2011 Presenters
Over the past thirty years, David Ellsworth has become known as one of the premier designers of turned wooden vessel forms. His work is included in the permanent collections of thirty-five museums and numerous private collections. He is a Fellow and former Trustee of the American Craft Council and has received fellowship awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Pennsylvania Council for the Arts, and the PEW Fellowship for the Arts. In 2009 he was elected by the James A. Renwick Alliance of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. to receive the prestigious “Master of the Medium” award in wood. He is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Collectors of Wood Art and the Lifetime Membership Award from the American Association of Woodturners. He runs his own private school of woodturning at his home and studio in Buck’s County, Pennsylvania.
Open bowl
I will be turning an open bowl from a half log, showing orientation of grain, the intricacies of each cut (including rim cuts), plus jam chucking to finish the base, all with my Signature gouge.
Natural edge bowl
I will be turning a natural edge open bowl from a half log, showing orientation of grain, the intricacies of each cut (including rim cuts), plus jam chucking to finish the base, all with my Signature gouge.
Hollow form
I'll be showing my classic approach to turning a hollow form from a whole log using my signature gouge and two hollowing tools.
Dixie Biggs lives in Gainesville, Florida, and has been a full-time studio woodturner/artist since 1989. Having a degree in agriculture from the University of Florida and a love of gardening, much of her work incorporates a botanical theme. She has exhibited her work in such notable venues as del Mano Gallery, Smithsonian Craft Show, American Craft Exposition and Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show. Her work is in many public and private collections worldwide. She has demonstrated at regional and national symposiums, including Australia, the Utah Woodturning Symposium and the American Association of Woodturners and taught her techniques at John C. Campbell and Arrowmont.
Simple Surface Embellishments
I'll be demonstrating some easy ways to enhance your work with the use of dyes, grain fillers, colored waxes or the simple use of dots, dots and more dots.
Need Some Relief?
I'll share with you my relief carving techniques using rotary power carvers. From the layout through bit selection, you'll see the steps I use to create my "leaf wrapped" vessels.
Added Detail with Woodburning & Color
Expand your choice for surface enhancements. I'll show how the woodburner can be used for added detail in relief work. With the incorporation of color you can add new dimensions and impact to your work.
Al's turnings are inspired by work in mathematics, a love of nature, and fascination with early American cultures. His work has appeared in numerous art shows, including four AAW shows. The Maryland Federation of Art recognized Al's work with an invitational 6-week show in the Baltimore City Gallery.
He enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for turning through teaching and demonstrating for AAW chapters and at regional and national symposiums. Teaching includes John C Campbell, the AAW Youth program, and running the woodturning program for Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in Annapolis, MD. Al’s Ball in a Ball presentation may be seen on the 2010 AAW Symposium Techniques Vol. 1 DVD.
Al’s thoughts on turning: Through selecting the wood, choosing how to fix it on the lathe and where to shape the surface I have considerable influence on each piece I turn; yet the wood itself remains a unique expression of features that recorded its life. My best work combines my intent with the beauty that lies beneath the last layer that I slice away. Achieving harmony of form with tree’s record of life is my vision of a successful piece. Reaching harmony of tool movement with the spinning wood is a successful day.
Suspended Spherical Forms
These unique turnings are begun as a spindle turned ball with "wings" on each end. The turning is then rotated 90 degrees and held in a vacuum chuck while the ball is hollowed through the face grain. The wings are then carved to complete the form. Demo includes tips for turning a sphere, multi axis turning, hollowing considerations, making vacuum chucks and a discussion of the carving process
Ball in a Ball
Learn a bit of magic and use basic bowl techniques to create an unusual turning. Shape a sphere from a cylinder following a simple layout and make and use chucks for finishing and hollowing the ball. Learn the secret of passing a ball through an opening that is smaller than its diameter to produce the ball in a ball, which is great display piece and a treasured gift.
Natural Edge Hollow Form
Inspired by the pottery forms of the Southwest, the design focuses on volume and an illusion of function. When hollowing through the face grain, the natural contours of the bark edge form dramatic rims. We will review the entire process: design, blank selection, mounting, shaping the form, surface refinement, hollowing, reverse chucking, turning the bottom, and finishing options
Turning Triangles
Multi-center turning is made easy using a side-ground bowl gouge to get a skew like surface. After using four centers to cut the three faces of the triangle the fun begins by creating three sided bowls, boxes, peppermills, napkin rings, ornaments, pedestals, and countless other objects. In the demo I’ll show how to make 3 sided turning display pedestals, napkin rings, and ornaments.
My art is born from my life-long appreciation for fine art and craft; an ability to see the potential in wood, metal and canvas; and a gift that allows me to transform my vision into graceful turned wood vessels. For me, my greatest creative satisfaction comes when I have the to opportunity to create pieces of art from found, reclaimed and recovered materials. As a self-taught artist, I have no fear of traditional rules or boundaries that shackle many in the art world. Instead, I draw on deep emotion and an independent personality to nourish my creative process. My goal with turning is to coax out the raw beauty of a piece of wood. I keep additional carving or embellishment to a minimum so that the finished product is akin to an organic sculpture.
Coloring & Finishing For A Vivid Appearance
Learn to add vivid colors to your work. Techniques covered will include working with Aniline dyes and multiple layers of clear finish for adding depth and patterns. Methods for using one finishing material for multiple sheen's and how to “ finish the finish “ will be covered in depth.
Working With Colorado's Aspen Wood
Aspen is a very plentiful material here in Colorado. I will share the techniques and tips I have learned to work with this sometimes difficult wood. Topics will include rough and finish turning of both green and dried pieces. Bowl shapes in the round and oval as well as end grain goblets will be demonstrated.
Oval Turning
Complete Color Control
Are you using color in your work or would like to use color but having trouble knowing what color and why?. Ten terms to understanding color theory clearly explained with some unique concerns if you are using the airbrush.
Airbrush Idea Shop
An introduction to the multiple uses of the airbrush to embellish woodturnings.
You Can Turn a Perfect Platter. Here’s How.
I will demonstrate the process steps by which a woodturner, even of modest skills, can turn a beautiful platter and can, through the use of bowl gouges and scrapers of several shapes, produce precisely the desired shape (form) with almost no tear-out and requiring very little sanding. Although the demonstration will not focus on grinding, I will grind frequently during the demonstration and will explain why sharp tools, ground to the right shapes, can easily and quickly produce the desired results.
Katherine Kowalski, Wyoming, is a full-time professional woodturner whose forms and aesthetics are influenced by many different types of art from around the world. She has made a career turning production items as well as creating a unique style of artwork. Katherine's versatility with a wide variety of turning techniques has established her reputation as an excellent demonstrator and instructor.
Color Rim Bowl
Bring a wash of color to your bowls by using laminated veneers and/or natural wood, to create a bowl with a stunningly-colored shaded rim, and an illusive bottom. Stunning as a utility bowl with huge potential as artwork. The decoration possibilities are endless!
Small Platter & Decoration
A turning form that celebrates the beauty of wood grain to the nth degree, platters are functional, yet artistic forms that belong in the repertoire of every turner. Discussed: wood selection, turning technique, design considerations, finishing, and decoration techniques.
Hands-On: End-grain Hollowing/Goblet Description
Learn techniques for hollowing end grain using basic turning tools. Project is a small goblet. Design, form, and turning technique will be presented in detail.
Rick Orr lives in the Denver area, is currently the Treasurer of the Front Range Woodturners (FRW), member of the Rocky Mountain Woodturners (RMWT), and of AAW. He retired 6 years ago as a Chemical Engineer for GE, and started wood turning again after last turning in high school. He has demonstrated for the FRW numerous occasions, for RMWT (November 2010), Pueblo Woodturners (July 2010), and Yellowstone Woodturners – Billings, MT (June 2008). Rick received his mentoring from noted fellow and recently deceased woodturner – Pete Holtus
Rainsticks
The “Rainstick” demo will be very similar to the “Fly Rod Tube” demo, but geared specifically towards making a “Rainstick”. Rick will take you through the 6 critical steps in turning a Rainstick. Those steps include: Turning Order, Making Good Fitting Joints, How To Hide (Highlight) Your Joints, Making The Inside “Guts” of a Rainstick, End Grain Boring, and Finishing. Handouts will be available, both at the Demo and on-line
Fly Rod Tubes
The “Fly Rod Tube” demo will be very similar to the “Rainstick” demo, but geared specifically towards making a “Fly Rod Tube”. Rick will take you through the 6 critical steps in turning a Fly Rod Tube. Those steps will include: Turning Order, Making Good Fitting Joints, How to Hide (Highlight) your Joints, End Grain Boring, The Knurled End Cap, and Finishing. Handouts will be available, both at the Demo and on-line.
Larry Fox is a professional woodturning artist from Woodland Park, Colorado. He began turning in 1995 in an adult education class at a local high school and continued over the years to take instruction from many world renown woodturning instructors. He is also past president and current treasurer of the Pikes Peak Woodturners in Colorado Springs.
Larry’s specialty is the “inlaying” of turquoise on the inside of bowls and vessels and the “outlaying” of turquoise on the upper or outer edge of a bowl or vessel. Both these techniques are demonstrated in detail in his two DVD’s.
Hands On - Turquoise Edged Bowl - 
Each student will cut a groove in the top edge of a bowl and fill it with epoxy glue mixed Cripple Creek Turquoise. The end result will be a bowl with a ¼” turquoise rim around the entire to edge of the bowl.
Hands On - Turquoise Inlay Bow - 
Each student will cut a design in a natural edged bowl using an 1/8” burr. The design will then be inlayed with Cripple Creek Turquoise and sanded with a diamond disc. The end result will be a turquoise inlayed bowl.
John Giem
Understanding, and Improving, Vacuum Chucking System.
This demo will discuss the configuration and construction of a typical vacuum System and then progress into methods of evaluating and improving its performance. I will demonstrate how to tune up a vacuum system, Topics covered will include:
- Basic configuration, the minimum number of components and how they are used.
- Enhanced configurations, simple components that can be added to expand the utility of the system.
- Detection and isolation of leaks within the system using commonly available items found in most garages/shops.
- How do you fix the leakage?
- Discuss the basics of how the vacuum system works, how the vacuum levels are adjusted, etc.
- Discuss the question “How big of a vacuum pump do I need?”
- Different types of vacuum pumps their characteristics and their maintenance.
- Time permitting, discussion and example of converting am air compressor into a vacuum pump.
This demo is based on my article “Understanding – and Improving – Vacuum Chucking Systems” that was published in the February, 2011, issue of the American Woodturner.
Compliant Vacuum Mandrel and Chuck
This demo is a natural follow-on to the above demo. I will demonstrate how a vacuum system can be used to mount and turn any shaped block of wood regardless of its shape, surface irregularities or holes and piercing. I do not use any screws or glue nor do I damage or change any surface other than those which are shaped with the turning tools. This is a new method of utilizing the vacuum system that to the best of my knowledge, has never been done before. I will demonstrate how this system can be used to hold a sphere without the need to build a special purpose chuck that will only hold one size.
An article on this technique has been written and submitted to the American Woodturner. It has been accepted for publication but the date has not been set. I was told that it should be published this year, 2011.
Inside Out Turning to Construct a Jewelry Organizer
Using methods outlined in the article “Turning Diamonds”, American Woodturner , February 2010, I will demonstrate the construction of a jewelry organizer. The central column uses inside-out techniques with the remainder of the parts using a combination of spindle and faceplate turning. Starting with a sketch of the desired finished design, I will show how to make a template to ease the turning process. This design for the central column will then be turned by first turning the inside, turning the parts inside out and then turning the outside. One part has a series of slots spaced around the perimeter. The construction and usage of a fixture to make those slots uniform in length and spacing will be shown and discussed. A finial for the top of the organizer will be turned.
Sharping Jigs
All wood twist pens
Hands on Demo - Turn a pen for kids and first timers
