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Bill Grumbine

Bill Boehme

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I received very sad news yesterday from Mark Mandell, a friend and long-time member of this forum, that well-known professional woodturner Bill Grumbine passed away on July 25, 2021, after succumbing to COVID-19. Bill was a very long-time member of this forum and was well known for his sharp wit and sense of humor, a great woodturning teacher and demonstrator, his groundbreaking instructional videos, his popular five-barns gatherings, and his Big Blue Poolewood lathe. He was an early proponent of wearing a face shield and using respiratory protection back when that message wasn't always a popular concept with some long-time woodturners. My deepest condolences to his family. Here is a link to the thread on WoodCentral that broke the news that Bill was hospitalized and updates from his family.

I credit his videos for teaching me how to turn without getting catches when I was a beginner. He also convinced me that the 3M Airstream PAPR was worth the money when I was procrastinating.
 

Emiliano Achaval

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Rest in Peace BIll. HIs Doug Thompson bowl gouge is my favorite. It is the longest bowl gouge in the market. I use it daily. I called Doug and asked him to send me another one before they sell out. I do not know if he will continue to make them.
 

hockenbery

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Sad to hear I met Bill at Totally turning in 2005.
we had a couple of long talks about form, demonstrating, teaching,
He was just starting out then and over the years progressed to the top of the field.
just a pleasant guy to be around.

Covid is threat to all of us.
If you haven’t done so, take Bill’s death as motivation to get vaccinated!
 
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Tom Gall

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Below is a comment I posted on another forum several days ago - a remembrance of Bill.

This is very sad news.
Although it’s been many years since I’ve seen Bill, I will remember him as a very friendly and congenial guy. I always get a chuckle when I think back and remember seeing him at one of his early demos. Here was this huge man, big hands and all, using a mini-lathe and turning pens! It wasn’t until later that he started turning larger bowls more suitable to his stature. I fondly remember attending one of his “Five Barns” woodturning gatherings in 2008 (the last one I believe) – and I have a T-Shirt to prove it !
 

Bill Boehme

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I did a search on YouTube and found 2 short cuts, and was impressed with what I saw, is there a way to see his videos?

As far as I know, there aren't any new copies being sold, but you can find used DVD's on Amazon and possibly also on eBay. Also, a lot of woodturning clubs have libraries and members can check out books and videos.
 

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I was able to get one of Bill's bowl gouges from Doug Thompson. You can put any grind that you want, what sets it apart is the length! YOu can really reach out there. This is my second Grumbine gouge, I hope Doug continues making them.
 
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I took a class with Bill 6-7 years ago and spent a wonderful and informative day in his shop. He was most inspirational and a great teacher. I have the DVD mentioned above and it is a treasure.

Bruce Whitaker
 
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