Causes and Effects

Here’s a thought, if you want to grow tomatoes plant tomato seeds. It’s pretty tough to grow tomatoes when you plant corn. The art and craft of turning wood relies more heavily on the skill of the artist than any other segment of woodworking except perhaps wood carving. We all face a never–ending quest to improve, refine and develop methods and techniques which will help us produce better results.

Life teaches us many lessons along the way, some of which we must learn more than once. None of us are going to live long enough to make every mistake ourselves. Once upon a time I fancied myself as a professional bass fisherman. The only trouble was I wasn’t very good! I did however learn some very valuable lessons during my time on the water.

Fisherman: if you expect to catch fish you have to go where the fish are. Woodturners: that means that you join a local Woodturning club and go to the meetings on a regular basis. Take turning classes, attend woodturning symposiums and pay attention.Fisherman: different gear and techniques are required for different species of fish. Woodturners: Bowls require different equipment and material than spindles.Fisherman: when you get everything else right, the more casts you make the more bites you will get. Woodturners: the more times you turn the same type of item the better you’ll get.Fisherman: whether the fish are biting or not there’s almost never a bad day on the water. Woodturners: regardless of the end result, there’s almost never a bad day in the shop.Fisherman: there is always someone better than you, who has a better understanding than you, but who is willing to help you. Woodturners: ditto.

Here is the bottom line, if you want to learn to use a skew chisel spend time with someone who knows how to use the skew. Avoid spending time or listening to someone who is afraid of a skew chisel or just flat doesn’t understand how to use it themselves. If you want to learn to turn bowls spend time with someone who knows what they’re doing around bowls. It sounds like a simple concept but you can’t get apples from an orange tree. Because, wherever you go there you are.

Here is my inspiration for this week’s message:

Genesis 1:12 KJV And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.