David Ellsworth - Ellsworth on Woodturning

During the past thirty years, the field of woodturning has grown immenselyin numbers and in its creative range. Today, wood-turned art resides in the finest galleries while its reputation as a craft sits on the loftiest perch. At the forefront of this creative movement was David Ellsworth, a wood-art pioneer who revolutionized woodturning and helped elevate the craft into a legitimate art form by creating thin-walled hollow vessels that were as light as eggshells.

David Ellsworths investigations and innovations of technique, of material, and of conceptthe channeling of ideas through the mediumhave laid the foundation of the studio woodturning movement on which future craftspeople will build and broaden.

Jo Lauria & Steven Fenton, Craft In America

It would be hard to imagine a woodturner who would not benefit in some way from this carefully written book by one of the great masters of modern woodturning.

The Australian Woodworker Magazine

Ellsworth reveals the secrets behind his signature style and offers sound advice. The section on stretching and posture, where he addresses muscle strain or back injury during wood turning, is worthy of major praise. Highly recommended

Library Journal

David Ellsworth. Low Orb, 2007. Spalted sugar maple; 4" high x 8" wide x 8" deep.

2008 by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., East Petersburg, PA.

Ellsworth on Woodturning is an original work, first published in 2008 by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc. No part of this book is to be duplicated for resale or distribution under any circumstances. Any such copying is a violation of copyright law.

Print ISBN 978-1-56523-377-5
eISBN 978-1-6076-5905-1

Publishers Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ellsworth, David, 1944

Ellsworth on woodturning : how a master creates bowls, pots, and vessels / by David Ellsworth. -- 1st ed. -- East Petersburg, PA : Fox Chapel Publishing, c2008.

p. ; cm.

ISBN: 978-1-56523-377-5

1. Turning--Technique. 2. Woodwork. 3. Lathes. I. Title. II. Title: Woodturning.

TT201 .E45 2008
684/.083--dc22 2010275545

To learn more about the other great books from Fox Chapel Publishing, or to find a retailer near you, call toll-free 800-457-9112 or visit us at www.FoxChapelPublishing.com.

Note to Authors: We are always looking for talented authors to write new books. Please send a brief letter describing your idea to Acquisition Editor, 1970 Broad Street, East Petersburg, PA 17520.

A mans wealth is measured by the size of his wood-pile.

Old New Mexican proverb

Every book must have a beginning and an end. The end part is easy; you just stop when you run out of things to say. The beginning is more difficult. My style of writing has always been to first set a stage, then introduce the characters and see how the whole thing plays out. This might sound a bit theatrical, possibly even time-consuming. But then, context is important, even in a book about technique.

So, I begin with a discussion on working with green wood and dry wood. Regardless of what we make, the techniques we prefer, or the tools we select, its the material that binds us together: wood. If this were a book about ceramics, Id have likely found an embankment on a lonely road somewhere in Utah where I could praise digging out the best stoneware claynever mind.

A few other things come to mind

The reader will soon discover I am instinctively and intentionally low-tech in my approach to making things. This includes most of my tools and many of my methods. And, while I certainly applaud the wonderful gadgetry developed for turners over the years, I am also a great advocate of using your own natural instincts and common sense to solve problems. Instincts are one of the few things left in life that cant be purchased with a keystroke and a credit card, so I consider them worthy of preserving.

Secondly, I believe in breaking rules, or making up new ones, especially when it comes to the classic rules of woodturning. So, if you find yourself in a quandary over why I do things one way when other turners do them other ways, consider it a good thing. If we all followed the same path, I suspect our work would end up looking very much alike and wed all be bored with turning wood instead of being excited. All I ask is that you remain open to all methods. See which ones work best for you.

David Ellsworth, Production workSalt, pepper, and sugar shaker set, 1976. Walnut and zebrawood; left and right, 2" high x 2" deep; center, 2" high x 5" deep.

I would like to thank all of my friends in the community of the creative arts who have become such a huge part of my life, and whose individual friendships and support have contributed greatly to my own survival as a maker and a creative being.

I would like to thank the many students who have survived my methods and philosophy, and who remain a constant reminder that to be a good teacher, I must always remain a good student.

I would like to thank my acquisition editor and old friend, John Kelsey, who persuaded me that after fifty years of working on the lathe, Id probably learned enough to write a reasonable text.

I would like to thank the hundred-plus creative people whose energies my wife and I live with on a daily basis through the objects they have made, several of which are featured in this book.

And I would like to thank my wonderful wife, Wendy, who has survived, not too painfully I hope, my many hours of absence while I stared at a computer screen trying to translate ideas into a comprehensive text that someone other than myself could understand.

David Pye, Untitled, about 1990. English sycamore; 2" high x 17" wide x 17" deep.

David Ellsworth, Maple Pot, 2006. Maple; 10" high x 11" wide x 11" deep. Collection: Jane and Arthur Mason.

My father, Ralph Ellsworth, was an academic librarian, so it was drilled into me from an early age that the reader has a right to expect a certain amount of wisdom from every book he reads. Now, this might seem ambitious for a book about woodturning, but Ill work on that. My real problem is whether theres an age requirement for wisdom. That said, I have taken the somewhat conventional stance that the creative process, like cell division, is ongoing. If I miss something the first time around, there is always the possibility of a second edition. And were that to happen, I promise to mount my soapbox and wave the flag of wisdom from the very first page.