• July 2025 Turning Challenge: Turn a Multi-axis Weed Pot! (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Kent Reisdorph for "Sugarberry Bowl" being selected as Turning of the Week for July 14, 2025 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Respect

Don't know if you remember my "respect" story from a few months ago, a bit of the opposite.

I once turned an ugly bowl, the worst in the world. I threw it out the door towards the barn, was going to burn it. The vet came and saw it so I asked if she wanted a horrible bowl, maybe for cat food or something. I had one unbreakable condition - that she NEVER tell anyone where she got it.

Some time later I went to their house for a birthday celebration for her father-in-law. As I walked in I saw the bowl on a table with nuts or something in it - she announced: "Hey everyone, this is John - he made this bowl!" Ack.

Moral of the story - burn bad work promptly.

JKJ
 
Moral of the story - burn bad work promptly.

Truer words never spoken

A good friend of mine is a potter. Behind his house is a big pile of smashed pots. When a piece comes out of the kiln with a defect he carries to the pile and smashes it! I love that!

However, I do keep some small things that are bad, such where I cut through the side hollowing an ornament globe. I put these in my "Box O' Shame". I pull the box off the shelf when a student has done something that can't be saved and feels miserable. I want to show them that anyone who has ever turned wood has made mistakes!

JKJ
 
What a great idea, a custom, pierced litter scoop made of polished cocobolo or ebony. Great gift for the cat lover who has everything else. :)

Cut from a board, handle turned something like this oven stick, but shorter, wider scoop end shaped on a bandsaw and smoothed on a drum sander.
oven_stick.jpg

JKJ
 
Back
Top