Mark Cothren
03-09-2006, 10:45 AM
NOTE: My apologies to Dale on this interview. He had several great pictures included that I am unable to save and upload. So Dale, please add them to this thread at your convenience. They are some GREAT shots!......................Mark
---------------------------------------------
Name: Dale Thompson - Is this a trick question? I got the answer with only two quick phone calls – one to my bookie and the other to my parole officer.
DOB/Age: I was born at a VERY young age. My mother used to say that July 26, 1941, was the HOTTEST day in the history of Wisconsin. She NEVER forgave me for that! Incidentally, July 26th is the name of Fidel Castro’s Revolution in Cuba. Also, the first American killed in the Cuban counter-revolution (shortly ending with the infamous “Bay of Pigs” fiasco) was named “Dale Thompson”. These are only two of the reasons that I am so famous.
Physical description (G-rated, please)
I am about 5’ 10” tall and weigh in at a svelte 185 lbs. However, because of the fact that 100 of those pounds are located at my beltline, I never considered myself to be in the Tom Cruise class for looks. On the positive side, though, my undertaker says that I am the “best looking” corpse he has ever done. He even gave me $7.50 off of my burial expenses because he didn’t have to “remove any brain matter”.
Location (for how long, previous locations, etc)
My family and I have lived in the general Peshtigo, WI, area since 1966. I was born in this area but my parents quickly moved to Chicago (That’s in Illinois if there are any Bear Fans out there). I have lived in Holdredge, NE, Duluth, MN, back to Chicago (That’s in Illinois if there are any Bear Fans out there), then to Escanaba in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and then to Marinette, WI. Marinette is only four miles from Peshtigo. My parents were then transferred back to Chicago (That’s in Illinois if there are any Bear Fans out there). From there, I went to Champaign/Urbana, IL to cheat my way through engineering school at the University of Illinois.
After an eighteen-month stint with an employer in Des Moines, IA, I wandered back to the north woods of Wisconsin. It’s NOT an easy life up here! I’ve got a fairly nice “squatters shack” on the Peshtigo River but it seems like every time I throw a line in the water off my dock some stinky fish like a big Northern Pike or a Large-Mouth Bass seems to stick to the line. I don’t know WHAT would happen if I could afford hooks or bait.
Family information (brag on your spouse, kids, grandkids, dog, etc)
If I could brag about myself, this section would be a LOT shorter! In fact, it would end right NOW! On the other hand, my wife, Judi, is a native of Des Moines, IA. She was a VERY accomplished accordion player in her younger days. She did some successful national competitions and was a pleasure just to listen to! In later years, all of her energies have been spent trying to compensate for MY inadequacies.
My kids both survived their prison sentences and have been hopefully rehabilitated. I am EXTREMELY proud of my son Kevin. He spent ten years in the Marines and now is a member of the Peshtigo High School maintenance staff. He remains single and is entrusted with the keys to many homes in town. He checks out the homes of his “friends”, takes care of their mail and, if necessary or they are elderly, even cares for their lawns when they are gone on vacation or whatever. Everyone in town knows “Red” Thompson.
I am also quite proud of my daughter. She took a different path than my son and got a double engineering degree from the University of Wisconsin. Stacey is also a Registered Professional Engineer in the states of Wisconsin and Illinois (Illinois is where the Bears play if there are any Bear fans out there). In addition to being the wife of Kent and the mother of my two grandkids, she is also the Assistant Music Director at a VERY large Baptist church in Racine, WI. In terms of careers, music is her FIRST love and engineering is a distant second. However, the latter pays a bit better. Whatever, if you want to hear some, “knock your socks of” country singing, Stacey would be a good choice!
My grandkids are nothing SPECIAL. They are typical rugrats. In fact, when Josiah (2 ½ yrs.) and Aliyah (1 ½ yrs.) are “sentenced” to time with “papa”, I NEVER have a shortage of toys for them. It only takes two; duct tape and sleeping pills! I’m WAY ahead of Wal-Mart on this “toy” thing. Rugrats want to have the satisfaction of focusing their attention on ONE thing at a time! What was the source of my genius? Simple! I learned with my own kids that it is virtually impossible to “potty-train” a rugrat at the same time that you are trying to teach them how to smoke cigars!! That’s when I came up with the incredibly creative duct tape/sleeping pill solution. They will thank me when they are old enough to realize what I have done for their social and physical development.
My granddog, Indy, is my pride and joy. He is an Australian Shepard and is VERY obedient. In fact, Indy took THREE Obedience Classes and every time he finished at least second in a class of two. Indy has REAL class! Every time he bites off one of my fingers, toes, hands, feet, arms, legs, etc., he IMMEDIATELY brings it back to me upon command!! What more can you ask of a good BUDDY?
With regard to the animals that owned me over my lifetime, I will be short and succinct. I am an animal lover so this is a tough paragraph. My boyhood dog was a small mongrel Terrier named “Zippy”. She was killed by a car when I was away at college. My kids grew up with a miniature Poodle named “Nicole” (“Nikki” for short). She died of natural causes at the age of seventeen. My shop cat of eighteen years, “Cupid”, joined them both when she fell asleep and approached the Rainbow Bridge (http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/rainbowb.htm) at 11:00 AM on Monday, May 17, in the Year of Our Lord 2004. That’s it – the rest is personal and will NEVER be shared! My limited vocabulary assures THAT fact!
Vocation (what do you do for a living, and what have you done previously)
I was never able to find any kind of PERMANENT employment! I had two different paper routes between the ages of 10 and 15. At 16, with a driver’s license, I accepted an executive position as Vice-President of Home-Grown Cucumbers with a small neighborhood grocery store in Marinette. During the 11 ½ month off-season for home-grown cucumbers, I delivered groceries, stocked shelves and worked the checkout counter.
While in college, I worked for Brinks, Inc. and worked asphalt construction for several summers. When the University of Illinois (Illinois is where the Bears play if there are any Bear fans out there) finally gave up on me, they issued me a “conditional degree”. The “condition” was that I leave the State of Illinois (Illinois is where the Bears play if there are any Bear fans out there) and NEVER practice my “miserable” skills within the borders of their fair state. WHEW!! Where do I sign?
My first job out of college was in Des Moines, Iowa. It took Firestone a full eighteen months to investigate my “conditional” degree. Anyway, I then migrated back to the “hood” in northeastern Wisconsin. It was good to go back to the comfort of the northwoods where the definition of “cutting-edge” mega hi-tech technology is STILL an abacus with an extra string of beads. I lied and cheated my way into a design-engineering job with a local major manufacturer of fire protection products. Much to their credit, it did not take The Ansul Co. very long to discover the devastatingly deleterious impact that my “designs” were having on their “bottom line”! Rather than paying my unemployment, they rapidly promoted me over the next couple of years to keep me from completing any of my assigned projects. I finally ended up in a “corner office” with a “VP of Engineering” sign on my door. They also rewarded me with a 400-pound male Secretary with three teeth and ENORMOUS muscles! His sole responsibility was to make sure that my neck, arm and leg chains remained intact and tight. His life was dedicated to the fact that I was allowed to do absolutely NOTHING to further jeopardize the future profits of the company.
To make a short story long, the early to mid 1980s became the days of corporate takeovers. For years we had been the predators but we then became the prey. The large conglomerate that bought us out turned us into a “profit center” as opposed to a technically innovative contributor to the preservation of life and property. I soon became very SICK of cutting operating budgets, demoting “friends” in my departments and inevitably terminating a number of them! Wishing to get back to sleeping at night – I slithered out of the “golden handcuffs” and QUIT!
I took an 80% pay cut to teach a two-year associate degree program in “Fire Protection Engineering Technology” at a local Community college. I LOVED teaching and, since the “educational bureaucracy” in Green Bay and Madison knew NOTHING about fire protection technology (or anything else for THAT matter), I pretty much wrote my own ticket. It was GREAT!! Having summers off also allowed me to start my own business in the fire protection training area (If you are REALLY bored, you can check out my web page at www.firetech.com (http://www.firetech.com)). Whatever, the business was not a TOTAL failure in that it generated more nickels than teaching and engineering management put together.
Lastly, after about ten years of teaching, I felt that I was getting a bit stale. As a “public servant”, I believed that the taxpayers deserved a 100% effort from their employees. I gave it three more years but the boredom was difficult to overcome and the “generation gap” widened. I figured that I better get out before I “killed” one or more of my students. Some of them came out of high school having learned NOTHING more than, “I DESERVE respect and my self-esteem is VERY important to me”! YEAH – RIGHT! I was getting paid to teach them a life-long profession and didn’t give a worm’s wisdom tooth about their totally UNEARNED respect or self-esteem! I’m not normally a “quitter” but, once again, I QUIT!!
That was eight years ago and, in the interim, I’ve done a few seminars across the country. Admittedly, I LOVE the seminars but, long ago, I got tired of running through the Peshtigo International Airport with OJ chasing me brandishing a butcher knife. Presently, my seminars are reserved for those who wish to venture up to Green Bay for a few days. I’m TRYING to retire!
Equipment Overview (lathe, tools, etc)
EGADS!! Is this a HISTORY exam or WHAT? I’m WAY too old to remember all of those names, acronyms, manufacturers, etc. Maybe a few pictures would help. There will not be many because I am running low on “flash-powder” for my Kodak box camera!
Anyway, my shop is quite small. Not counting the “under-the-stairs cave”, it is 19’ long and varies from 9’ to 14’ in width. Whatever, the pictures will start at the entrance and sort of move around the shop in a generally counter-clockwise direction.
This is my router table. It needs some “serious” rebuilding!
As you can guess, when I have a “larger” project, I have to find other “toy boxes” in the igloo to use for “temporary” storage.
The last picture is of my “cave”. It is an under-the-stairs place where I store my cases for portable tools and my compressor. In the deepest recesses of this “cave”, I also store items that may NEVER be used. These items include stuff like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, dental floss, deodorant, after-shave, bathroom tissue and clean socks and underwear. For practical reasons, I keep the “Depends” within easy reach!? (-:
How many lathes have (or do) you own? Tell us about 'em.
I am glad to see that you are finally down into numbers that I can work with. I’ve owned three lathes. The first was a Craftsman 12” with a Copy-Crafter included. The lathe required changing belts on the pulleys to change speeds. Those were the days of the “dirty” belts and is probably the reason why I am such a fan of electronic or even mechanically variable-speed tools. The cutter on the Copy-Crafter was essentially a ¼” round nose scraper so you can imagine the detail that I was able to achieve. In addition, it was virtually impossible to sharpen. The “Crafter” soon went onto the shelf. The lathe, itself, is also history.
My present “main” lathe is a PM 3520. You all know about this lathe but I REALLY like the “reverse” feature. I use it when sanding and it is invaluable for winding that nylon string onto the spools of Judi’s Weed-Eaters. (-:
My “second” lathe is a Jet VS mini. It is up at my cabin where I mainly use it to get local and “shacker” kids and grandkids interested in the hobby of turning. I guess that it is the “teacher” thing in me. I know that it may be ANOTHER character fault but I still LOVE to teach ANYONE who wants to learn!!!
I lure the kids and parents/grandparents into the recreation room with the 100’ 1/32 scale slot car track, the air hockey game, the electronic dartboard and the slot machine. While they are “playing”, I go out and turn a “trapped ring” gizmo. When they take a break and see the “gizmo”, some of them show an interest. “Can I try that?! SURE!
By the way, the beginner girls are MUCH better on the racetrack and the dartboard. The boys are a bit better with air hockey and both are about equal on the lathe. It should be noted, however, that the girls USUALLY learn faster!
How many turning tools do you have?
Mark, this is another embarrassing question! I have run out of fingers and toes and, frankly, am getting a bit testy over your cavalier form of inquisition. I thought that you understood from the beginning that I have a TOTAL of fifteen fingers and toes. Anything beyond that is advanced mathematics and might as well be a quantum physics book written in ancient hieroglyphics. Anyway, check out the pictures above and then add 8 for the set of HF tools that I have up at the cabin.
Tell us about your shop
I no longer have a woodworking shop. Several months ago, it occurred to me that I had TOTALLY perfected EVERY aspect of woodworking known to man or woman! It was kind of like winning the Masters Golf Tournament with a TOTAL four-round score of 72! The challenge was just GONE!!
As a result, my former shop has been turned into a state-of-the-art research laboratory. As a fully philanthropic endeavor, my life’s work will be dedicated toward enhancing the skills of my “less-talented” contemporaries while saving them money in their futile attempts at achieving MY levels of perfection. Since my research is funded by the Peshtigo Mafia, I have permission to divulge information on only two of my most basic projects and only to my best and most trusted friends. Any breach of this trust on YOUR part will force my “benefactors” to have you “neutralized”. )-: That is NOT good!
The first picture shows my research in the area of reducing the “supplies” budgets for my fellow woodworkers. You will note the fact that I have removed the “abrasive” media from all of my portable “sanders”. All of the data is not in yet but initial results show that you will spend a bit more time with the sander but save a “bundle” on squares, discs and belts!! Of further note, I know that a lot of you brag about your fancy high-tech, ultra-expensive sanders but how many of you own a genuine “MVP Superline-10 inch” ROS? Not many, I would guess. Anyway, I’m finding that it is quite difficult to find discs for this and, besides, the guy in the trenchcoat and sunglasses who sold it to me said that it was for “fine furniture” finishing ONLY! Considering MY skills, it will probably end up in the darkest recesses of “the cave”.
The second research project will save all of you turners a lot of time on the grinder. It will also minimize wear and tear on your grinding wheels and virtually eliminate the obnoxious job of “dressing” those wheels. In addition, just think of the HSS that you will conserve! The first picture shows you the recommended position of the HSS end of the chisel. The second picture will give you details of the “cutting-edge” technology that I am working on for you! Proper tool “presentation” to the wood is also demonstrated in this picture.
I hope that you noticed the incredible consistency in terms of the chips generated by my new technique. This should also save you money in terms of choosing the micron capacity for your dust collector bags.
Lastly, please note my dedication to safety on the lathe. I just wish that the PM “shield” had come with a more comfortable head support and a chinstrap.
Website? If so, what's the url?
See above. It’s got nothing to do with woodworking which should be obvious to EVERYONE! Do you honestly think that I would be crazy enough to spend perfectly good money to humiliate myself by posting my work on the World Wide Web? GIMMEE A BREAK!!
How long turning?
Mark, this is ANOTHER humiliating question! You and everyone else on this Forum already KNOW that I haven’t STARTED yet! I bought my first lathe as an ego thing. I never thought that I would use it but I had some extra room in my old shop and thought that a lathe would make me look more “professional” to visitors. I always thought that you had to be an “artist” to use a lathe. For you beginners out there, that is NOT true. Anyway, I puttered around for a while with the new “tool” but had the same problem as MOST beginners! I had NO clue on sharpening and the SKEW invariably “caught” on the last “skimming” cut. As luck would have it, I bought the, “Turning Wood” book and video by Raffan. When he was demonstrating sharpening, I noted that he had the EXACT same Craftsman grinder as I did. However, he could get much higher angles from his tool rests that I could. On pausing the video, I noticed that his tool rests were installed in a manner reverse to mine. Apparently they were “right-hand, left-hand” devices. I don’t know whose were installed correctly but I swapped mine and got the steeper angles that I needed. That allowed me to put an amateur edge on scrapers, skews, parting tools and roughing gouges. On the negative side, my bowl and spindle gouges turned out looking like well-sharpened pencils. I now use the Wolverine System. My gouges still come out looking like well-sharpened pencils but I feel better because they were done on an “expensive” jig. (-:
With that said, my dagger-like straight-beveled skews were SO EVIL that I just gave up and let dust settle on the lathe for about six years. On a whim, I went back to the video and took a shot at the “Raffan Radius” on my skews. SHAZAM!! The skew was suddenly my most reliable chisel. At present, the only use that my spindle gouges see are when coves are required on a given project. If coves are not involved, I turn spindles with my roughing gouge (or skew), a skew and a parting tool.
What got you into turning?
I got into turning for the same reason that curses every other turner. BRAIN DAMAGE!
What do you enjoy most about turning?
For the most part and with certain (perhaps numerous) exceptions, a turning project is a “cradle to grave” experience. In many instances, I can put a rough blank on the lathe and take it off as a “finished”, “ready-to-use” item with no or minimal re-mounting. I LIKE that aspect of turning! That is NOT true of “flatwork”!
What was your first completed turned project?
This must be another trick question? Anyone on SMC who has seen my work knows that I have never finished ANYTHING! I’ve “surrendered” on a lot of projects and given them away under the condition that they are available “as is”!
In all honesty, though, I guess that my first project was the “proverbial” miniature baseball bat. I’m STILL trying to make one that looks like an actual BAT! All I need is enough TIME!
What is your favorite form that you turn?
I really like the “ships wheel” clocks that I have turned. There is a challenge in the design and fit of the various parts and it is fun to “attack” the “big” wood. My clocks have ranged from 16” to 36” in diameter (including the attached steering handles).
What is your favorite form someone else turns/has turned?
I turn green with envy when I see some of those necked-out vases or bowls that I see on this Forum. I am also intrigued by Raffan’s “ego sticks”. This is where he turns a stick about 18” long with a diameter of 1/8” and includes beads, coves and even “trapped rings”. I know that I will NEVER be able to duplicate these “treasures” but, on the other hand, if we don’t set high goals, why do we go into the shop in the first place? Realistically, I get a bit vexed when non-woodworkers tell me how GREAT my work is (I KNOW better!). As a matter of fact, I don’t go into the shop planning to make “garbage”. If I did, I wouldn’t bother going into the shop at all!
What is your favorite wood to work with and why?
I’m with you, Mark, on this one! I just LOVE the green and “sloppy” stuff! Those 9’ shavings are a thrill to make and the water coming off of them are the only cleaning agent that my shirt and shop apron ever see! Apple and Cherry “branches” are great fun!! Beware, however! The coniferous trees, like Pine, throw off “water” that is very similar to Super Glue (I think that it is called “pitch”) and White Oak smells almost as bad as deer antler!
There is another caution with the “wet” stuff! The “sloppy” shavings stick to your shoes. DO NOT walk into your living room without removing your shoes!! I have become quite accustomed to my wife throwing me out of the house. On the other hand, I sometimes wish that she would open the door FIRST!!
Have you met or hung out with any turnin' Creekers? Tell us about it
I have never had the privilege of meeting or “hanging out” with any of the great folks on this Forum! I’m sure that none of them would want to have anything to do with me. There is one exception but I hear that he prides himself in his lead-lined thongs and I’m a bit leery of those guys! (-:
What is your favorite individual piece that you have turned, and why?
A few years ago, I had a cousin who went back to college after her kids were raised and in college themselves. When she graduated, I turned an Oak bowl for her as a graduation present. It was a relatively simple lipped bowl at about 14” by 6”. I attached an engraved plaque containing her name, degree, school and date of graduation. I don’t know if I just got lucky for once or if it was the expression of appreciation that made it so special. Maybe it was a bit of both!
What if your favorite piece someone else has turned, and why?
Every time that I check out a website of one of our members, I get a new favorite. We have PHENOMENAL talent on this Forum!! My latest favorite, however, is located at: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=299249#post299249. I was VERY relieved to see that I was not alone in the world of turning. THANK YOU MR. CONKLIN!!
What do you not turn now that you want to - or plan to - in the future?
This is an easy question, even for me! One of these days I am going to winch my PM 3520 away from the wall, do a massive glueup of Oak and Maple, get my cousin to weld up an appropriate tool rest for me, remove my tailstock, move the headstock to the end of the lathe and turn a 7’ Frisbee! I will make MILLIONS by betting those big lumberjacks in the local honky-tonks that they can’t throw a Frisbee at least 20’!
What brought you to SMC?
This is obviously another trick question that is meant to embarrass me. To be truthful (what else do you expect of me), I have been banished from every other Forum in the known universe – woodworking or NOT!! So THERE! Are you happy now?
Got any nicknames? How'd you get it?
My latest nickname is “papa”. I got it from my 2½ year-old grandson who is too stupid to say “Sir” or “Mr. Thompson”. My 18 month-old granddaughter is still working on her second volume of Shakespeare and doesn’t say much. All I get from HER is a BIG grin, a BIG hug and a BIG kiss! AW WELL! Retardation is NOT an uncommon characteristic in my family! (-:
When I was a kid in the “hood”, everyone had a “nickname”. Mine was “ACE”!! Don’t get too excited, though. It was pronounced with the same guttural sounds that a person would utter when attempting to regurgitate a serious case of food poisoning.
Now let's get a little deep (have fun with this)... If you were a tree, what tree would you be and why?
For a “deep” question, this is a “slam dunk” for a genius like ME! I would be a Purpleheart Tree. In my humble opinion, Purpleheart is the most despicable tree on the face of the earth. I have read articles that claim that there are eighteen different varieties of Purpleheart! For the record, that is twenty-two varieties too many!
Purpleheart is so cowardly that it chips at the very sight of me with a chisel in my hand. Even when coddled and allowed to listen to some “Willie” and “Cash”, it has the infuriatingly intrinsic ability to “chip-out” on the very last cut. That happens even if the last “cut” is with some 400 grit sandpaper!
With that as background, in areas where Purpleheart is abundant, it is generally used for things like stair treads. That is MY connection! All of my life, everyone has always walked all over me. Purpleheart and I have something in common! GEE WHIZ! In addition, Purpleheart is PRETTY, just like MOI! I think that I am in LOVE!!
Ps. Mark, thanks for editing this interview but don’t you think that it is a bit late to tell me that a lathe does NOT have a big round blade in the middle of it? (-:
Dale T.
---------------------------------------------
Name: Dale Thompson - Is this a trick question? I got the answer with only two quick phone calls – one to my bookie and the other to my parole officer.
DOB/Age: I was born at a VERY young age. My mother used to say that July 26, 1941, was the HOTTEST day in the history of Wisconsin. She NEVER forgave me for that! Incidentally, July 26th is the name of Fidel Castro’s Revolution in Cuba. Also, the first American killed in the Cuban counter-revolution (shortly ending with the infamous “Bay of Pigs” fiasco) was named “Dale Thompson”. These are only two of the reasons that I am so famous.
Physical description (G-rated, please)
I am about 5’ 10” tall and weigh in at a svelte 185 lbs. However, because of the fact that 100 of those pounds are located at my beltline, I never considered myself to be in the Tom Cruise class for looks. On the positive side, though, my undertaker says that I am the “best looking” corpse he has ever done. He even gave me $7.50 off of my burial expenses because he didn’t have to “remove any brain matter”.
Location (for how long, previous locations, etc)
My family and I have lived in the general Peshtigo, WI, area since 1966. I was born in this area but my parents quickly moved to Chicago (That’s in Illinois if there are any Bear Fans out there). I have lived in Holdredge, NE, Duluth, MN, back to Chicago (That’s in Illinois if there are any Bear Fans out there), then to Escanaba in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and then to Marinette, WI. Marinette is only four miles from Peshtigo. My parents were then transferred back to Chicago (That’s in Illinois if there are any Bear Fans out there). From there, I went to Champaign/Urbana, IL to cheat my way through engineering school at the University of Illinois.
After an eighteen-month stint with an employer in Des Moines, IA, I wandered back to the north woods of Wisconsin. It’s NOT an easy life up here! I’ve got a fairly nice “squatters shack” on the Peshtigo River but it seems like every time I throw a line in the water off my dock some stinky fish like a big Northern Pike or a Large-Mouth Bass seems to stick to the line. I don’t know WHAT would happen if I could afford hooks or bait.
Family information (brag on your spouse, kids, grandkids, dog, etc)
If I could brag about myself, this section would be a LOT shorter! In fact, it would end right NOW! On the other hand, my wife, Judi, is a native of Des Moines, IA. She was a VERY accomplished accordion player in her younger days. She did some successful national competitions and was a pleasure just to listen to! In later years, all of her energies have been spent trying to compensate for MY inadequacies.
My kids both survived their prison sentences and have been hopefully rehabilitated. I am EXTREMELY proud of my son Kevin. He spent ten years in the Marines and now is a member of the Peshtigo High School maintenance staff. He remains single and is entrusted with the keys to many homes in town. He checks out the homes of his “friends”, takes care of their mail and, if necessary or they are elderly, even cares for their lawns when they are gone on vacation or whatever. Everyone in town knows “Red” Thompson.
I am also quite proud of my daughter. She took a different path than my son and got a double engineering degree from the University of Wisconsin. Stacey is also a Registered Professional Engineer in the states of Wisconsin and Illinois (Illinois is where the Bears play if there are any Bear fans out there). In addition to being the wife of Kent and the mother of my two grandkids, she is also the Assistant Music Director at a VERY large Baptist church in Racine, WI. In terms of careers, music is her FIRST love and engineering is a distant second. However, the latter pays a bit better. Whatever, if you want to hear some, “knock your socks of” country singing, Stacey would be a good choice!
My grandkids are nothing SPECIAL. They are typical rugrats. In fact, when Josiah (2 ½ yrs.) and Aliyah (1 ½ yrs.) are “sentenced” to time with “papa”, I NEVER have a shortage of toys for them. It only takes two; duct tape and sleeping pills! I’m WAY ahead of Wal-Mart on this “toy” thing. Rugrats want to have the satisfaction of focusing their attention on ONE thing at a time! What was the source of my genius? Simple! I learned with my own kids that it is virtually impossible to “potty-train” a rugrat at the same time that you are trying to teach them how to smoke cigars!! That’s when I came up with the incredibly creative duct tape/sleeping pill solution. They will thank me when they are old enough to realize what I have done for their social and physical development.
My granddog, Indy, is my pride and joy. He is an Australian Shepard and is VERY obedient. In fact, Indy took THREE Obedience Classes and every time he finished at least second in a class of two. Indy has REAL class! Every time he bites off one of my fingers, toes, hands, feet, arms, legs, etc., he IMMEDIATELY brings it back to me upon command!! What more can you ask of a good BUDDY?
With regard to the animals that owned me over my lifetime, I will be short and succinct. I am an animal lover so this is a tough paragraph. My boyhood dog was a small mongrel Terrier named “Zippy”. She was killed by a car when I was away at college. My kids grew up with a miniature Poodle named “Nicole” (“Nikki” for short). She died of natural causes at the age of seventeen. My shop cat of eighteen years, “Cupid”, joined them both when she fell asleep and approached the Rainbow Bridge (http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/rainbowb.htm) at 11:00 AM on Monday, May 17, in the Year of Our Lord 2004. That’s it – the rest is personal and will NEVER be shared! My limited vocabulary assures THAT fact!
Vocation (what do you do for a living, and what have you done previously)
I was never able to find any kind of PERMANENT employment! I had two different paper routes between the ages of 10 and 15. At 16, with a driver’s license, I accepted an executive position as Vice-President of Home-Grown Cucumbers with a small neighborhood grocery store in Marinette. During the 11 ½ month off-season for home-grown cucumbers, I delivered groceries, stocked shelves and worked the checkout counter.
While in college, I worked for Brinks, Inc. and worked asphalt construction for several summers. When the University of Illinois (Illinois is where the Bears play if there are any Bear fans out there) finally gave up on me, they issued me a “conditional degree”. The “condition” was that I leave the State of Illinois (Illinois is where the Bears play if there are any Bear fans out there) and NEVER practice my “miserable” skills within the borders of their fair state. WHEW!! Where do I sign?
My first job out of college was in Des Moines, Iowa. It took Firestone a full eighteen months to investigate my “conditional” degree. Anyway, I then migrated back to the “hood” in northeastern Wisconsin. It was good to go back to the comfort of the northwoods where the definition of “cutting-edge” mega hi-tech technology is STILL an abacus with an extra string of beads. I lied and cheated my way into a design-engineering job with a local major manufacturer of fire protection products. Much to their credit, it did not take The Ansul Co. very long to discover the devastatingly deleterious impact that my “designs” were having on their “bottom line”! Rather than paying my unemployment, they rapidly promoted me over the next couple of years to keep me from completing any of my assigned projects. I finally ended up in a “corner office” with a “VP of Engineering” sign on my door. They also rewarded me with a 400-pound male Secretary with three teeth and ENORMOUS muscles! His sole responsibility was to make sure that my neck, arm and leg chains remained intact and tight. His life was dedicated to the fact that I was allowed to do absolutely NOTHING to further jeopardize the future profits of the company.
To make a short story long, the early to mid 1980s became the days of corporate takeovers. For years we had been the predators but we then became the prey. The large conglomerate that bought us out turned us into a “profit center” as opposed to a technically innovative contributor to the preservation of life and property. I soon became very SICK of cutting operating budgets, demoting “friends” in my departments and inevitably terminating a number of them! Wishing to get back to sleeping at night – I slithered out of the “golden handcuffs” and QUIT!
I took an 80% pay cut to teach a two-year associate degree program in “Fire Protection Engineering Technology” at a local Community college. I LOVED teaching and, since the “educational bureaucracy” in Green Bay and Madison knew NOTHING about fire protection technology (or anything else for THAT matter), I pretty much wrote my own ticket. It was GREAT!! Having summers off also allowed me to start my own business in the fire protection training area (If you are REALLY bored, you can check out my web page at www.firetech.com (http://www.firetech.com)). Whatever, the business was not a TOTAL failure in that it generated more nickels than teaching and engineering management put together.
Lastly, after about ten years of teaching, I felt that I was getting a bit stale. As a “public servant”, I believed that the taxpayers deserved a 100% effort from their employees. I gave it three more years but the boredom was difficult to overcome and the “generation gap” widened. I figured that I better get out before I “killed” one or more of my students. Some of them came out of high school having learned NOTHING more than, “I DESERVE respect and my self-esteem is VERY important to me”! YEAH – RIGHT! I was getting paid to teach them a life-long profession and didn’t give a worm’s wisdom tooth about their totally UNEARNED respect or self-esteem! I’m not normally a “quitter” but, once again, I QUIT!!
That was eight years ago and, in the interim, I’ve done a few seminars across the country. Admittedly, I LOVE the seminars but, long ago, I got tired of running through the Peshtigo International Airport with OJ chasing me brandishing a butcher knife. Presently, my seminars are reserved for those who wish to venture up to Green Bay for a few days. I’m TRYING to retire!
Equipment Overview (lathe, tools, etc)
EGADS!! Is this a HISTORY exam or WHAT? I’m WAY too old to remember all of those names, acronyms, manufacturers, etc. Maybe a few pictures would help. There will not be many because I am running low on “flash-powder” for my Kodak box camera!
Anyway, my shop is quite small. Not counting the “under-the-stairs cave”, it is 19’ long and varies from 9’ to 14’ in width. Whatever, the pictures will start at the entrance and sort of move around the shop in a generally counter-clockwise direction.
This is my router table. It needs some “serious” rebuilding!
As you can guess, when I have a “larger” project, I have to find other “toy boxes” in the igloo to use for “temporary” storage.
The last picture is of my “cave”. It is an under-the-stairs place where I store my cases for portable tools and my compressor. In the deepest recesses of this “cave”, I also store items that may NEVER be used. These items include stuff like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, dental floss, deodorant, after-shave, bathroom tissue and clean socks and underwear. For practical reasons, I keep the “Depends” within easy reach!? (-:
How many lathes have (or do) you own? Tell us about 'em.
I am glad to see that you are finally down into numbers that I can work with. I’ve owned three lathes. The first was a Craftsman 12” with a Copy-Crafter included. The lathe required changing belts on the pulleys to change speeds. Those were the days of the “dirty” belts and is probably the reason why I am such a fan of electronic or even mechanically variable-speed tools. The cutter on the Copy-Crafter was essentially a ¼” round nose scraper so you can imagine the detail that I was able to achieve. In addition, it was virtually impossible to sharpen. The “Crafter” soon went onto the shelf. The lathe, itself, is also history.
My present “main” lathe is a PM 3520. You all know about this lathe but I REALLY like the “reverse” feature. I use it when sanding and it is invaluable for winding that nylon string onto the spools of Judi’s Weed-Eaters. (-:
My “second” lathe is a Jet VS mini. It is up at my cabin where I mainly use it to get local and “shacker” kids and grandkids interested in the hobby of turning. I guess that it is the “teacher” thing in me. I know that it may be ANOTHER character fault but I still LOVE to teach ANYONE who wants to learn!!!
I lure the kids and parents/grandparents into the recreation room with the 100’ 1/32 scale slot car track, the air hockey game, the electronic dartboard and the slot machine. While they are “playing”, I go out and turn a “trapped ring” gizmo. When they take a break and see the “gizmo”, some of them show an interest. “Can I try that?! SURE!
By the way, the beginner girls are MUCH better on the racetrack and the dartboard. The boys are a bit better with air hockey and both are about equal on the lathe. It should be noted, however, that the girls USUALLY learn faster!
How many turning tools do you have?
Mark, this is another embarrassing question! I have run out of fingers and toes and, frankly, am getting a bit testy over your cavalier form of inquisition. I thought that you understood from the beginning that I have a TOTAL of fifteen fingers and toes. Anything beyond that is advanced mathematics and might as well be a quantum physics book written in ancient hieroglyphics. Anyway, check out the pictures above and then add 8 for the set of HF tools that I have up at the cabin.
Tell us about your shop
I no longer have a woodworking shop. Several months ago, it occurred to me that I had TOTALLY perfected EVERY aspect of woodworking known to man or woman! It was kind of like winning the Masters Golf Tournament with a TOTAL four-round score of 72! The challenge was just GONE!!
As a result, my former shop has been turned into a state-of-the-art research laboratory. As a fully philanthropic endeavor, my life’s work will be dedicated toward enhancing the skills of my “less-talented” contemporaries while saving them money in their futile attempts at achieving MY levels of perfection. Since my research is funded by the Peshtigo Mafia, I have permission to divulge information on only two of my most basic projects and only to my best and most trusted friends. Any breach of this trust on YOUR part will force my “benefactors” to have you “neutralized”. )-: That is NOT good!
The first picture shows my research in the area of reducing the “supplies” budgets for my fellow woodworkers. You will note the fact that I have removed the “abrasive” media from all of my portable “sanders”. All of the data is not in yet but initial results show that you will spend a bit more time with the sander but save a “bundle” on squares, discs and belts!! Of further note, I know that a lot of you brag about your fancy high-tech, ultra-expensive sanders but how many of you own a genuine “MVP Superline-10 inch” ROS? Not many, I would guess. Anyway, I’m finding that it is quite difficult to find discs for this and, besides, the guy in the trenchcoat and sunglasses who sold it to me said that it was for “fine furniture” finishing ONLY! Considering MY skills, it will probably end up in the darkest recesses of “the cave”.
The second research project will save all of you turners a lot of time on the grinder. It will also minimize wear and tear on your grinding wheels and virtually eliminate the obnoxious job of “dressing” those wheels. In addition, just think of the HSS that you will conserve! The first picture shows you the recommended position of the HSS end of the chisel. The second picture will give you details of the “cutting-edge” technology that I am working on for you! Proper tool “presentation” to the wood is also demonstrated in this picture.
I hope that you noticed the incredible consistency in terms of the chips generated by my new technique. This should also save you money in terms of choosing the micron capacity for your dust collector bags.
Lastly, please note my dedication to safety on the lathe. I just wish that the PM “shield” had come with a more comfortable head support and a chinstrap.
Website? If so, what's the url?
See above. It’s got nothing to do with woodworking which should be obvious to EVERYONE! Do you honestly think that I would be crazy enough to spend perfectly good money to humiliate myself by posting my work on the World Wide Web? GIMMEE A BREAK!!
How long turning?
Mark, this is ANOTHER humiliating question! You and everyone else on this Forum already KNOW that I haven’t STARTED yet! I bought my first lathe as an ego thing. I never thought that I would use it but I had some extra room in my old shop and thought that a lathe would make me look more “professional” to visitors. I always thought that you had to be an “artist” to use a lathe. For you beginners out there, that is NOT true. Anyway, I puttered around for a while with the new “tool” but had the same problem as MOST beginners! I had NO clue on sharpening and the SKEW invariably “caught” on the last “skimming” cut. As luck would have it, I bought the, “Turning Wood” book and video by Raffan. When he was demonstrating sharpening, I noted that he had the EXACT same Craftsman grinder as I did. However, he could get much higher angles from his tool rests that I could. On pausing the video, I noticed that his tool rests were installed in a manner reverse to mine. Apparently they were “right-hand, left-hand” devices. I don’t know whose were installed correctly but I swapped mine and got the steeper angles that I needed. That allowed me to put an amateur edge on scrapers, skews, parting tools and roughing gouges. On the negative side, my bowl and spindle gouges turned out looking like well-sharpened pencils. I now use the Wolverine System. My gouges still come out looking like well-sharpened pencils but I feel better because they were done on an “expensive” jig. (-:
With that said, my dagger-like straight-beveled skews were SO EVIL that I just gave up and let dust settle on the lathe for about six years. On a whim, I went back to the video and took a shot at the “Raffan Radius” on my skews. SHAZAM!! The skew was suddenly my most reliable chisel. At present, the only use that my spindle gouges see are when coves are required on a given project. If coves are not involved, I turn spindles with my roughing gouge (or skew), a skew and a parting tool.
What got you into turning?
I got into turning for the same reason that curses every other turner. BRAIN DAMAGE!
What do you enjoy most about turning?
For the most part and with certain (perhaps numerous) exceptions, a turning project is a “cradle to grave” experience. In many instances, I can put a rough blank on the lathe and take it off as a “finished”, “ready-to-use” item with no or minimal re-mounting. I LIKE that aspect of turning! That is NOT true of “flatwork”!
What was your first completed turned project?
This must be another trick question? Anyone on SMC who has seen my work knows that I have never finished ANYTHING! I’ve “surrendered” on a lot of projects and given them away under the condition that they are available “as is”!
In all honesty, though, I guess that my first project was the “proverbial” miniature baseball bat. I’m STILL trying to make one that looks like an actual BAT! All I need is enough TIME!
What is your favorite form that you turn?
I really like the “ships wheel” clocks that I have turned. There is a challenge in the design and fit of the various parts and it is fun to “attack” the “big” wood. My clocks have ranged from 16” to 36” in diameter (including the attached steering handles).
What is your favorite form someone else turns/has turned?
I turn green with envy when I see some of those necked-out vases or bowls that I see on this Forum. I am also intrigued by Raffan’s “ego sticks”. This is where he turns a stick about 18” long with a diameter of 1/8” and includes beads, coves and even “trapped rings”. I know that I will NEVER be able to duplicate these “treasures” but, on the other hand, if we don’t set high goals, why do we go into the shop in the first place? Realistically, I get a bit vexed when non-woodworkers tell me how GREAT my work is (I KNOW better!). As a matter of fact, I don’t go into the shop planning to make “garbage”. If I did, I wouldn’t bother going into the shop at all!
What is your favorite wood to work with and why?
I’m with you, Mark, on this one! I just LOVE the green and “sloppy” stuff! Those 9’ shavings are a thrill to make and the water coming off of them are the only cleaning agent that my shirt and shop apron ever see! Apple and Cherry “branches” are great fun!! Beware, however! The coniferous trees, like Pine, throw off “water” that is very similar to Super Glue (I think that it is called “pitch”) and White Oak smells almost as bad as deer antler!
There is another caution with the “wet” stuff! The “sloppy” shavings stick to your shoes. DO NOT walk into your living room without removing your shoes!! I have become quite accustomed to my wife throwing me out of the house. On the other hand, I sometimes wish that she would open the door FIRST!!
Have you met or hung out with any turnin' Creekers? Tell us about it
I have never had the privilege of meeting or “hanging out” with any of the great folks on this Forum! I’m sure that none of them would want to have anything to do with me. There is one exception but I hear that he prides himself in his lead-lined thongs and I’m a bit leery of those guys! (-:
What is your favorite individual piece that you have turned, and why?
A few years ago, I had a cousin who went back to college after her kids were raised and in college themselves. When she graduated, I turned an Oak bowl for her as a graduation present. It was a relatively simple lipped bowl at about 14” by 6”. I attached an engraved plaque containing her name, degree, school and date of graduation. I don’t know if I just got lucky for once or if it was the expression of appreciation that made it so special. Maybe it was a bit of both!
What if your favorite piece someone else has turned, and why?
Every time that I check out a website of one of our members, I get a new favorite. We have PHENOMENAL talent on this Forum!! My latest favorite, however, is located at: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=299249#post299249. I was VERY relieved to see that I was not alone in the world of turning. THANK YOU MR. CONKLIN!!
What do you not turn now that you want to - or plan to - in the future?
This is an easy question, even for me! One of these days I am going to winch my PM 3520 away from the wall, do a massive glueup of Oak and Maple, get my cousin to weld up an appropriate tool rest for me, remove my tailstock, move the headstock to the end of the lathe and turn a 7’ Frisbee! I will make MILLIONS by betting those big lumberjacks in the local honky-tonks that they can’t throw a Frisbee at least 20’!
What brought you to SMC?
This is obviously another trick question that is meant to embarrass me. To be truthful (what else do you expect of me), I have been banished from every other Forum in the known universe – woodworking or NOT!! So THERE! Are you happy now?
Got any nicknames? How'd you get it?
My latest nickname is “papa”. I got it from my 2½ year-old grandson who is too stupid to say “Sir” or “Mr. Thompson”. My 18 month-old granddaughter is still working on her second volume of Shakespeare and doesn’t say much. All I get from HER is a BIG grin, a BIG hug and a BIG kiss! AW WELL! Retardation is NOT an uncommon characteristic in my family! (-:
When I was a kid in the “hood”, everyone had a “nickname”. Mine was “ACE”!! Don’t get too excited, though. It was pronounced with the same guttural sounds that a person would utter when attempting to regurgitate a serious case of food poisoning.
Now let's get a little deep (have fun with this)... If you were a tree, what tree would you be and why?
For a “deep” question, this is a “slam dunk” for a genius like ME! I would be a Purpleheart Tree. In my humble opinion, Purpleheart is the most despicable tree on the face of the earth. I have read articles that claim that there are eighteen different varieties of Purpleheart! For the record, that is twenty-two varieties too many!
Purpleheart is so cowardly that it chips at the very sight of me with a chisel in my hand. Even when coddled and allowed to listen to some “Willie” and “Cash”, it has the infuriatingly intrinsic ability to “chip-out” on the very last cut. That happens even if the last “cut” is with some 400 grit sandpaper!
With that as background, in areas where Purpleheart is abundant, it is generally used for things like stair treads. That is MY connection! All of my life, everyone has always walked all over me. Purpleheart and I have something in common! GEE WHIZ! In addition, Purpleheart is PRETTY, just like MOI! I think that I am in LOVE!!
Ps. Mark, thanks for editing this interview but don’t you think that it is a bit late to tell me that a lathe does NOT have a big round blade in the middle of it? (-:
Dale T.