Try Again

Since I have closed my website it seemed appropriate to have an online presence of some sort.    So, after a long layoff I will try to renew and maintain my Blogspot activity.  I enjoy woodturning but have not enjoyed the tasks involved in preparing and uploading photos and material  to a website.  I hope the blog will require a more basic level of maintenance.

I have greatly reduced my participation in arts and crafts shows this year.  I am only entering two; The Walnut Grove show and The Wilton show.  Both are one-day shows the dates being November 10 and 17 respectively.

Some of my turnings are also offered for sale in the store at the Kingston, Canada Woodworking Museum and in the Weasel and Easel museum store on Amherst Island just west of Kingston.  These museums are closed for the winter season but will open a few days for special Christmas events in early December.  Interested buyers may also purchase directly from me at my home studio.

With the suggestion of ardent knitters and spinners I have been designing and turning Drop Spindles and Wool/Yarn bowls.  

They have become so popular I

have been hard pressed to keep up with the demand.  

A recent suggestion has me turning basis tools for Tapestry weaving.  I need to have a weaver try out these tools before putting them on display.  I like to make sure the are useful as well as having a nice appearance.

New Turnings

For those who are interested in woodturnings, I have updated my web site with a few new items. Some have been made with Manitoba Maple burls. The wood has a very pronounced natural red colour in the grain which is very attractive. One of the items is a fairly large, for me, hollow form vase. Another is a small lidded bowl/box turned from Walnut and Maple.

Recent Turnings

These are some of my latest turnings. I will put them on my web site when I get a chance.

Wood Turning Demonstration

For anyone interested, I will be demonstrating the woodturning process this Sunday, August 30 between 1:00 and 3:00 pm at the McLaughlan Woodworking Museum. This is the last of a summer series of demonstrations offered by members of the Kingston Woodturners' Club in conjunction with the museum.

The museum is located on Hwy 2 about 10 kilometers East of Kingston Ontario in Grass Creek Park on th St. Lawrence River.

There will also be a small display of turned objects which illustrate some of the project designs which can be produced on a woodturning lathe.

So, come on out and enjoy the demonstration, the museum, and the park.

Elm for Bowl Turning

Elm is a pretty good wood for turning, so it would be possible to turn
a nice looking item. It tends to have nice colour and the grain
patterns can be very nice depending on the growth patterns of the tree
and on where the piece of wood was situated within those patterns.
Pictures of the pieces of the tree you have saved would help me suggest some ideas.