Jamie Straw

[Jamie Straw]

Greetings, woodturners, Jamie here and happy to enter the fold of AAW. I was a member several years ago, had been turning for a year or so, when another activity consumed all my time and my woodworking shop sat completely neglected. In May, I closed out my 35-year horse training/teaching activities (after 2 near-death experiences ) and started cleaning up the shop and getting the tools back in order. On my Jet 12/36, I'm planning to re-learn the basics, and take advantage of all the free wood here in the Puget Sound area, making bowls, wine stoppers, and whatever else comes to mind. Looking forward to learning from the members here! (And I'll re-up my membership too. ) Classification: almost newbie -- in remedial training.

 

[john lucas]

It's like riding a horse, or is that a bicycle. Anyway welcome back. Hope you have as much fun as we do.

 

[Jamie Straw]

Thanks, John, I'm already having fun. A bit impatient, though, to be able to produce something. Fortunately, there's a bunch of cherry and maple tree-fall available for me to practice on (it's like music -- running through the parts of a difficult piece before being able to put it all together). Sharpening was a challenge before, so it's something I'm spending a lot of time on to get right. The wood tells me when it's not!

 

[Hu Lowery]

sharpening, turning, training horses

Thanks, John, I'm already having fun. A bit impatient, though, to be able to produce something. Fortunately, there's a bunch of cherry and maple tree-fall available for me to practice on (it's like music -- running through the parts of a difficult piece before being able to put it all together). Sharpening was a challenge before, so it's something I'm spending a lot of time on to get right. The wood tells me when it's not!

Jamie,

Sharpening is first and foremost about having the right set-up if you want to make it easy. With the CBN wheels, Wolverine jigs and fixtures, maybe the Raptor alignment gauges, all that is left is soft hands. The same soft hands to train a horse make wood turning easy and sharpening easy. A bit slow realizing it myself but soft hands make most things a lot easier!

Hu

 

[Bill Boehme]

Welcome back, Jamie. I think that John Lucas has some videos on sharpening. Also, the AAW has a sharpening video. As Hu said, a soft touch gives a sharp tool. It's not like sharpening lawnmower blades.

 

[Gil Jones]

Hi Jamie,
Welcome on board, enjoy your relearning, and be safe.
Gil Jones

 

[john lucas]

Jamie Look at my sharpening videos and hopefully they will help. The one on sharpening problems is the most popular. Go you www.youtube.com and type in john60lucas/sharpening and it will bring them up. Hopefully they will help.

 

[John Torchick]

Welcome back.

 

[Jamie Straw]

Jamie,

Sharpening is first and foremost about having the right set-up if you want to make it easy. With the CBN wheels, Wolverine jigs and fixtures, maybe the Raptor alignment gauges, all that is left is soft hands. The same soft hands to train a horse make wood turning easy and sharpening easy. A bit slow realizing it myself but soft hands make most things a lot easier!

Hu

Yes, I'm working on the soft hands (have the accessories noted) -- unfortunately, these hands have spent as many hours bucking hay and building fences as riding, and they're inclined toward a death-grip if I don't concentrate.

 

[Jamie Straw]

Welcome back, Jamie. I think that John Lucas has some videos on sharpening. Also, the AAW has a sharpening video. As Hu said, a soft touch gives a sharp tool. It's not like sharpening lawnmower blades.

Now that you mention it, I think I have the AAW DVD, will have to check on the bookshelf. Thanks!

 

[Jamie Straw]

Thanks John! and you too, John! It is good to be back. Haven't had time to turn on the lathe for the last two days, but determined to get it spinning tomorrow

 

[john lucas]

Jamie I used to be a gymnast and rockclimber (as well as moving my fair share of hay bales). You learn to relax your grip when you turn regularly and get used to how the tool cuts. I also had what we call a white knuckle grip at first. Now I think you could almost hold an egg between my hand and handle. A relaxed grip lets you feel the cut better and helps keep you from forcing or pushing the cut.

 

[Mark Hepburn]

Jamie,

Welcome to the forum. I'm pretty new here too and can tell you that there's a bunch of great folks here and you'll be glad you joined.

Like John, I can hold an egg between my hand and handle. Of course, it has to be a petrified egg!

 

[Dean Center]

Welcome back, Jamie. Two thoughts--The Woodturning Club in Olympia is hosting a seminar with Richard Raffan (www.woodturnersofolympia.org), I believe it's in July, and the Port Townsend School of Woodworking (www.ptwoodschool.org) has both basic woodturning and turning bowls classes with the always delightful Bonnie Klein. Not exactly your end of the Sound, but not that far, either, and they're both world class turners and teachers.

 

[Douglas Ladendorf]

Welcome back Jamie. I had to ask myself how you managed to escape the vortex, but then it hit me; another vortex! I hope you get time now to enjoy developing your craft.

Doug

 

[Hu Lowery]

horses cured most of my vices!

Welcome back Jamie. I had to ask myself how you managed to escape the vortex, but then it hit me; another vortex! I hope you get time now to enjoy developing your craft.

Doug

Seems like Jamie was already past the horses when sucked into something else but owning six or eight horses cured all of my other vices. There wasn't time or money left over for anything else!

Hu

 

[Bill Boehme]

Seems like Jamie was already past the horses when sucked into something else but owning six or eight horses cured all of my other vices. There wasn't time or money left over for anything else!

Hu

You should try owning an airplane if you want to see a real bottomless pit. After the annual/100 hour airframe and engine inspections, IFR certifications, avionics certifications, unscheduled maintenance, tires, batteries, fuel, insurance, hanger rental, navigation charts, pilot physicals, pilot check rides, and other stuff, there's enough money left over to splurge on a couple hot dogs on two-for-1 night at Sonic (sorry, no fries).

 

[Jamie Straw]

You should try owning an airplane if you want to see a real bottomless pit. After the annual/100 hour airframe and engine inspections, IFR certifications, avionics certifications, unscheduled maintenance, tires, batteries, fuel, insurance, hanger rental, navigation charts, pilot physicals, pilot check rides, and other stuff, there's enough money left over to splurge on a couple hot dogs on two-for-1 night at Sonic (sorry, no fries).

My guess is they rank #3-A Boat; #2-A Horse; #1-An Airplane I try to stay away from owning a horse, prefer for people to pay me to ride theirs and pay all those other expenses. Nice thing about returning to woodworking is, I have virtually all the tools I need (which is fortunate, since the cash flow is pretty limited these days), and there is way more truly valid educational support (via good forums like AAW, and pros providing on-line videos) than I was able to access when riding/training. This is a major treat for me.

 

[Jamie Straw]

Welcome back Jamie. I had to ask myself how you managed to escape the vortex, but then it hit me; another vortex! I hope you get time now to enjoy developing your craft.

Doug

Yep, that turn of events was a whirlwind. I hadn't ridden for 19 years, went from "I'll give it a try" to being an assistant trainer, to riding 3-6 horses/day. Accumulated a few students along the way, and simply had no time for any hobbies. Even though it all came to a rather violent end, and I wasn't happy about giving it up, I am SO glad to be enjoying the shop and that right-brain, Zen-time with no worries in mind!

 

[Hy Tran]

Re-turning--that's a revolutionary idea! I'm glad you got around to your lathe! (Sorry, I can't help myself)

 

[Jamie Straw]

Re-turning--that's a revolutionary idea! I'm glad you got around to your lathe! (Sorry, I can't help myself)

Hah! That's about all I'm doing these days -- spindle practice, LOL. Thanks, Hy, it's good to be back. Bowl practice soon!

 

[odie]

Greetings, woodturners, Jamie here and happy to enter the fold of AAW. I was a member several years ago, had been turning for a year or so, when another activity consumed all my time and my woodworking shop sat completely neglected. In May, I closed out my 35-year horse training/teaching activities (after 2 near-death experiences ) and started cleaning up the shop and getting the tools back in order. On my Jet 12/36, I'm planning to re-learn the basics, and take advantage of all the free wood here in the Puget Sound area, making bowls, wine stoppers, and whatever else comes to mind. Looking forward to learning from the members here! (And I'll re-up my membership too. ) Classification: almost newbie -- in remedial training.

Welcome back to turning, Jamie......

A short break from turning can be an advantage of sorts......Well, it was for me, I think! I took a year off some twenty years ago. At the time, I was so frustrated, that I was reluctant to come back to turning. I knew I would, but the memory of all the hair-pulling made it easy to put it off! Ha! A little time off gives you new perspective, and maybe even a change in direction!

IMHO, one of the biggest keys to success is not having to sand much. Sure, sharp tools are one necessary ingredient to it, but there are oh so many other things that contribute to results......and, results are the ONLY thing that count!

ko

 

[john lucas]

Ha Ha Bill made me laugh. When people come into my shop and comment on how many tools I have I tell them that I have less invested in my shop than one Bass boat.

 

[Jamie Straw]

Welcome back to turning, Jamie......

I knew I would, but the memory of all the hair-pulling made it easy to put it off! Ha!

ko

Oh, is that why my hair's so thin now? Yep, I do feel different this time around. Easier to take a light touch both at the lathe and at the grinder. Less inclined to take a so-so tool to a piece of wood, which only increases the frustration. As far as a change of direction, I'm much less inclined to go looking for huge pieces of Madrone to bring home and get my husband to cut up. Definitely downsizing the blanks I imagine working with in the future. I have a friend who owns a candle shop here on the island, I might make some stuff for her, wine stoppers, and relatively small bowls methinks. Turned, lidded boxes? Sounds like fun.

 

[john lucas]

Jamie We all go through the "gotta turn something big phase". When I was going through that phase (built a riser block for my lathe to get more swing) I went to my first AAW symposium. I was amazed how small everthing was. Now I don't mean tiny it's just when you see the pieces on the web you assume they are larger than they are. Most pieces were under 12". Now that may partly be that it can be hard to travel with large work, and yea there was some very large work there but the vast majority were suprisingly small. It's quality, not quantity, that counts. A perfectly turned 8" tall hollow vessel will stand out every time over a mediocre 16".

 

[Jamie Straw]

Jamie We all go through the "gotta turn something big phase". When I was going through that phase (built a riser block for my lathe to get more swing) I went to my first AAW symposium. I was amazed how small everthing was. Now I don't mean tiny it's just when you see the pieces on the web you assume they are larger than they are. Most pieces were under 12". Now that may partly be that it can be hard to travel with large work, and yea there was some very large work there but the vast majority were suprisingly small. It's quality, not quantity, that counts. A perfectly turned 8" tall hollow vessel will stand out every time over a mediocre 16".

This tendency can be exacerbated when one lives in a heavily wooded area of the Great Northwest. Trees fall, and it's like a magnet. At one of the barns where I was riding, they took down around 5 big Madrones (several years ago). Just could not let the opportunity pass. Big leaf maples are another one that comes down on a regular basis, and alder. Will incline myself toward smaller stuff now. Bonnie Klein has a 5-day course coming up this summer in Port Townsend, but alas -- can't afford it and not ready for it yet. Perhaps next summer. Practice, practice, practice....

 

[Jamie Straw]

Wow, what a cool sub-forum to have, thanks Bill! I took my first short spin on a lathe several years ago, but had to give up woodworking for about 7 years while engaged in another business. Revived the shop in 2015, dusted everything off, rejoined AAW and got some help re-learning how to turn. Things are very busy these days. Got recruited for the BOD of our local chapter last November. Then in June of this year, I was swept up at the Grand Opening of Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network, where I now teach turning to new turners and folk who "turned in high school." Trying to get more time to turn my own projects, I'm really just an intermediate turner and want to develop my "chops"! Big event in 2017 was attending a demo and taking part in an all-day workshop with Glenn Lucas." A fabulous learning experience. Here's a picture of the BARN woodworking studio (lathes are tucked way against the far wall on the right, invisible in this picture.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Wow, Jamie, I envy your unbridled energy and enthusiasm. The BARN is quite an impressive place.

 

[John Torchick]

Interesting. Thanks for the profile. That looks like my shop.......only a heck of a lot bigger.

 

[john lucas]

What a cool facility. Thanks for posting.

 

[Jamie Straw]

Wow, Jamie, I envy your unbridled energy and enthusiasm. The BARN is quite an impressive place.

Hah! "Unbridled" -- yep -- my life-passions (music, horses, and turning) all completely dominated their particular eras, meaning I live in a messy house, with a barely-coordinated wardrobe, and virtually no make-up. My husband has become accustomed to this -- he knows once I latch onto something, it's a 24/7 thing, Here he is (red jackeet) helping out at my first Dressage clinic with Danish trainer Henrik Johansen (Henrik's the one with the pipe).



The horse, Ivan, was a national champion before retirement, taught me a great deal. The lesson (high that day was like 32°, hence the layers of clothing):


My life at the lathe now seems tame:


It's great to have time here at the forum again.

 

[Bill Boehme]

I see (picture #3) that you have a net in your shop to catch flying bowls. Great idea.

I was hoping that you would catch my equestrian pun.

Nice saw and nice burls.