Michael Baines

[Michael Baines]

Hello everybody, time I think for me to clamber out of the woodwork and introduce myself. , Most people call me Mike, I was born in the North of England - a considerable time ago, but for the past 30 plus years I've been living and working (teaching) in South Eastern France, my wife is French and we live not far the tourist hotspots of St Tropez and Nice, but fortunately not too close. I seem to have spent most of my adult life collecting woodworking tools and working wood. Tables, Adirondack chairs for example. I started turning about 15 years ago on an ancient Delta lathe, very soon exchanged for a Jet 1220vs - for the price, an excellent machine, and then a couple of years ago I invested in a Oneway 1224, in a word: superb. I think it was early last year when I discovered this forum, a wonderful source of ideas and techniques - I am in awe, of the depth of knowledge and craftsmanship I find here. I joined the AAW about 6 months ago and find it to be also a marvellous source for techniques and ideas. In the early days I made a lot of pens, now I tend to make platters and boxes often using olive wood sourced locally. I think I am just a little way beyond beginner, but when I hear of turners producing a box in three minutes I realise I have a very long way to go. Thank you all for helping me along the way.

Mike

 

[Fadi Zeidan]

Great to have you here Mike. My wife and I want to do European tour one of these summers so we may pass by you. If you see a tourist waving, that might be us! I agree with you, the sheer knowledge on this forum is amazing.

 

[RichColvin]

Michael,

I think the time to produce an item in the shop only matters if you do it for a living. I don’t think it is a measure of the beauty of the art produced.

Rich

 

[Michael Baines]

Great to have you here Mike. My wife and I want to do European tour one of these summers so we may pass by you. If you see a tourist waving, that might be us! I agree with you, the sheer knowledge on this forum is amazing.

Should you ever be in this bit of France you should visit Aiguines, where there is a very interesting museum of woodturning and home to Jean François Escoulen and his school of woodturning. You could also of course come and sit on my terrace where we might discuss the finer points of using a skew over a glass of something cool and Rosé.
Mike

 

[Michael Baines]

Michael,
'
I think the time to produce an item in the shop only matters if you do it for a living. I don’t think it is a measure of the beauty of the art produced.

Rich

Agreed, although I'm not sure I could describe my bits and pieces as "art", certainly something to aspire to though.

Mike

 

[RichColvin]

Mike,

Do not put yourself down. Of the things I make on the lathes, my best guess is :

• 20% are utilitarian (e.g., new handles for the hand wheels on my metal lathe)
• 30% are protypes or just for learning new techniques (e.g., figuring how to use that @$*& skew)
• 25% never work out for one reason or another (sometimes I get lucky and they are simply ugly; other times they explode in magnificent and scary ways)
• 25% become something beautiful

I’ve been turning for about 20 years now, and I do not in any way think I’ve mastered it. On my wood lathe, I have made some really pretty firewood. On my metal lathe, I’ve made some stuff that is laughably bad, or was good and then was destroyed later when the threading tap broke off in the metal.

Oh, sure : There are some choice words still flying over my house but no children or animals were harmed in the process. I LOVE the journey. Whatever your goal, I hope you enjoy it.

Kind regards,
Rich

 

[Bill Boehme]

Welcome aboard the AAW Forum, Mike. Nice to hear about your woodturning journey.

 

[Lamar Wright]

Hello Mike, I know you will enjoy this forum and welcome. I did the same thing, turned pens for five years and last May I decided that I wonted to learn other things like turning bowls, platters, plates ect. It is a lot of fun and I enjoy it and I know you will also.