s demonstration. Prepare to have your artistic limits expanded.
Minutes of the March, 2003 CWT Meeting
by Marie Hunter
Paul S. gave opening remarks, with emphasis on safety in the meeting area. Wayne B. gave the Treasurer’s Report. Andy Kuby reported on the membership. Three guests and 2 new members were counted. One of the new members uses a foot powered lathe. For those of you who can’t walk and chew gum at the same time, using a foot powered lathe might be a real challenge. Let’s hope this new member will give a demo with his special lathe.
Paul S. encouraged members to get their fine turnings onto the gallery table. The pictures taken at the meetings are put on the website. A gallery in Indianapolis is interested in the works of two CWT members. We won’t mention any names, but their initials are Mike Malloy and Duard Oxford. Folks from the Indianapolis gallery saw our website and liked what they saw.
Upcoming wood shows:
Our club and the Windy City Turners will be in a show in October.
It will be a juried exhibit. Slides or digital pictures of work will need
to be provided. There is a July 3rd deadline to enter. Acceptance of exhibitors
will be July 25th. Works need to be sent by Sept. 20th. Exhibit will be
all of October. Look for more information on the website. Carole Floate
mentioned a show at the College of Lake County. Pieces from CWT will be
exhibited. More information should be on our website or in the newsletter.
Paul S. thanked Steve Sinner and his gang for mentoring before
the meeting. He also obtained volunteers to mentor on the Saturday after
the meeting. Darrell Rader and Paul S. will be the mentors
for the April meeting, starting about 4:00 p.m.
Binh Pho mentioned the lineup for the all-day demos this year.
David Nittman will be here May 24. Binh is looking for people to
attend a hands-on class with David on May 25. Contact Binh if you
are interested. Steve Sinner will do the August all-day demo.
Nick Cook will be here in September. Allain Mailland will be
here on October 12th. Richard Raffen is on the schedule, but the
date has not been secured yet.
Three CWT members are teaching classes in Kansas City. The club now has
a power vacuum pump. Darrell Rader will donate a spindle to go
with the pump.
Update on the collaborative challenge: It’s a work in progress and
may be too complicated to be finished in time for this year's A.A.W. show.
The raffle was held. Then the educational grant was given out. Bill Floate was chosen to pull the lucky name because it was determined that he looked like an honest man. Fran Islin was the lucky winner.
Jim Brooks did the critique of the gallery. He stressed the importance of putting your name on your turned items. He said you should be proud to let people know you produced the piece. And do you know what happens when you don’t sign your work? You guessed it. Rob Ketchmark is automatically blamed for every unsigned article on the gallery table. Rob may not mind if the item is really fantastic, but he surely does not want to be blamed for anything that is not of top notch quality.
Dan Anderson did the evening’s demo. He showed the group how to take a log, get the best cuts from it, and create a bowl.
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Chicago Woodturners 2002
A Chapter of the American Association of Woodturners
Last Updated October 19, 2006
