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Pittsburgh

R

robo hippy

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Ready to pack up and head out to Pittsburgh at dark thirty in the morning.... Hope to see some of you there.

robo hippy
 
This will be my first symposium. Please forgive if I gawk, stumble and act like the new guy I am. Very much looking forward to it and I hope to make acquaintance with many of the kind folks I have met here.

Doug
 
My flight leaves 8:00am, but to misquote John Paul Jones--I have not yet begun to pack.

Hope to connect some faces to names. I'll be one of the video volunteers; someone please be sure to bring an IV with caffeine 🙂
 
Hy, do you want that IV with Ringer's or without? ☺️

What demo are you working? Did you get your assignments yet?

I'm in youth rooms Friday and Saturday but don't know if they do video in the kids classes.
 
Lauren and I begin driving this afternoon.

Tomorrow night should be very interesting

At 7:00 p.m. she will be attending the Women In Turning meeting.

At the same time, I will be doing a 7 minute presentation as part of Rob Wallace's Gizmos and Gadgets session. I will be talking about using live video in woodturning projects (cool toys!)

I hope to see some of you there.
 
hockenbery said:
Looking forward to a great symposium,
A few of us will be helping out friend Don Doyle in the Rubber Chuckie booth.
Save some time to visit the trade show.

Al
Click to expand...

This is only the 2nd symposium for me. The trade show is one of the highlights for sure. You get to ask questions that you would never be able to otherwise. Last year I met Brent English, Doug Thompson (and Reed) and lots of other people with deep product knowledge and turning experience. Big help to us newbies.

See you there Al. Safe travels everyone!
 
Trade show

I define it as a candy shop/toy store for creative people with solutions for ways to spend money you don't have. It also like being back in time in the hardware store sitting around the potbelly stove playing checkers chewing the fat with old friends and making new. It is the hart and sole of the symposium. To me at least. I will be around the Carter candy shop.
 
I second that.

I drooled over that huge Carter hollowing rig last year. Mucho dinero. Definitely money I don't have!
 
Mark Hepburn said:
Hy, do you want that IV with Ringer's or without? ☺️

What demo are you working? Did you get your assignments yet?

I'm in youth rooms Friday and Saturday but don't know if they do video in the kids classes.
Click to expand...

No ringer's (don't need no stinking buffer 🙂

Kermode, closed panel, Batty, free (prob Ellsworth) first day. Kermode, free (prob Yoder), free (prob Jamieson), Drozda second day. Baker, free (prob Cook), Cook third day.

I also have a shopping list from one of my friends--A CBN wheel, wavy-edge sandpaper rounds, and "wood that I don't think he can resist." 🙂

(I have my own shopping list too, but that's a different topic)
 
🙂

So that's leaded, not unleaded?

I'm looking forward to Steve Kennard's teardrop box, Avelino Samuel's demos and Cindy Drozda's finials. Wish I could attend them all.
 
Mike Gibson said:
I will be turning in the Peachtree Woodworking Booth, stop by and say Hi.

I have shaved off my beard......after looking at my photo.
Click to expand...

Mike,

Will you have one of your fantastic teapots on display there, by chance? Or perhaps one of your Asian bowls?

I order a lot from Peachtree so was planning on going there.
 
Not just lead--give me the thermonuclear stuff :-0

I have Peachtree in my vendor list (along w/ Thompson, I want a 5/8" bowl gouge to go with my 1/2" BG; a 3/16 parting tool; a Oneway Talon chuck adapter (upgrading my Shopsmith to a 1-1/4x8 thread), ...)

So I'll definitely keep an eye out for the Peachtree booth. Rubber chucky too.

p.s. Ran into a bunch of turners on the bus from the Pittsburgh airport to downtown. Told them where to get off :-D
 
Things are taking shape nicely in the Burgh. Spent my day in the youth room and a couple of the demo room. Couple pics.

aaw 1.jpgaaw 2.jpgaaw 3.jpgaaw 4.jpg
 
Five Things I Learned at the 2015 Symposium

Now that the 2015 symposium has wrapped I thought it would be fun to post a few thoughts from a relatively new guy. I learned an awful lot in these few days including these:

  1. Great turners can disagree - It was interesting to see top turners disagree about a number of things from use of chucks, to using green wood, to use of the toolrest. One demonstrator would say "I don't know why anyone would turn green wood" and another would say "I don't know why anyone would turn dry wood". Besides the differing opinions I saw different ways to work. All have great skills, and there may or may not be a "right" and "wrong" way to do things. To me this is a strength and adds to the variety of wood turning. This part is still wide open to me but I find myself gravitating to some ideas more than others.
  2. There are certain truths to better turning - understanding grain direction and working with it, cutting supported fibers will leave a cleaner cut, stance should anticipate the cut you are making, some forms are more pleasing to the eye and they usually follow the same principles found elsewhere in art and nature, you can maximize the use of figure - or mess it up completely with slight changes in mounting - these are but a few ideas discussed in the sessions I attended.
  3. The gallery is inspirational - Holy Cow! There is some truly outstanding work to view and draw inspiration. The use of materials, incredible detail, graceful curves, and the finishing - oh my. So many imaginative pieces in one place, it was a real treat.
  4. Tradeshow is better than Vagas - at removing money from wallets. I filled some gaps and made some upgrades. Looked like everyone was taking advantage of the deals. I also enjoyed talking to folks at the vendor booths and trying out various things. I got a close look at the big lathes as well. I found I have expensive taste...
  5. Woodworkers are wonderful people - I got to have nice conversations with Reed and Mark, both fantastic gentlemen. Spending a bit of time with the folks in my local club was great. They are some talented people and I enjoyed the camaraderie at the banquet dinner. I struck up conversations with quite a few other turners, some of whom lived surprisingly close. To a person they were friendly, open, unpretentious despite skill level, happy to share knowledge and experience, and made me feel right at home. I think you could look the world over and be hard pressed to find a better bunch.

Now to "turn" some of that into experience of my own. Of course the sixth thing I learned is that I have a darned lot to learn!

Doug
 
Douglas Ladendorf said:
. [*]There are certain truths to better turning - understanding grain direction and working with it, cutting supported fibers will leave a cleaner cut, stance should anticipate the cut you are making, some forms are more pleasing to the eye and they usually follow the same principles found elsewhere in art and nature, you can maximize the use of figure - or mess it up completely with slight changes in mounting - these are but a few ideas discussed in the sessions I attended. Now to "turn" some of that into experience of my own. Of course the sixth thing I learned is that I have a darned lot to learn! Doug
Click to expand...

Nice set of principles
Doug we all have a lot to learn regardless and we build on our various foundations.
Manipulating grain and figure separates the special from the ordinary.

Have fun
Al
 
Douglas Ladendorf said:
Now that the 2015 symposium has wrapped I thought it would be fun to post a few thoughts from a relatively new guy. I learned an awful lot in these few days including these:

  1. Great turners can disagree - It was interesting to see top turners disagree about a number of things from use of chucks, to using green wood, to use of the toolrest. One demonstrator would say "I don't know why anyone would turn green wood" and another would say "I don't know why anyone would turn dry wood". Besides the differing opinions I saw different ways to work. All have great skills, and there may or may not be a "right" and "wrong" way to do things. To me this is a strength and adds to the variety of wood turning. This part is still wide open to me but I find myself gravitating to some ideas more than others.
  2. There are certain truths to better turning - understanding grain direction and working with it, cutting supported fibers will leave a cleaner cut, stance should anticipate the cut you are making, some forms are more pleasing to the eye and they usually follow the same principles found elsewhere in art and nature, you can maximize the use of figure - or mess it up completely with slight changes in mounting - these are but a few ideas discussed in the sessions I attended.
  3. The gallery is inspirational - Holy Cow! There is some truly outstanding work to view and draw inspiration. The use of materials, incredible detail, graceful curves, and the finishing - oh my. So many imaginative pieces in one place, it was a real treat.
  4. Tradeshow is better than Vagas - at removing money from wallets. I filled some gaps and made some upgrades. Looked like everyone was taking advantage of the deals. I also enjoyed talking to folks at the vendor booths and trying out various things. I got a close look at the big lathes as well. I found I have expensive taste...
  5. Woodworkers are wonderful people - I got to have nice conversations with Reed and Mark, both fantastic gentlemen. Spending a bit of time with the folks in my local club was great. They are some talented people and I enjoyed the camaraderie at the banquet dinner. I struck up conversations with quite a few other turners, some of whom lived surprisingly close. To a person they were friendly, open, unpretentious despite skill level, happy to share knowledge and experience, and made me feel right at home. I think you could look the world over and be hard pressed to find a better bunch.

Now to "turn" some of that into experience of my own. Of course the sixth thing I learned is that I have a darned lot to learn!

Doug
Click to expand...



Hi Doug.

Well I finally dug out from under a ton of stuff here on my return to work. Things are busy and for those of us in the oilfield that is a welcome sign (although there have been several thousand layoffs due to price drops).

I really am glad we got to meet and chat. I'm looking forward to having lunch in NYC later this year. And for those of you who haven't met Doug, he is a fine gentleman himself. Seriously.

I agree, there was so much to learn that one couldn't possibly take it all in. I'm very happy to have been able to meet and talk with some of the instructors and demonstrators. Joe Ruminski, Larry Miller, Avelino Samuel, Tim Yoder, and on and on. Especially Steven Kennard. I'll be taking a class with him possibly as early as September.

I also got to meet up with Reed again, and I especially enjoyed watchign Al Hockenbery turning perfect spheres while chatting at the Rubber Chucky booth. Al, thanks again for everything!

The trade show is one of the most effective ways to redistribute wealth that I have seen too! Somehow I ended up with a couple of gouges, a bunch of Steve's sanding supplies, a slew of clarinet bell blackwood, and a set of Colt MaxiCut Forstner bits. I'm definitely tool poor now. Life is good!

I also learned that Pittsburgh is a great city with friendly citizens and a really nice downtown. Also, that August Henry's Saloon has a superior local beer, "All in Amber". Very nice.

For me, the most satisfying part was probably the youth room volunteering. The kids were great fun, they're like sponges and we had a good time. And every one of the kids I worked with won a lathe. Lucky kids. I'm still waiting to hear about that Powermatic raffle :-(

Kidding.

Doug, it was great and I hope I got as much out of it as you. Looking forward to meeting up again.

Mark
 
Mark Hepburn said:
...
The trade show is one of the most effective ways to redistribute wealth that I have seen too! Somehow I ended up with a couple of gouges, a bunch of Steve's sanding supplies, a slew of clarinet bell blackwood, and a set of Colt MaxiCut Forstner bits. I'm definitely tool poor now. Life is good!

I also learned that Pittsburgh is a great city with friendly citizens and a really nice downtown. Also, that August Henry's Saloon has a superior local beer, "All in Amber". Very nice.
..
Mark
Click to expand...

I was a repeat customer of Ten Penny, but still a great beer selection. Any time you want to come up North Texas to turn or learn, I am open to it, thanks again - Steve
 
Steve Worcester said:
I was a repeat customer of Ten Penny, but still a great beer selection. Any time you want to come up North Texas to turn or learn, I am open to it, thanks again - Steve
Click to expand...


Ah yes, how could I forget Ten Penny? I walked past it on the way to August Henry's. Couldn't pass it up on the way back...

And my door is open here too Steve. Don't forget that Cocodrie has a great fishing rodeo every year. And Grand Isle has the Tarpon rodeo.
 
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