New Member Introduction

[Matthew_Little]

Hello all,

My name is Matthew Little.

I recently have signed up for a membership with AAW. I thought the online forums would be a good place to introduce myself. Up until this point I have not been to involved with the wood turning community other than occasionally posting on the woodturnersresource forum. I am a 25 year old self taught woodturner from Louisville, KY. I have been honing my skills for the past 5 years and have reach a point were I am proud to show my work. I have been a hobbyist up to this point, but planning for the future I would really like to get involved and make a career out of it. Here is a link to my website: http://www.itsmatthewlittle.com.

Also, here are a few photos of some of my recent work:

Feel free to leave a comment or ask any questions. Thanks for reading!

 

[odie]

Welcome!

I started at 33, and am now 65.......this is the way to do it. You are showing a lot of promise, Matthew....

I am also "self taught", and it's my opinion that the least amount of outside input to your turning, the more your discoveries will be unique to you. If you've been following the forum for any length of time, you will know that the general belief is to have instruction, mentoring, participation in group activities/clubs/demonstrations/classes. It's a minority opinion to believe that self is, or can be a greater sum than the many......but, the longer and more diligently you pursue your dreams, the more that may become apparent to you.

We do need to be realists, though.......input from others is a necessity to get the ball rolling. It's just that those who have creative instincts* need to preserve as much of it as they can, because outside input will cause that self-perspective to be altered. In your early years, this is the most important thing to preserve......but, after some time, your thinking and ways have been established.....THEN is the time to let more influence guide your journey. THEN is the time when you have more information to make decision making an individual conclusion, rather than "group think".

ooc

* When I say "creative instincts" in the sentence above, I'm not targeting that statement towards design, or your concept of what the finished turning should look like, but rather creative instincts as to the mechanics of shop techniques and methods. This is a difficult one, because using your tools as your given character guides you, will necessarily lead to many mistakes and dead-end roads......but, the discoveries you do make will be unique to you. What you do with those discoveries, will be what makes your techniques, methods, and even your finished turning a stand-out among the many. Many turners will reach those "dead-ends", and the frustrations will be insurmountable......if you believe in yourself, you will overcome, but many will simply give up.

 

[Matthew_Little]

Yeah the learning curve for me has been a long and interesting process. I have used resources by reading books and watching videos online, but I am sure there are some things that I do differently than what might be taught. It has been a roller-coaster ride of failures and success but honestly that's what keeps me hooked. I am always looking for a way to improve or change my work. Always coming up with new concepts for a piece to try. I like to find a balance and not focus on any one thing at a time. I will be simultaneously working on 5 new projects and making the stuff I already know how to make. I currently have been doing a bit of stuff with wood/concrete combinations. My girlfriend is a glass blower, so we have also been working on 2 or 3 new concepts as well. I love some of the traditional work, but also strive to create more modern concepts.

 

[John Altberg]

Welcome

Matthew,

Welcome to the AAW and the forum. Hopefully you will find that there is a tremendous amount of talent here and that opportunities to learn abound, from multiple sources within this organization. Do not fear that your instincts will be somehow co-opted by seeing, hearing and learning from other turners. You obviously have acquired enough skills on your own, so as to be able to discern whether what you learn from others will or will not work for you. Enjoy the ride!

Regards,

John

 

[hockenbery]

Mathew,

Welcome to the AAW

If you have not done so,
Check out the Louisville chapter of the AAW:
http://www.louisvilleareawoodturners.com

Local chapters are a key element of AAW, providing a local network.

Also look ahead to June the AAWS symposium in Pittsburgh is a relatively short drive.
There will be some panels aimed at the new professional as well as lots of demonstrations, tools, and rooms full of new friends.

Al

 

[Bill Boehme]

Welcome, Matthew. I would like to reinforce what Al said about checking out the local chapter. Interacting and sharing ideas online is helpful, but in all honesty, it pales in comparison with face-to-face interaction with other woodturners. One thing that you will find is that while this personal interaction helps you learn techniques there is always a strong emphasis towards each person developing their own style or passion or however you want to describe what yanks your chain. What that means can vary greatly depending on where your interests lie. Sometimes you don't know until you are exposed to the process that has inspired others. It's not about becoming an "artist", it is about being a "maker" with an inner passion to bring the wood to life. Whatever that means is something unique for each of us to discover along our journey.

 

[John Tisdale]

I looked at your pics and your website - you do good work. I will be good to compare notes from time to time with a fellow vessel / hollow-former.
The forum is a lot of fun - sometimes whatever the topic gets shoved aside and we go charging into the weeds. Not infrequently an insight/technique/solution appears that can be an ah-ha moment.
To me the minutiae is of primary interest. Not too long ago I mentioned the extremes I went to to cut a perfectly flat tenon for the faceplate - Bill Boehme comes along and comments that he cuts a bit concave. Duh, makes sense - been doing that ever since.
Again, welcome and will be looking forward for the pearls you might drop.
John

 

[Tom Beatty]

I looked at your pics and your website - you do good work. I will be good to compare notes from time to time with a fellow vessel / hollow-former.
The forum is a lot of fun - sometimes whatever the topic gets shoved aside and we go charging into the weeds. Not infrequently an insight/technique/solution appears that can be an ah-ha moment.
To me the minutiae is of primary interest. Not too long ago I mentioned the extremes I went to to cut a perfectly flat tenon for the faceplate - Bill Boehme comes along and comments that he cuts a bit concave. Duh, makes sense - been doing that ever since.
Again, welcome and will be looking forward for the pearls you might drop.
John

Above comment on tenon for a faceplate highlights the benefits of interacting with other woodturners, no matter how experienced you are, you can always learn. I am a strong believer in learning, through reading, interacting with others, and hands on experience. Most of us are self taught to a certain level since we cannot afford the time or funds to take lessons on a regular basis. But, taking lessons, and working with other woodturners in a club provide valuable information on the fundamentals. One thing I have learned is that woodturners at all experience levels are glad to share what they have learned. I personnaly have found that attending classes and club meetings enhances my creativity. One thing you get from classes and club meetings is instant feedback on your work from other more experienced turners. They see the flaws that nonnturners don't and that helps me to become better. I watched a demo by Stuart Batty at SWAT this year where he turned a thin walled bowl. During the demo he answered questions on tools, tool sharpening, techniques, etc. I learned a lot in just 45 minutes that would have taken me a long time to learn on my own. Just trying to encourage you to join a club if possible, it is a great learning experience.

 

[Steve Worcester]

Welcome, I like your work and you have a bright future based on the photos you have shared.
have fun, stay safe and take it all with an open mind.

 

[john lucas]

Louisville has a great chapter and you can reduce the learning curve tremendously by interacting with those guys.