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Sad day - David Ellsworth

I had the opportunity to meet David in Portland last year at the symposium. We talked twice, he didn't know me but I had read and watched a lot of his instructions.
Every time I sharpen my 55-degree swept back gouge I will remember him as the Ellsworth Grind creator.
 
I was most fortunate to attend a weekend workshop by David March of 2023. Wendy and David warmly welcomed us into their home. It was a very enjoyable weekend, complete with David's stories of his life's experiences and guidance as we honed our woodturning skills and got to experience portions of his book "Ellsworth on Woodturning" first hand. He had drawn plans for converting a 4-speed Rockwell spindle lathe into a 16-speed lathe for my friend who owned the lathe at the time he took the class from David. My friend did the conversion and then sold me the lathe which I used for several years. I took pictures of the conversion and sent them to David. He was very pleased to see the pictures and know his design was realized and appreciated. There will never be another David and I was fortunate to meet him and his wonderful wife Wendy. Such generous and delightful people!
 
I attended one of David’s 3 day classes a few years back. He had a sign over the door leading to his basement which read “The Studio”. I asked him over lunch what was the difference between a Shop and Studio. He said, “To me, a shop is where someone makes things for other people. A Studio is where someone makes things to express themselves.” From that day on I have referred to my shop as my Studio. It was a very enjoyable 3 days.
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Mark Fairchild said:
I attended one of David’s 3 day classes a few years back. He had a sign over the door leading to his basement which read “The Studio”. I asked him over lunch what was the difference between a Shop and Studio. He said, “To me, a shop is where someone makes things for other people. A Studio is where someone makes things to express themselves.” From that day on I have referred to my shop as my Studio. It was a very enjoyable 3 days.
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That's a great quote from David, Mark ! Thanks for posting this. Another well known woodturner, who will remain nameless and is a bit of a wag, used to say that if you had a studio instead of a shop, you could put an extra "0" on the price !
 
Mark Fairchild said:
I attended one of David’s 3 day classes a few years back. He had a sign over the door leading to his basement which read “The Studio”. I asked him over lunch what was the difference between a Shop and Studio. He said, “To me, a shop is where someone makes things for other people. A Studio is where someone makes things to express themselves.” From that day on I have referred to my shop as my Studio. It was a very enjoyable 3 days.
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I remember that from David's class as well. It's funny, but my 92-year old mentor and I often joke about the shop versus studio naming of one's workspace. I think many of us do a little of both "shop" and "studio" work, and I see a studio more as also being a space in which one might host in one of those meet the artist/studio crawl days. (Personally, I have to spend at least a couple of days of hard cleaning and reorganizing before I let strangers into my shop-I can't be the only one!).

I certainly crank out my share of craft-show products, custom orders, etc., but my true love is indeed making higher-end pieces for my own tastes (which I also often sell or give away). In any case, I have always called my humble 12x20' building my shop just because it seems to fit the space and my working-class background. Certainly David's decades-long background in various arts along with his international reputation in wood-turning made his work space a studio.
 
Got the American Woodturner magazine yesterday in the mail.
I was glad to see the article "Rest in Peace, Member No. 1" on page 10 and the promise of a more complete tribute in the October issue.

I realize publishing schedules, submissions and editing complexities can cause discontinuities at times, but on page 60 in the same issue is a now outdated ad for his classes. At least accessing the website given, www.ellsworthstudios.com and clicking on his name brings up the announcement of his passing, and more importantly, a link to the Ellsworth Legacy project, also described footnote in the article on page 10.

That page tells of plans to publish a retrospective book, "David Ellsworth: The Spirit of Woodturning".
People are invited to share memories and his influence. And encouraged to spread the word and possibly donate a bit to the cause.

About 1 — David Ellsworth Legacy Project

www.ellsworthlegacy.org www.ellsworthlegacy.org


I never took a class David him but did have the honor of visiting him in PA sometime around 2016-17 at his house and got a tour of his shop, gallery, and snooker table, before he moved south. At the time he was a neighbor of Ellis from WoodCentral.

Spreading the word...

JKJ
 
I just found this picture, reminded me of this thread. This piece was on his shelf when I visited David in PA.
I obviously messed up the camera focus but it still looks fabulous.
Ellsworth_form_IMG_20160310_143548_654.jpg

David's lathe at the time. Has a chain hoist overhead on a frame with wheels.
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JKJ
 
I was in Weaverville, NC several years ago; should have contacted him for a quick shake-and-howdy visit. He was a big influence on woodturning. Like to know what he forgot over the years.
 
Mark Fairchild said:
He had a sign over the door leading to his basement which read “The Studio”. I asked him over lunch what was the difference between a Shop and Studio. He said, “To me, a shop is where someone makes things for other people. A Studio is where someone makes things to express themselves.”
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David Ellsworth has been one of the major influences on my woodturning journey and that quote from him sums up one of the reasons for that. I also value his contribution to the development and use of the modern bowl gouge.
 
John K Jordan said:
David's lathe at the time. Has a chain hoist overhead on a frame with wheels.
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JKJ
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Any more information about the lathe? It appears to be a fabricated version of a pattern makers lathe.

I've always felt those were the ultimate in wood lathes. Pattern makers lathes are now few and far between, but an old metal lathe with serve the purpose. Mark Lindquist has one converted from a metal lathe in one of his shop tour videops..
 
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