A few years ago, my friend Ann and I decided to enroll in a lathe class with Jimmy Clewes. You remember Ann - we've done some fun things together - like going to the Star Trek convention here in town.
She'd been wanting to learn to use the lathe, and I needed to brush up on my skills, so we took a two day class with Jimmy. If you're not familiar with Jimmy - let me just say that he's probably one of the best wood turners on the planet. He travels the world giving demonstrations, classes and lectures, and his work is some of the most creative turnings you'll see.
On top of that - he's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. So I'm thrilled to announce that he's coming to my shop this coming Wednesday, July 16, for demonstration at this month's Sin City Woodworkers meeting. I've been trying to get him to do a demo at my shop for years!
When I attended Jimmy's class, I made this beautiful bowl on the first day. It's made of Ash, and we used various aniline dyes to create the gorgeous colors on the rim.
But the project on the second day was spectacular. I started with this base, leaving the corners square. If you're not careful - those corners can smack your knuckles while you're turning it. (I left his shop with more than a couple of bruises!)
Then I made the small lid
and wound up with this.
This piece was spectacular, if I do say so myself!
In fact - when I brought this piece to my shop, the very first person who saw it bought it from me. It never even made it to my house! I don't consider myself a wood turner at all - I just fool around with it from time to time, because it's fun. But I swear - taking a class from Jimmy will jump start your lathe skills beyond your wildest imagination.
If you're free this Wednesday - stop by the school and watch Jimmy do his magic. You won't regret it. The meeting starts at 7:00, and I'd recommend that you bring a chair - the shop is going to be packed!
No comments:
Post a Comment