Walnut HF and a gloat of sorts

[Curt Fuller]

Woodturners are some of the nicest people in the world! Of course everyone here already knows that, but here's one more story to back it up....

A few months ago Ernie Nyvall sent me a PM asking for the dimensions of my Oliver lathe. He told me his brother-in-law had just bought an Oliver and he wanted to build him some accessories as a surprise. I sent him the measurements he wanted and in return he sent me a big chunk of mesquite as a thank you. What a nice guy! But that's just the start of the story. A couple weeks ago I came home from work and there was another really heavy box on my front porch that the mailman had left, with Ernie's return address again. I thought to myself "Man Ernie, you don't have to keep sending me wood". Well I opened up the box and it wasn't wood at all. It was a custom built captured hollowing system to fit my Oliver. Secondary tool rest, D-handle, 3/4" and 1/2" boring bars with cutters and a 1/2" swan neck bar, the whole schebang! Seems like Ernie was telling a little story about the brother-in-law. Now you also have to know that I've never even met Ernie. I've known him through some woodturning forums, including here, but we live 1500 miles apart and odds are we never will actually meet up. But somewhere he's heard me whine about how I love hollowforms but hate turning them because I have to turn them by hand and I'm too much of a tightwad cheapskate to go out and buy a hollowing system. So just out of the kindness of his heart, and it's a big heart for sure, he built me a system. So if you ever have any doubt about the quality of the people that turn wood this is another example of how great they are. Thank you again Ernie!

Now, here's the first HF I've turned using my new Ernie Nyvall custom hollowing system. I've still got a lot of learning to do. I still managed to bugger up the opening and had to make it bigger than I wanted. This is kind of like re-learning how to turn for me. But it sure is a lot easier on the neck and shoulders than wrastling the guts out of one of these things with regular hand tools. This one is 6" x 9.5" to the top of the finial. I don't really have an exact measuring tool for wall thickness, but it's thinner, lighter, and more consistent than any HF I've ever done before. It's turned from a walnut log, pith in the center, dark wood towards the middle, light wood towards the outside. It has a small box elder burl ring and another box elder piece in the finial. Oiled with danish oil and sprayed with deft semi gloss. Still needs a little rub down in a few days.

[Cathy Schaewe]

Wow! What a great story! And an absolutely gorgeous piece! One of these days I'm going to get up the nerve ....

[Steve Schlumpf]

Wow Curt! Congrats on your new hollowing system! VERY generous of Ernie!

Beautiful hollow form! Great shape, curves and I also like the way you tied the finial into the form with the use of the Box Elder burl. Also like the duplicate form within the finial!

Very nice work Curt! Your body will love using the new captured system! I'm sure you noticed a difference right off!

Congrats again on your new system! A photo at some time would be nice!

[Pete Jordan]

That is great to hear, Curt!

That Ernie sure is a nice guy!

[Richard Madden]

Thanks for sharing this story, I enjoyed reading. Ernie does in fact have a big heart.

[John Keeton]

Curt, first let me say this is a wonderful piece - very nice form, and everything blends very well. You do good work!

Then, on the creeker/turner thing. Before my "round days" - back in the flat world, I always felt woodworkers generally were good folks. I have purchased tools from woodworkers I have never met, sight unseen, and have never been cheated.

But, I would have to say, woodturners are the cream of the crop!! They are abundantly generous, and so willing to share knowledge and experience. This situation takes it even a step further. Great story!!!

[Don Alexander]

if we could just get the rest of the people in the world to be turners................................ oh well never hurts to have hope :D

[David Walser]

Curt,

That's one great story. Ernie should be proud of the quality work you're making using his generous gift.

[David DeCristoforo]

A gloat "of sorts"?!?!?!? I would say that was a bit on an understatement!

[Tom Sherman]

Great story Curt, and one excellent HF. I too like the way you have carried the shape of the HF over to the finial and the added form on the underside of the finial. Indeed Ernie is a big hearted individual and one talented man as well and he turns some great stuff too.

[Matt Ranum]

Now thats cool. Never thought about stealth gifts before.:)

[John Hart]

Beautiful piece Curt!!!

And yes....Ernie did the same thing to me. A wonderful gift from a truly generous and selfless individual. I think of him every time I look at it.

Congratulations! :)

[Alan Trout]

Curt,

Very nice. The form, finish, and balance with the finial all very well done. Great Work!

Alan

[Roger Chandler]

Awesome turning

Awesome generosity from a person who is truly a class act!

Awesome and humbling experience for you Curt!

It just doesn' t get much better than that!

[David E Keller]

Fantastic story and a wonderful hollow form.

I don't have much exposure to turners outside of this forum, but I can't fathom a more generous and wonderful group of people exists anywhere else.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Beautiful HF and a great story Curt. Ernie is a generous and all around nice guy.

[George Morris]

Very nice story! Great HF also. Now we need a picture of the Hollowing rig he built !

Thanks! G

[Baxter Smith]

Great story and a very nice looking turning!

[Ernie Nyvall]

First of all let me say that that is a very nice HF.

Now for the H-rig. I, and I don't believe anyone else on here has read where Curt was whining about his tools. He aint a whiner. He's made fun of one that he uses, and cracked me up a few times about it, but never whined which is what got me to thinking about it. Curt has put up tutorials on different things he's turned, like his most excellent ornaments(The Ornament King IMO), scoops of all kinds, and other kitchen utensils that I never thought about turning. I've made LOML very happy with some copies of Curt's stuff. (That right there is worth more than I'm going to tell him.)

A tutorial would be very time consuming for me, and Curt did them without blinking an eye. He doesn't brag, but has made conversation about where many of his turnings go for free. When I asked him for all these measurements of his lathe for a gift to someone else, he had them back to me the same day through two different venues just to make sure I got them.

I was given a gift of a "D" handle from which I learned on a very amateur level how to reproduce one. I passed it along to someone you have to agree earned it ten times over. So it wasn't me being generous, but just making an attempt to pay Curt back. That he is a friend makes it a bonus for me.

[Ernie Nyvall]

Beautiful piece Curt!!!

And yes....Ernie did the same thing to me. A wonderful gift from a truly generous and selfless individual. I think of him every time I look at it.

Congratulations! :)

You know, it's funny to me how these guys like Curt and John don't remember things.

Some of you weren't here when the "Itty Bitty" contest was run. John Hart started that, and went through all the rigamarole to get it started. No telling how much time he spent on PMs alone, not counting figuring out the rules and just keeping up with the whole mess of putting it together and making it work. He increased the turnout in the turning forum by probably 5 fold. People came from every forum to read that thread, and we all had a blast.

True, he is the Nutty Professor, but his experiments usually draw a crowd.

So for me, the H-Rig was way underpayment for what he did. I just hope it doesn't fly apart on him.:eek:

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Congratulations Curt! Nice hollow form too!

[charlie knighton]

Curt, great piece, i really
like dark wood towards the middle, light wood towards the outside

a pretty good gloat also

[Michelle Rich]

well he sent it to a guy who knew how to use it..that is a real fine HF..

[Keith Burns]

Great job Curt ! Great form and I love the accents you used. Really sets it apart. Now as far as Earnie being a nice guy...................................

[Ernie Nyvall]

. Now as far as Earnie being a nice guy...................................

HEY! I've had a moment, like that time... no wait, I ended up shooting that guy in the foot, but I'm thinkin there might be something... some time. Of course I've got to consider this is coming from a guy who turns on a Noway lathe.:D:p

[Keith Burns]

HEY! I've had a moment, like that time... no wait, I ended up shooting that guy in the foot, but I'm thinkin there might be something... some time. Of course I've got to consider this is coming from a guy who turns on a Noway lathe.:D:p

Well, I know there is noway I'd ever turn a spear and give it to you, I've seen the damage it can do in your hands.

[Josh Bowman]

Curt, first let me say this is a wonderful piece - very nice form, and everything blends very well. You do good work!

Then, on the creeker/turner thing. Before my "round days" - back in the flat world, I always felt woodworkers generally were good folks. I have purchased tools from woodworkers I have never met, sight unseen, and have never been cheated.

But, I would have to say, woodturners are the cream of the crop!! They are abundantly generous, and so willing to share knowledge and experience. This situation takes it even a step further. Great story!!!
Amen John..........................