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This article ran in the April 16 Tampa Trib.
It is a great promotion of woodturning built around quotes from avid turners.
getting in print helps all of us who turn wood whether our objective is fun or profit. Spread the word!
The article is in the attached PDF and in the text below.
Enjoy,
Al
By B.C. MANION
The Tampa Tribune
Published: April 16, 2008
Updated:
LUTZ - It can start out as a stump of ligustrum, a branch of sycamore or a chunk of African black wood and wind up as a bowl, a birdhouse or a decorative box.
The possibilities are endless - and that's what inspires the 96 men and women who belong to Tri-County Woodturners, a club that meets monthly at the Lutz Community Center.
Pat Hess, a member who lives in Town 'N Country, said sometimes she'll start out with the notion of making a vase, but as she's turning the wood she'll find that it's really better suited for a goblet or a bowl.
"I let the wood dictate to me what we're going to make," Hess said. "Mother Nature tells me."
Joe Rodriguez of Twin Branch Acres said he got hooked on wood turning because it satisfies his creative urges.
Jim Smith of St. Petersburg enjoys working with his hands and making things that combine beauty and utility.
Although Hess, Rodriguez and Smith are experienced wood turners, the club is open to anyone who has an interest in the craft.
The inaugural meeting of Tri-County Woodturners happened nearly a decade ago, on the back porch of Glenn Ploeckelmann's home on Friendship Lane in Lutz.
There were five men at that first gathering - Ploeckelmann, Adam Bugan, Gene Tyner, Charlie Mount and Carroll Robins.
The club originally drew from Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties but has since branched out - with members coming from at least a half-dozen counties.
They drive pickups, compact cars, SUVs and luxury sedans to the club's meeting the first Wednesday of each month to spend time with others who talk their talk.
Members range in age from 18 to the mid-80s, and although the group is mostly men, in recent years there have been an increasing number of women.
They share techniques, pass along tool tips and bring in items they have made to show other club members.
The wood turners are a generous lot, Hess said. If they discover a better way to do something or run across a useful tool, they spread the word.
"There are no secrets," she said. "It's an open book."
Each meeting features a demonstration.
At April's meeting, members watched with rapt attention as Rodriguez showed them how to transform a chunk of wood into a goblet.
Rodriguez shared pointers on safe practices in the workshop and passed along tips on tools and techniques.
Members could easily see what he was doing because a camera operator caught the action and projected it onto a big screen.
Rodriguez told club members that there are times you can be frugal in wood turning and times when you shouldn't scrimp.
You don't need top-of-the-line tools, he said, but you shouldn't reuse sandpaper.
"Use it sandpaper like someone else is paying for it. Once sandpaper is used, its characteristics are forever altered."
Ploeckelmann never tires of watching wood-turning demonstrations.
No matter how many times he's seen something done, he often picks up something new. He may find out about a tool, or notice a nuance in technique.
Like many pursuits, wood turning can be expensive.
Hess estimates she's spent thousands of dollars on her equipment. She has four lathes and about 20 wood-turning tools.
But it's not necessary to be wealthy to get into the craft, Ploeckelmann said.
Club members come from all walks in life. There is a politician, a payroll clerk and a professional photographer. There are electricians, truckers and lawyers.
Ploeckelmann got his start 14 years ago with a pen kit he received as a gift and a lathe he borrowed from a friend.
Tools can be simple or sophisticated.
To get started, though, a wood turner needs access to a lathe, a bowl gouge, a scraper, a parting tool and some wood, Ploeckelmann said.
Wood can be pricey but doesn't have to be.
Club members often share leads on free wood. They will find out about someone who wants to get rid of a felled tree and will get a group together to go out to cut up and cart off the wood.
Hess said members prefer to cut up the tree themselves because they know the cuts that work best for them.
Sometimes, the free wood comes from just next door.
Ploeckelmann recently finished a bowl that came from a stump of ligustrum that a neighbor gave to him.
Like many wood-turning enthusiasts, Ploeckelmann enjoys working with a variety of woods and has amassed a collection of planks, chunks, branches and stumps.
He gets a thrill as he chips away at wood to reveal its inner beauty.
Ploeckelmann wants to pass along the enjoyment of wood turning to a new generation of crafters.
That desire prompted the group to contribute lathes and tools and to share their knowledge with a wood-turners club at Sickles High School
Most wood turners have only one regret, Hess said. They wish they had started younger.
TRI-COUNTY WOODTURNERS
WHAT: This organization, which is a chapter of the American Woodturners Association, is a group of men and women who enjoy creating practical and decorative items by turning wood.
WHERE: Meets at Lutz Community Center, 98 First Ave. N.W., Lutz
WHEN: 7 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month
COST: Annual dues are $20 per family.
INFORMATION: Call (813) 948-2264 or go to www .tricountywoodturners.org.
Reporter B.C. Manion can be reached at (813) 865-1507 or bmanion@tampatrib.com.
It is a great promotion of woodturning built around quotes from avid turners.
getting in print helps all of us who turn wood whether our objective is fun or profit. Spread the word!
The article is in the attached PDF and in the text below.
Enjoy,
Al
By B.C. MANION
The Tampa Tribune
Published: April 16, 2008
Updated:
LUTZ - It can start out as a stump of ligustrum, a branch of sycamore or a chunk of African black wood and wind up as a bowl, a birdhouse or a decorative box.
The possibilities are endless - and that's what inspires the 96 men and women who belong to Tri-County Woodturners, a club that meets monthly at the Lutz Community Center.
Pat Hess, a member who lives in Town 'N Country, said sometimes she'll start out with the notion of making a vase, but as she's turning the wood she'll find that it's really better suited for a goblet or a bowl.
"I let the wood dictate to me what we're going to make," Hess said. "Mother Nature tells me."
Joe Rodriguez of Twin Branch Acres said he got hooked on wood turning because it satisfies his creative urges.
Jim Smith of St. Petersburg enjoys working with his hands and making things that combine beauty and utility.
Although Hess, Rodriguez and Smith are experienced wood turners, the club is open to anyone who has an interest in the craft.
The inaugural meeting of Tri-County Woodturners happened nearly a decade ago, on the back porch of Glenn Ploeckelmann's home on Friendship Lane in Lutz.
There were five men at that first gathering - Ploeckelmann, Adam Bugan, Gene Tyner, Charlie Mount and Carroll Robins.
The club originally drew from Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties but has since branched out - with members coming from at least a half-dozen counties.
They drive pickups, compact cars, SUVs and luxury sedans to the club's meeting the first Wednesday of each month to spend time with others who talk their talk.
Members range in age from 18 to the mid-80s, and although the group is mostly men, in recent years there have been an increasing number of women.
They share techniques, pass along tool tips and bring in items they have made to show other club members.
The wood turners are a generous lot, Hess said. If they discover a better way to do something or run across a useful tool, they spread the word.
"There are no secrets," she said. "It's an open book."
Each meeting features a demonstration.
At April's meeting, members watched with rapt attention as Rodriguez showed them how to transform a chunk of wood into a goblet.
Rodriguez shared pointers on safe practices in the workshop and passed along tips on tools and techniques.
Members could easily see what he was doing because a camera operator caught the action and projected it onto a big screen.
Rodriguez told club members that there are times you can be frugal in wood turning and times when you shouldn't scrimp.
You don't need top-of-the-line tools, he said, but you shouldn't reuse sandpaper.
"Use it sandpaper like someone else is paying for it. Once sandpaper is used, its characteristics are forever altered."
Ploeckelmann never tires of watching wood-turning demonstrations.
No matter how many times he's seen something done, he often picks up something new. He may find out about a tool, or notice a nuance in technique.
Like many pursuits, wood turning can be expensive.
Hess estimates she's spent thousands of dollars on her equipment. She has four lathes and about 20 wood-turning tools.
But it's not necessary to be wealthy to get into the craft, Ploeckelmann said.
Club members come from all walks in life. There is a politician, a payroll clerk and a professional photographer. There are electricians, truckers and lawyers.
Ploeckelmann got his start 14 years ago with a pen kit he received as a gift and a lathe he borrowed from a friend.
Tools can be simple or sophisticated.
To get started, though, a wood turner needs access to a lathe, a bowl gouge, a scraper, a parting tool and some wood, Ploeckelmann said.
Wood can be pricey but doesn't have to be.
Club members often share leads on free wood. They will find out about someone who wants to get rid of a felled tree and will get a group together to go out to cut up and cart off the wood.
Hess said members prefer to cut up the tree themselves because they know the cuts that work best for them.
Sometimes, the free wood comes from just next door.
Ploeckelmann recently finished a bowl that came from a stump of ligustrum that a neighbor gave to him.
Like many wood-turning enthusiasts, Ploeckelmann enjoys working with a variety of woods and has amassed a collection of planks, chunks, branches and stumps.
He gets a thrill as he chips away at wood to reveal its inner beauty.
Ploeckelmann wants to pass along the enjoyment of wood turning to a new generation of crafters.
That desire prompted the group to contribute lathes and tools and to share their knowledge with a wood-turners club at Sickles High School
Most wood turners have only one regret, Hess said. They wish they had started younger.
TRI-COUNTY WOODTURNERS
WHAT: This organization, which is a chapter of the American Woodturners Association, is a group of men and women who enjoy creating practical and decorative items by turning wood.
WHERE: Meets at Lutz Community Center, 98 First Ave. N.W., Lutz
WHEN: 7 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month
COST: Annual dues are $20 per family.
INFORMATION: Call (813) 948-2264 or go to www .tricountywoodturners.org.
Reporter B.C. Manion can be reached at (813) 865-1507 or bmanion@tampatrib.com.
