The Wood Turning Center

The Wood Turning Center in Philadelphia PA is a gallery, store and education center that promotes the art and craft of wood turning. Last week, I had the opportunity to visit. I arrived on Monday at Philadelphia International Airport less than 10 minutes away. The closer I got, the more excited I became about this opportunity to get up close to pieces created by artists and masterpieces from around the world.

As I approached the building, beautiful waves of grain were peeking out each window straining to be noticed. A force field of interest slowed my body as I continued around the corner to the front door. My hand reached for the door, my foot on the stoop and then my world stopped cold the knob wouldn’t turn. Did I fall into a parallel universe, what was wrong?

After a few moments of confusion I noted the hours listed on the door… Closed on Mondays. Closed on Mondays? How could this be, I was devastated. Bewildered, I headed back the way I came. With sadness I looked longingly into the window and saw not a bowl but an angel. A lady was looking back at me with a questioning face, mouthing words I could not read. She began heading toward the door. I felt bad for interrupting, leaning back around the corner again as she opened the door I quickly explained that I simply had no idea they were closed on Monday.

Unlike any other retail establishments, museums, or government offices she did not send me away, she offered to let me in. At first I declined, but my refusal was quickly overridden. It was Tina LeCoff, wife of Albert the Executive Director of the Wood Turning Center.

I still cannot believe that a non-profit organization was providing a level of service that most for profit companies wouldn’t dream of!

Amazingly, though closed, Tina proceeded to give me a guided tour of the Center. She highlighted several pieces that were special to her. When I focused on a piece that caught my eye, Tina would convey a wealth of information. For each piece she not only knew about the artist but was able to convey the story behind the piece; what inspired the artist or the technical aspects of how it was made.

This platter hanging on the wall with an Indian basket weave design in black and white. No label and no name was posted nearby, I assumed it was a David Nittmann. Tina corrected me; this was a piece made by Lincoln Seitzman.

It was about this point that I inquired if it was OK to take pictures of a few pieces. Tina confirmed pictures were OK but only with the condition that I could not copy what I photograph.

To my, very limited, knowledge I have never seen a Nittmann that was an exact copy of a Seitzman, but I found the warning ironic immediately following a discussion of two artists that had such similar approaches.

Truth is I would be amazed if I could copy even a fraction of the work I observed at The Wood Turning Center. But is not imitation the sincerest form of flattery? This being said, we must recognize that anyone that copies an artists work and furthermore tries to pass it off as an original or even attempts to profit off the effort is immoral, if not illegal. But does this mean that aspiring artists should not try to duplicate techniques or explore the styles of those that have proceeded them?

Art dates back to the caves of our earliest ancestors, are all animals drawn since not a variation of these originals? It has been said that all literature can be distilled down to one of 7 basic plots, is not every story written since a variation of these originals? The Greeks has about 20 different styles of vases, are not all vases made since a variation on these originals?

If an aspiring artist is not permitted to mimic what they see in others works, how can one build skills and learn new techniques? Is it OK for a beginner, novice or even a person with expertise to adapt or even copy the approach of another artist? Is copying flattery or fraud?

Please take a moment to leave your thoughts, click on the comments link below.

The life I lead rarely permits an opportunity to participate in such events. Not 5 miles from my house on every third Wednesday a local chapter of AAW meets. Most of these nights I find myself in another city. On the rare occasion I have found myself at home I have simply spaced it.

Don’t get me wrong, I would love to attend. I want to see the work of others because it is an opportunity to learn and be inspired. Twice in the last year I have been lucky enough to be in the same town and had the freedom of attending an AAW chapter club meeting as a guest. They are wonderful and highly recommended.

However with few or no opportunities to inspect another’s work how do you judge the quality and finish of your own turning?

I relish these opportunities. Occasionally I will find a turning in a gallery or gift shop and cannot help but to pick it up and examine the details. How a foot was sized in proportion to a bowl or to feel the overall shape in my hand.

What would be really nice is the opportunity to examine several pieces made by our crafts masters.

What might we find? Would we find perfection in shape and finish? This is what I have always thought. At least until I happened upon a display at the Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport that was sponsored by the City of Atlanta Department of Aviation Art Program.

Pictured on the right is a piece by Davit Ellsworth. How can we not be impressed by what he has done for our craft, the knowledge he has shared and effort to support and promote woodturning as a whole? I’ve admired many pieces of his that have been featured in industry magazines and on the internet but having the opportunity to look closely at a piece was enlightening.

Note the tool marks on the inside of this vessel. Based on my relatively limited experience I consider how this piece would have turned out on my lathe at my hands. Honestly, I couldn’t have done better; but how much worse? I’ll never know the answer to that .

Another piece I had the pleasure to review was one by Rude Osolnik. Coincidentally, it was my desire to purchase a bowl made by Rude that inspired my first sale. My wife had taken the understandable position that I couldn’t bring any more bowls into the house until I could find another home for some of the ones I had made. Unfortunately, by the time I had sold a few, the piece I wanted was long gone.

Rude is by some accounts the first modern day woodturning master. His work has been widely sought after by collectors for decades. For me it was an honor just to be near a piece of his work. In reviewing this lovely natural edge bowl I found music. It was nicely proportioned. The curve was near perfection with an elegant transition into the foot. Looking closely however I noted that the thickness was not uniform.

Again, as a turner I must consider how my work compares. Frankly I have turned many natural edge bowls and only rarely have I managed a uniform thickness.

Have you ever heard the saying that “an artist is often his own worst critic?” While I have a hard time considering myself an artist, I am certainly critical of my work. For every piece I put on display or list for sale there are maybe another 6-10 that I refuse to let be seen in the light of day. Seeing the works pictured and others in the exhibit I am left to consider am I just being too critical of my or even of others work? No doubt the work of David Ellsworth and Rude Osolnik is among the most beautiful I have seen. Should it matter that there are some imperfections? After all by its very nature woods inconsistency is in large part what provides the beauty within?

You must be a turner or lover of turned wood if you’ve bothered to read through this post. Please take a moment to comment below and leave your thoughts about quality and perfectionism in turned wood. Should a collector expect perfection? Is perfection in turned wood possible including tools marks and inconsistency? Is the art not in the details but in the overall presentation of the piece?

MyTurningShop is now an affiliate of Highland Hardware. Why? Highland Hardware has earned my business and my support.

We are all aware of Rockler, Woodcraft, Packard, and PennState to name a few of the many. Honestly, I’ve used them all and will probably use them again… occasionally.

If you have never checked them out however, there is another player you must take a look at: Highland Hardware 

I was first acquainted with Highland when I lived in California several years ago. At the time there were not as many vendors selling woodturning tools and few had the inventory breadth that Highland Hardware had.

Yes the big guys had lathes and gouges and a few other accessories. But face it, the woodturning world has exploded in the last few years. Through it all and long before Highland was already there. They have the inventory, the knowledge and the experience to help you turn more and turn better.

What really sold me on Highland was an experience that my wife had, not me.

In 2006, my wife wanted to get me a present for my new hobby of Turning. I had made one excited comment to her about how you could use the lathe to do metal spinning (forming of metal cylindrical components on the lathe).

Wanting to do something special she pulled one of Highland Hardware’s catalogs and made a call. As I understand it, the associate at Highland was not only understanding about her ignorance of turning but he took substantial time to make sure there was understanding of the tools she was expressing interest in, the costs associated and provided the additional guidance to ensure I had samples of metal discs and lubricant necessary to start spinning right out if the box.

To this day I’ve not been successful spinning metal. But I assure you it’s not the tools, it’s all in my technique or lack thereof.

Since then I’ve used Highland many times. They have a great website, superb staff, and a great supply of everything you may need and much more. Most of all, I love their catalog. It’s not one of those overpriced full color regurgitations of the tool suppliers stock photos and ad copy. It’s obvious that Highland’s catalog is built by people that take the time to learn about the tools they sell. Highland’s catalog is entertaining and inspiring; you will love it and learn from it.

Click on any Highland Link from this website. By doing so, you will not only acquaint yourself with the best turning supplier there is, you will also support MyTurningShop in the process.

And… If you ever find yourself in the Atlanta area or even close, I assure you the trip to their store is worth the experience. Crazy, I know, I once flew from Washington D.C. just because I had to see the store personally. It was worth every mile travelled. Part old world small town hardware store atmosphere, part Disneyland for adults that love woodworking. The company’s history dates back to the late 1800’s and played a part in the creation of CocaCola!

Today’s woodcraft, minus all the fancy power equipment, is much the same as it was in the 1800’s. Individual’s working mostly alone through diverse challenges of how to turn chunks of wood into beautiful artwork, functional furniture or anything else.

This journey of creation often requires the application of an accumulation of skills, a mix of innovation, a variety of tools and a few jigs and fixtures.

Jigs and Fixtures were a natural part of production environments prior to mass production and the industrial revolution. Once the production of products was broken down into individual steps and stretched along a production line the workers no longer had the need to work through development of the product and the natural creative experience of developing the process and the jigs to make it all possible.

It is often in the experience gained building one jig that ideas are sparked and other jigs and fixtures are imagined. Each improvement leads to increased quality. Each new innovation leads to increased productivity.

The mass production environment limits exposure to the opportunities of developing the skills necessary to create, improve and innovate.

How many jobs have you had in your life? How often have you been told to just “do your job”, “nose to the grindstone”, “don’t rock the boat”.

Have you ever had a boss that challenged you to not only do your job but to improve your job each day? Imagine how much more enjoyable a job would be if you were not only allowed but encouraged to figure out how to do your job better, faster and with higher quality.

hmmm… sounds kind of like a day in the shop.

Over 3,000 people just like you have viewed this blog. How about sharing a little? What Jig or Fixture have you felt most proud of? Click on the comments link at the bottom of this post and share with us.

Humans so often develop tunnel vision towards the world around them. Over time they neglect to see the opportunities that exist. We become de-synthesized to problems and opportunities. We begin to accept them as the norm, when to others they may not be. We are blinded to the inefficiency we create for ourselves.

Case in point, while flying home from a business trip the Delta gate agent announced a delayed departure. Not unusual for the routine traveler, but then she went on to say, “You all know how these MD-80’s are prone to these problems. I will update you on the status as soon as I can”.

For the gate agent, spending every workday at the airport handling MD-80’s, maybe this is a routine occurrence. But no matter how much I fly, these are not words I want to hear! If true, this is a big problem for Delta, but it seems their associates simply accept it as the status quo.

Imagine how much Delta has spent trying to market themselves as a safe and reliable airline. In a couple short announcements, one associtate ruined all that effort for hundreds of people within earshot, not to mention how many of those people, like myself, will pass along this story.

This made me reflect however on the things that are wrong or inefficient in my own world. And what has been the impact on my life? How many extra hours have I spend over the decades looking for a specific drill bit because I didn’t have them all organized and stored in a central location?

I use to face this when looking for a drill bit.

Today, I know where to find exactly what I need.

How often did I pull out the wrong lathe gouge?

Now there is a place for everything and everything is in its place.

I’m proud of the progress I have made, but there is so much more. The more I improve, the more I organize, the more I find to change and improve. I too have a million more steps to go, but I am glad to be on the journey.

A fellow associate once said that learning to apply lean will “ruin” you. Because the more you learn to see the waste and inefficiency in the way you and others do things the more waste you will learn to see.

Not a day goes by now that I don’t see some form a waste in my life or in companies that I do business with. We are surrounded by waste and inefficiencies.

But given the choice to be ignorant of the opportunity, and being lost in lean; I’ll take lost, but with the ability to see. While all others blindly wallow in their inefficiency, I can enjoy the great benefits to a lean journey and the improvements that are experienced in one’s life, making everything you do more organized, higher quality and faster.

If you haven’t checked out The Woodturning Center yet, do so….

But first… you may be interested in a lathe that floats on air

or

A better way to glue up segmented turnings

or

Improved dust collection at the lathe

or

Discover better ways to do almost anything in the shop with lean management

Will a full belly, the afternoon at the Woodturning Center was like being in heaven on steroids. Two of my favorite things, Cheesesteak and wood!

During my visit the exhibit on display was Challenge IV – dysFUNctional – For a lover of turned objects maybe not the best exhibit to see but I must admit it caused one to think, think about design and function or lack thereof and definitely about technique.

Some pieces cannot be described, some should not have been shown. However others were pure inspiration. Bihn Pho and Joey Richardson definitely won my award for detail. Their “House of Gelkandar” was exquisite!

“House of Gelkandar”

Robert Elsworth’s “E. Dysfunctional” pool cue of returned visions of my favorite painter Dali.

“E. Dysfunctional”

“Cor Blimey” was a combo physical and audio visual presentation that stopped me in my tracks. I was left mesmerized considering the overwhelming amount of hard labor it represented.

“Cor Blimey”

There were several others that any turner would surely appreciate, like the ”Folding Bowl” by Robert Sutter, The “Happy Dog” wirligig by Ron Fleming, Dewey Garrett’s ”Bowl (Some Assembly Required)” and Michael Brolly’s “Ghosts of the Hand of the Fathers that Rocked the Cradle”

In the entrance lobby however there were dozens of turnings and miscellanous creations of artists, many well known, some I’d never heard of. Beautiful pieces, some delicate, some stout. Obviously many more than deserved to have their work on display in such a fine establishment. However, a number of pieces also revealed a lack of quality that was surprising. Turner’s work that I have drooled over in the craft magazines in real life turned out to be much less refined than I would have ever suspected. Tool marks missed during finishing, gouge marks, tearout and sanding marks. Some appeared embellished simply to cover errors while others were simply ruined.

By no means do I feel my work is on the same level of the great professional turner’s that we have all aspired to, but it certainly made me recognize that the skills and attention to detail of may “novice” turner’s is better than we may think.

On the one hand I was surprised and disappointed that The Woodturning Center would display “rookie” pieces next to such fine pieces of art. But as I continued to consider my experience, thoughts and feelings from my visit I realized that The Woodturning Center continues to succeed in their mission to “grow, encourage, and enhance individuals creating in art.”

Only by seeing both the good and the bad, the normal and the abnormal, the rough and the refined can we truly learn.

Before leaving I had the distinct pleasure to also meet Albert LeCoff. He is a fine individual dedicated to his passion and helping to create a better world of woodturning for all of us. If you have the chance, stop in for a visit. Visit or not, please recognize that The Woodturning Center is a Not-For-Profit organization. Please contribute to keep this excellent organization alive and strong!

Serranoave helped support The Woodturning Center, he linked to my etsy site here. Serranoave purchased  one piece and in return I donated 100% of the proceeds to The Woodturning Center in his name. Serranoave is now a member of The Woodturning Center. He will recieve Turning Points, The Woodturning Centers annual publication, 10% discount on books, publications and DVD’s, Invitations to exhibit openings and discounted rates for conferences and workshops.