Odie is in a world of his own when it comes to the pieces he makes. Pictures just don't do them justice, you have to see one in person. He did one out of black and white ebony a while back and he did comment about cracking problems with this particular wood, and I just had to have it. I do not have many collected pieces, but his is a prize!
I do hope some day he documents how he makes his pieces.
robo hippy
Thank you very much for your great comments, Robo.
Yes....you are one of those on these AAW forums who have examples of my bowls.....and, coming from the old school master turner that you are,
these comments are especially appreciated.
For years, I have been speaking of some of the most important concepts that enable me to produce my bowls. It would be impossible to make videos, tutorials, etc., of things like "spiritual turning", or "seeing the curve", or turning like powered sanding doesn't exist, or seeking the most vibration free lathe RPM are paramount.....but, these things are among the mental and physically related aspects I concentrate on to get that very illusive perfect cut. It's not something you can teach, but I'm sure that my ramblings on these things have influenced a few other turners over the past couple decades of attempting to explain them.
For many other very good turners, I wonder how I'm taken....when I explain that after years of trying to "go with the flow of the herd" in woodturning through experimenting with or analyzing things like exotic steels, CBN, Ellsworth style grinds, and so on......I have gone back to my roots, and nearly completely abandoned them.....As a result, I have embraced "old school" basic lathe tools, frangible grinding wheels, honing cutting edges by hand, and more things that the turning world was doing 50 or 100 years ago. To my way of thinking, your grandpa had everything he needed to produce the same things I'm making today......
the only difference is the "turning mentality" can be advanced considerably. (I can hear it now....."odie is so full of it!")
I do have some specialized tools that I have designed and built myself, but those have nothing to do with the quality of the cut I can achieve. Those tools, I feel are patent-able, and I may offer them to others, someday. In the meantime, the one and only thing I'm interested in, is producing the very best I can, while I'm still living and breathing on this earth. Since making money is distantly secondary to my goals in life, I don't expect that everyone can truly grasp this concept......but, to me.....these goals mean everything.....
and are what ultimately drives my personal soul search.
-o-
.
