Norbert Ploetz

[Norbert Ploetz]

I am Norbert Ploetz. I am a newbie to AAW but not to turning.I am a professional woodcarver . I've been carving for about 35 yrs.Woodworking is how I was trained by my father who was a Pipe Organ builder from Germany. I grew up in his workshop doing everything from carving to inlayed veneer work.All was high quality work because he did not accept anything less. Spindle turning was part of my training, although I did not do all that much. I got sucked more seriously into the vortex approx. 6 yrs ago when I purchased a Jet 1642 2hp. I will be selling it because I got sucked deeper into this vortex yesterday, when I ordered my American Beuty with 3hp. I've been turning and carving some vessels. As soon as I figure how to post photos ,I will show some examples. Please feel free to pick my brain on carving .ThankYou

 

[hockenbery]

Welcome to AAW.

I suggest you connect with a local AAW chapter.

you are an easy day's drive from Pittsburgh where the AAW will hold its annual symposium in June.
A great way to spend 3 days learning and amassing ideas.

Al

 

[Bill Boehme]

There is a club in Fort Wayne that you might want to visit.

 

[odie]

Welcome Norbert......

Since you are an experienced woodcarver, does any of your techniques for sharpening carry over to your turning......or, is everything a whole new ballgame for you?

For some people, a club may be of benefit.........but, I have mixed feelings about that. You may be learning things that are "common truths", as thought of by the group, but may actually close doors that could have been. This will make absolutely no sense, until you pass through a few doors that few others do.........

ko

 

[Tom Beatty]

Agree with the Bill and Al. Join a club, go to AAW national if possible. Both are not only learning experiences, but you also get to see imagination of turners. Woodturning is like any other endeavor in life, you can go it on your own and learn from your successes and your failures or you can dramatically shorten the learning process by taking advantage of the wealth of knowledge that exists and the willingness of other woodturners to teach and help. Also, a club can be very rewarding. Lots of interesting people sharing and enjoying the pursuit of all the different dimensions of woodturning
Enjoy and have fun
Tom

 

[Norbert Ploetz]

Some good thoughts about clubs .They certainly are a great resource . Now that I am finally retired, there will be a better opportunity to participate. I was at the Luisville Ky. AAW a few years ago and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It certainly was inspirational.I was not a member then but now I can spend more time in honing my skills in an art that has become infectious to me. Ko, as far as sharpening goes there are certain aquired skills that I do apply to turning ,although the bevel angles differ, a cutting tool must cut . A scrapeing tool in carving does not exist. My training in carving is the old fashion way, where sandpaper is not used.The tools are so sharp that even across the grains cut, will close the wood fibers. I do not fine hone my turning gouges with a diamond stone.I actually hone them on two diff. thickness professional rubber honing wheels.( they are Fishler wheels and are from Germany for the woodcarving industrie). I do also use sharpening jigs that were designed for turning tools.The bevel dynamic differs from turning to carving,so repplication of accurate cutting edges is imperitif no matter how you accomplish this.The Rockwell hardness in carving tools is between 59 to 62 depending on the quality you buy. I know that a lot of tool prepparation in turning ,I have to adapt and that will come with time. I am not putting my woodcarving endeavor asside but rather I am trying to marry these two strong components as best as I can. Thank you gentleman. Norbert

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Welcome to the club. I think you will find many opportunities to combine turning with carving. There are several well know relief carvers such as Dixie Biggs who make the whole vessel embellishment with carvings. Although Most I know of do power carving , hand carving on a vessel would be interesting. I just never could get the hang of hand carving or maybe because I never bought fine tools.
As opposed to Kelly's antisocial (ok anti group learning) I believe that sharing with others not only opens more doors , but leads to some of us exploring areas which would otherwise never have been tried. All this leads to something other than a plain brown bowl and is fun to be able to say in the conversation "I have done that " at least once.

 

[Norbert Ploetz]

Gerald I agree with your comments. I at one time belonged to a few fine arts organizations and have given up on them since. The reason being,some members were eager to learn my techniques but they were not willing to share theirs. As amatter of fact many fine arts organiztions would not accept woodcarving artists into their group. I am happy as can be for have I found carvers and turners the most open in sharing their experiences and techniques without hesitation. I am of the thought to help everybody possible across the board, so that all of us will improve our level of knowledge and skill levels.

 

[odie]

As opposed to Kelly's antisocial (ok anti group learning) I believe that sharing with others not only opens more doors , but leads to some of us exploring areas which would otherwise never have been tried. All this leads to something other than a plain brown bowl and is fun to be able to say in the conversation "I have done that " at least once.

Hi Gerald......

I believe I'm being perceived incorrectly. Actually, I have taken many bits and pieces from others and applied to my own turning.....but, there is a difference. My foundations are mine, because I spent quite a few years in the beginning evolving on my own. It's that period in my turning history which I now find so important to where I am now. Because of that time I spent learning in solitude, I am now much better equipped to process input from others, than I was when I was a complete newbie. I see this experience as being very different from those who have gained more of their initial input, and the resulting techniques and thinking, as a result of the group think. This doesn't mean that others can't become good turners by investing in the group think mentality, but they will more likely evolve to some place that is less distinguishable from the group in what their possibilities would have, or could have been otherwise.

For me, it's a very difficult thing to try and explain these things to someone who hasn't traveled a similar path, but I feel confident there are a few who will identify with, and value this alternative experience which I am attempting to communicate.

ko

 

[hockenbery]

We all come into woodturning from different backgrounds. One of the excitements of turning is that we can achieve positive results early on. Taking classes makes those results more consistent and positive, opening the doors to an infinite number of possibilities.
Once turners progress beyond the intermediate level there are sort of 3 ways in which turners excel.
1 turn simple objects very fast producing a huge volume of work
2 use the tools better than almost anyone on the planet
3 make objects no one else has on the lathe

No one falls exclusively in one of these paths and each path gives a great sense of accomplishment and the potential for making a living and for the hobbiest a great sense of fun and satisfaction with time spent at the lathe.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Hi Gerald......

I believe I'm being perceived incorrectly. Actually, I have taken many bits and pieces from others and applied to my own turning.....but, there is a difference. My foundations are mine, because I spent quite a few years in the beginning evolving on my own. It's that period in my turning history which I now find so important to where I am now. Because of that time I spent learning in solitude, I am now much better equipped to process input from others, than I was when I was a complete newbie. I see this experience as being very different from those who have gained more of their initial input, and the resulting techniques and thinking, as a result of the group think. This doesn't mean that others can't become good turners by investing in the group think mentality, but they will more likely evolve to some place that is less distinguishable from the group in what their possibilities would have, or could have been otherwise.

For me, it's a very difficult thing to try and explain these things to someone who hasn't traveled a similar path, but I feel confident there are a few who will identify with, and value this alternative experience which I am attempting to communicate.

ko

Well Kelly I am pleased that after your many posts on "herd mentality" and self learning you have had interaction with other techniques. I guess 200 years ago you would have been one of those Mountain Men and the rest of us were townies. Hope we can all share together in the future. By the way that post of yours on shop gadgets is really long . Maybe you need to start page 2.

 

[odie]

Well Kelly I am pleased that after your many posts on "herd mentality" and self learning you have had interaction with other techniques. I guess 200 years ago you would have been one of those Mountain Men and the rest of us were townies. Hope we can all share together in the future. By the way that post of yours on shop gadgets is really long . Maybe you need to start page 2.

Heh,heh,heh.......Well Gerald, you definitely haven't heard the last of my thoughts on "the herd mentality"! From my point of view, its real. I am evolving somewhat by my recent interactions with other turners, but the basic fundamentals of group think remain the same. The group may very well help some turners, while it is a tremendously limiting factor for others. I do believe it would have limited my own progress.....and in some instances might have prevented my progress, simply because back then I would have trusted others to teach me, more so than I would have trusted in my own abilities to solve problems. It is a lot easier to seek advice, than it is to figure it out for yourself.

Back then, I was living a very secluded rural life. I knew of nobody who turned, even though I would have welcomed some mentor help. There were no local turning clubs, and the AAW didn't exist. I would have given my right xxx to visit the turning classes held in Utah.....I wanted to with a passion, but it just never happened for me. I loved turning right from the beginning.....and it was terribly frustrating to me in my quest for better results. Most people who were faced with "learn to do it by yourself" or give up, would have chosen the latter. The only things I had were a few books, a Shopsmith, and a burning desire.

My rejection of the "herd mentality" wasn't a thing I chose to do. It just wasn't an option for me......and now, some 33 years later, I have 20-20 vision in my rear view mirror......and, if I could go back to 1982, when I first picked up a shabby old lathe tool that came with my "garage sale" 1950's Shopsmith.......I'd do it all again exactly as I did the first time, with one exception:

This time, it would be a choice!

ko

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Heh,heh,heh.......Well Gerald, you definitely haven't heard the last of my thoughts on "the herd mentality"! From my point of view, its real. I am evolving somewhat by my recent interactions with other turners, but the basic fundamentals of group think remain the same. The group may very well help some turners, while it is a tremendously limiting factor for others. I do believe it would have limited my own progress.....and in some instances might have prevented my progress, simply because back then I would have trusted others to teach me, more so than I would have trusted in my own abilities to solve problems. It is a lot easier to seek advice, than it is to figure it out for yourself.

Back then, I was living a very secluded rural life. I knew of nobody who turned, even though I would have welcomed some mentor help. There were no local turning clubs, and the AAW didn't exist. I would have given my right xxx to visit the turning classes held in Utah.....I wanted to with a passion, but it just never happened for me. I loved turning right from the beginning.....and it was terribly frustrating to me in my quest for better results. Most people who were faced with "learn to do it by yourself" or give up, would have chosen the latter. The only things I had were a few books, a Shopsmith, and a burning desire.

My rejection of the "herd mentality" wasn't a thing I chose to do. It just wasn't an option for me......and now, some 33 years later, I have 20-20 vision in my rear view mirror......and, if I could go back to 1982, when I first picked up a shabby old lathe tool that came with my "garage sale" 1950's Shopsmith.......I'd do it all again exactly as I did the first time, with one exception:

This time, it would be a choice!

ko

Kelly, I really think I am getting to know you as the person not the turner. Some get frustrated trying to learn on their own and some get going then others fnd help. Guess you could say I found help. I have done hollowing, spindle turning, piercing, carving, relief carving, burning and now also ringmaster. It all sounds easy when you think it should be really hard. I do not strive for an identity piece to define myself, I just want to do everything. Like you I feel most of my flatwork was self taught, but not that I did not get help (TV, books, magazines) no mentor though and no formal class.
Have had one formal turning class (a week with Dixie Biggs) and there are lots of tips to pick up. So I guess I am won over to the class idea, just cannot justify the cost since retirement. Still I am learning.