Demonstrations

Now offering iteractive remote demos and hosting virtual club meetings!

With an interactive remote demo (IRD) I demo from my shop over the internet to your club meeting. You get all the features of my demos without having the expense of getting me to your meeting. With a virtual club meeting (VCM), I can host your club for a virtual club meeting over the internet or just a demo. Everyone just connects from their home computer. No one travels. It is a great option for clubs to provide demos that they might not typically get to see or for those clubs that are unable to meet in person for whatever reason. You can still have a club meeting complete with a demo. Most of my demos can be done remotely. I have marked any that cannot be done remotely. Contact me for details.

I am a member of the American Association of Woodturners and am a firm believer in its mission to provide education and information to those interested in woodturning. As such, I frequently demonstrate my craft. I have demonstrated for many woodturning clubs and symposiums. My demonstration resume includes:

American Association of Woodturners national symposium - three time demonstrator
Utah Symposium
Rocky Mountain Woodturning Symposium
North Dakota Woodturning Symposium
SWAT Woodturning Symposium - eight times, including lead demostrator
Numerous woodturning clubs

I am available for club demonstrations, either single meetings or a full day of demos. I am also available for local/regional symposiums. If you are interested in a demonstration, send me an email. All demonstrations include sample pieces and extensive handouts.

Hands-on classes

My hands-on classes are project-based. All of the demo topics are possible projects for hands-on classes. In a typical hands-on class day the students do at least two projects. Classes can be tailored to your needs and equipment. Most of the projects can be done on mini-lathes, others require larger lathes. In addition to the topics below, a multi-day, flying bowl class can be done where students will turn a variety of winged bowls.

Demo and class topics

Click on the small photos to get a description of the class and to download the handouts.

Flying bowls

Turning bowls from parallelogram shapes (square, rectangle, rhombus, rhomboid). I typically turn a rhombus shaped bowl with wings that curve down, but can turn many different styles (see the flying bowl gallery for examples). This demo is best done on a lathe with a 16" or larger swing. On smaller lathes I demonstrate a basic winged bowl using a square blank. Download handout.
Turning a Three-sided bowl

This is one of the many variations on turning one of my flying bowls. In this demo we start with a cube, mount it on opposite points of the cube and turn a bowl that ends up having three sides with a similar looking foot. Many variations of this basic design are discussed. Download handout.
Turning an arch bowl

One of the more complex winged bowl shapes is one where the wings become the feet of the bowl. To add to the complexity, you start with a rectangular blank. The result is an arch bowl. This demos will take you through all the steps from stock selection to removal of the tenon. I also show you how to expand on the design by adding arch cutouts to each leg. Download handout.
Turning a Torus Vase

In geometry, a torus is a surface of revolution generated by revolving a circle in three dimensional space about an axis coplanar with the circle, which does not touch the circle--or in simple terms, a torus is a doughnut or inner tube shape. In this demo I go through the steps of turning a torus-shaped vase, approximately 7" in diameter. The vase is turned on two different axes and has a test tube insert. I can optionally demo a wall-mounted version, which is a true torus shape. Download handout.
Turning a Disc Vase

This is a variation of the torus vase, but instead of the vase having a hole through the middle, there is contrasting inlay in both sides of the vase. Just like the torus vase, it is turned on two different axes and has a test tube insert. Download handout.
Turning a Three-Legged Display Stand

This stand can be used to display spheres or other turnings. It is a variation on my winged bowls. The stand is turned from a triangular shaped piece of wood. The demo uses some unique ways of holding the piece on the lathe during the turning process. NOTE: Not currently available as remote demo, but inquiries accepted. Download handout.
Fun with Spheres

There are many different ways to turn spheres. This demo covers the technique I think is the easiest and the most flexible. With this technique you can make many things other than a solid sphere. In this demo I the basics of making a sphere and then cover making sphere boxes. Other projects such as hollow spheres, candle holders, ball in ball designs will also be discussed. Download sphere handout.
Download sphere box handout.
Turning unique tea lights

This is a project demo for almost all skill levels that shows two different styles of tea light candle holders, both based on non-round designs. The first one is a basic, square holder which shows the steps I go through when making any tea light holder. The second holder is a little more complex as it uses a rectangular piece of wood to create an arch-shaped holder. Both holders are based on the concepts I use in my flying bowls (winged bowls), but on a smaller scale. These are great projects to use smaller cut off pieces of wood and can be done on almost any lathe. Handout is under construction.
Making Multi-axis Weed pots

This is a fun and simple project to experiment with multi-axis turning. These weed pots are miniature versions of the large vases I show in my multi-axis vase and spout off vase demos. They are turned using many of the same concepts, without the conplexity of having to hollow out a vessel. As an added plus, they can be done on almost any size lathe. Optionally, this demo can also cover regular weed pots, which are are a great exercise for those new to turning as a practice in spindle work and help in creating shapes and forms that are pleasing to the eye--a prerequisite for anyone who wants to get into hollow forms and vases. Handout is under construction.
Inlay Techniques

The majority of my mesquite work has some kind of inlay. The inlay highlights the defects found in the wood. I typically use turquoise inlay for the mesquite, but I have also used other stone like malachite, pipestone, etc. as well as colored powders and crushed/powdered metals. The demo will cover all the steps in the process which include prepping the defects, which bonding agents I use, how I fill the defects, sanding and much more. Most of the focus will be on turquoise inlay in mesquite, but time is also spent on other possible inlays and other woods. Download handout.
Flat Wing Bowl

This is one of the many wing bowl styles I make. While I consider it to be one of the easier styles to make, it provides a great foundation for turning more complex winged bowls. It also has its own special design features which can provide a challenge for new and veteran turners alike. The demo covers all the steps in the process, including mounting the blank for easier access, turning "air", negative rake scraping techniques, and general bowl turning. Download handout.
Natural Edge Bowls

Another form of winged bowls is the natural edge bowls. These bowls are turned from half log sections with the bark side being the top of the bowl. When complete, a strip of the bark remains on the top edge of the bowl. I turn these out of green wood. The blank I use is also typically longer than it is wide, which results in the bowls appearing oval. I cover all the steps in the process including tips on how to insure the bark stays intact. Handout is under construction.
Turning an Offset Bowl

This bowl is turned on two different axis which results in the bowl being offset from the rim. The demo shows how I use a stacked tenon to achieve the offset look to the bowl. Download handout.
Turning a Multi-axis Vase

Turning a vase on two different axis. This is a great introductory demo on multi-axis work. I do this demo using multiple pieces in different stages of completion so the demo can be done in a typical demo time slot. It includes discussion of the layout, mounting the blank on the lathe, hollowing a vase from the bottom and blending the two axes. Various rotary carving and sanding techniques are covered in this demo, but I limit the amount of those operations due to the dust. NOTE: NOT available as a remote demo. Download handout.
Turning a Spout-Off Vase

This is another vase turned on two different axes. It is a more complex vase/demo than the basic multi-axis vase. I cover all the same concepts in both demos, including hollowing a vase from the bottom, use of various carving and sanding techniques, chucking points, and many other things. NOTE: NOT available as a remote demo.Download handout.
Bent Laminations

For this demo I show how I make the bent laminations that I use in conjunction with my woodturning and in standalone art pieces. I cover making forms, veneer, glues, and multiple ways to clamp the pieces. I show multiple examples of how I have incorporated the bent pieces with various woodturnings. This is not an exhaustive discussion, but it shows most of the techniques that I use including A/B forms, wrap-around forms, vacuum clamping, free bends, and a few other unique concepts. There is no woodturning done in this demo, just insights into another technique that you can use. NOTE: Not currently available as remote demo, but inquiries accepted. Download handout.
Kitchenware Handles

One of my many production items are kitchenware items such as pizza cutters, ice cream scoops, and cheese knives. This demo covers making handles for kitchenware items that use threaded inserts and "tanged" inserts. This demo is great for beginners and other turners looking for a quick and easy project. Download handout.