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Who do you try to emulate ?

RichColvin

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Emiliano Archaval posted this note on a threading discussion.

John Berkeley shows his taps in a wooden handle. Anybody can make an insert an apply CA. Adding an African Blackwood flower with threads to a threaded insert to the lid of a box with hand chased threads, well, that's classy. I have to at least try to make one... Bill Jones chess pieces had an average of 8 threaded parts...

So, thank you Emiliano for the reference of Bill Jones. I’d never heard of him, and did some Internet-based research before finding and ordering his books. Wonderful work, and a great one to emulate.

Who are the other great turners or turner/carvers that you wish to emulate?

Kind regards,
 
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Like John said emulate is a strong word. I think learn from or get ideas for me is a more appropriate term. I look at Jimmy Clewes, Trent Bosch, John Jordan, Jim Piper. Peter Walen, David Ellsworth, and many many more.
 

hockenbery

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I haven’t tried to emulate any particular turner or style.

There are hundreds of turners who have had an influence on how and what I turn

In 1995-6 classes with Liam O’Neil and David Ellsworth had a profound effect on the way I use the bowl gouge.
Liam told me I was holding the gouge too tightly and had me turn the outside of bowl’s one handed.
David told me I was holding the gouge too tightly he had me hollow bowls one handed. I think I got it.
Liam my be the best turner I have seen. David does the best Natural Edge demo I have ever seen.

Trent Bosch - the most creative turner I know. Great teacher, good freind. Got me started in sand carving.

Other major influences came from
- Being able to spend time with
Al Stirt, David Springette, Christian Burchard, Johannes Michelson, Lyle Jamieson, Michael Peterson, Jimmy Clewes, Cindy Drozda, Bonnie Klein, Alan Lacer, John Jordan.

- Hanging with local club members in Maryland: Joe Dickey, Temple Blackwood, David Frye, CA Savoy, Frank Amigo, Sherry Hockenbery, Margaret Lospinuso, Elizabeth Amigo, Phil Brown, Steve Gleasner, Clif Poodry, Susan Schauer, Hilliard Booth, Ed Moore,

- Hanging with local club members in Florida
Ron Browning, Franck Johansen, Rudy Lopez, Don Geiger, Dave Barriger, Sherry Hockenbery, Ted Smith, Glenn Ploekleman, Jim Smith, Cliff Sessions, Don Geiger, Larry Hasiak,

Plus many more I left out.
 
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john lucas

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I'm with Al. There are really too many to name. Certainly a lot of women turners have influence me. Bonnie Klein and Betty Scarpino are at the top of the list.
 
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Seeing David Ellsworth’s work in person was an experience in itself. The forms were simple, yet amazing.

I have his natural edge bowl that he demoed while in his class on display in my living room and I always look at how simple, yet elegant it is. I have it next to my work to see where I need to improve on. Long way to go.

He inspired me to learn to hollow by hand. It is like going back to the basics and build my skills up. How to get clean cuts using the gouge without using too many tools.

I’m still searching for my own style.
 

john lucas

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I should mention 2 other ladies who helped my career tremendously. Mary Lacer and Linda Ferber. They are and were often behind the scenes buy help so many turners by their hard work for the AAW.
 
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I pick up some thing from just about every one I have ever seen.... Some times, mostly You Tube, it is what not to do....

robo hippy
 

John Jordan

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Emiliano Archaval posted this note on a threading discussion.



So, thank you Emiliano for the reference of Bill Jones. I’d never heard of him, and did some Internet-based research before finding and ordering his books. Wonderful work, and a great one to emulate.

Who are the other great turners or turner/carvers that you wish to emulate?

Kind regards,
Bill was a sweet man and so much fun to watch turn. This was the last time I saw him, 2008 I think. Big wood show at Alexander Palace in London.
P2087585.jpg

Stoney Lamar, Robyn Horn, Michael Peterson, Clay Foster, Merryl Saylan, Dave Ellsworth, Al Stirt and many more. I have always wanted the subtlety and feel of Al's work to be present in what I do. Sometimes I get in the neighborhood. :D

John
 
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I admire and get a lot of inspiration from the work from many of the professional turners mentioned. I'm really drawn to the work of Matthew Hill and Mark Gardner. But the word emulate made me smile. I've hosted a few pros at my home when they came to demo for our club. As a person who enjoys studying people, I find some professional creative people can be a bit difficult to warm up to. Conversations can get very one sided, very quickly. I'm sure they could say the exact same thing about me, if they could even remember who I was. So being strongly influenced by their creativity might be a better direction than emulating the artist! LOL
 
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I pick up some thing from just about every one I have ever seen.... Some times, mostly You Tube, it is what not to do....

robo hippy

Uh oh, if you learning from YouTube is a bad idea, then the things I picked up from a couple of your videos must be trouble squared! :D

Joking aside, YouTube has been a great resource. It's pretty easy to tell when people actually have any clue or not, even as a relative beginner. Also, there is tons of quality footage of real pros on there.

Most of my skew technique has come from watching Richard Raffan and Alan Batty videos on YouTube. I think Craft Supplies has a lot of the old Alan Batty videos online, and Fine Woodworking has a few Raffan videos. There are also hours and hours of Stuart Batty turning and sharpening demos.

To say I emulate anyone is not really true, though. I emulate tool presentation and cuts from well known pros and YouTubers, especially when I run into a snag.

Mike Waldt, Sam Angelo, and John Lucas videos have all also given me good tips and tricks, but, embarrassingly, I skip to the close ups of tools on wood, and frequently am on mute (downtime at the day job :rolleyes:)
 
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While there are a number of turners whose work I am interested in, more often I respond to individual pieces rather than following specific turners. Often it is "how was that done?" which catches my attention. This generally leads to trying to work out a process. In most cases I still don't know how what intrigued me was originally done -- the last several turners whose work prompted my interest don't seem to have videos or descriptions posted of their methods. That simply makes it more interesting and entertaining. One of my primary sources of enjoyment in turning is problem solving, whether working out an new idea or trying to figure out how someone else did something.

In other cases, a process may be interesting, but applied in a different way. A lot of what I have done recently is multiaxis or offset. I did a class with Derek Weidman a couple years ago -- my most important takeaway from his class was his underlying approach to turning.

And some of my most important influences, including the original impulse to take up turning, come from anonymous and long-dead traditional turners in other parts of the world.
 

Emiliano Achaval

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Bill was a sweet man and so much fun to watch turn. This was the last time I saw him, 2008 I think. Big wood show at Alexander Palace in London.
View attachment 27598

Stoney Lamar, Robyn Horn, Michael Peterson, Clay Foster, Merryl Saylan, Dave Ellsworth, Al Stirt and many more. I have always wanted the subtlety and feel of Al's work to be present in what I do. Sometimes I get in the neighborhood. :D

John
John, you will have to tell me all about Bill Jones!! He's definitely made a big impression on me. I admire his writing style tremendously. It's truly an honor and very humbling when I think that I'm working for the same magazine that made Bill extra famous and brought him to the masses. His articles about hand chasing threads are excellent. I also have too many people to mention to thank them for influencing me in my never-ending woodturning journey. Also, I have learned that just because a person might be a beginner turner doesn't mean he doesn't have anything to offer. I have learned from everyone that has come thru my shop, regardless of their experience. Some have more to offer than others.
Ron Kent told me when he was asked in his younger days who influenced him, he said no one. Later, he thought that was wrong. He said we are influenced every day, by all kind of things, events, persons, things we see. A walk on the beach would bring an idea...
 

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I just came back in from the shop for a bite to eat......and, I was wondering about that word "emulate", and how it applies to it's application in this thread. Suppose two turners have similarities, but no knowledge of each other......does that mean they "emulate" each other.....?????

Or, does the word, as used here imply "copying", or borrowing from someone else's style, or techniques?

-----odie-----
 

Bill Boehme

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I think that the consensus is that "emulate" isn't a good word to describe our learning behavior. I agree with the observation that everyone and everything we encounter becomes a part of our learning process to some degree. It didn't take me long to understand that touching a hot stove was a bad idea.

To respond to Odie's question, I would say no because a deliberate act is required. The dictionary definitions say it means to equal or exceed the accomplishments of another person by imitating them.
 
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I think he means someone who impressed you and/or follow his approach/turnings. For example, if you like John Jordan’s carved hollow forms and you decide you want to make such turnings and similar vessels or approach to turning. You may have strived for completely different results, but his work influenced or insprired you to come up with your version of it.
 

RichColvin

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I’ve watched this thread, and hear the concern. But I looked up how Merrimam-Webster defines “emulate” (apologies for the size of the screen capture) :

F44E8A4B-933A-474D-BC87-4A6F5B841D2A.jpeg

There are some whom I’d love to be considered equal to ... but I have a long way to go to get that good and that creative.

So, yes, I believe emulate is the right word.

Kind regards,
Rich
 

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Bill Boehme

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In that case I would give the same answer as Odie ... Nobody. While I learn from interaction with other turners, my aim is use what I have learned to chart my own course rather than being somebody's clone.
 
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