Craft Supplies' Workshops

[Jeff Moffett]

I'm planning to attend Craft Supplies' 5-day Basic Workshop in August. Dale Nish will be the instructor. Have any of you taken this class or had Dale as an instructor? I'm curious to get some opinions about the facilities, instruction, and quality of the workshops at Craft Supplies. Is this money well spent ($595 plus travel expenses)? Thanks for your input.

[tod evans]

jeff, never heard of either the school or the instructor? but if you`ve got 600 bucks burning a hole in your pocket and want to cut wood come on down to the sticks and i`ll put you to work;) , heck dogs are manditory in my shop, try that with a school.....tod

[Jeff Moffett]

if you've got 600 bucks burning a hole in your pocket and want to cut wood come on down to the sticks and i`ll put you to work;)

Hmmmm, interesting offer, Tod. But let me get this straight...I'll pay you to work for you? I always knew folks in the Ozarks were "down in the sticks", but I never heard of such a thing. :confused: I guess as long as dogs are mandatory in the shop, I could be persuaded. :)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Jeff..........I've talked with one guy who is a very skilled turner. He has taken some of the Craft Supplies classes and speaks very highly of them.

[Jim Becker]

Dale Nish is an extremely well-known and respected wood turner. He's one of the "top dogs" in the business.

[Lee DeRaud]

Dale Nish is an extremely well-known and respected wood turner. He's one of the "top dogs" in the business.Ok, I'll buy that. I've looked at their list of instructors, and all of them are "extremely well-known and respected"...as wood-turners.

My question is, how are they as teachers? Because it really isn't necessarily the same thing.

[George Conklin]

Hi Jim,
I have no idea about the teacher or the classes. I just trying to increase my low post count:) . Need to do some catching up to the Minister.

That is a beautiful Golden you have there. We're a Golden family ourselves. Best dogs in the world (IMO:) ).

Welcome to the forum, now post more pics of your dog!:D

[Jeff Moffett]

That is a beautiful Golden you have there. We're a Golden family ourselves. Best dogs in the world (IMO:) ).

Welcome to the forum, now post more pics of your dog!:D

Funny you should ask. He just happens to have his own website. :cool: You can see more of my boy at the following links:
www.moffsoft.com/woody (http://www.moffsoft.com/woody)
www.moffsoft.com/woody2 (http://www.moffsoft.com/woody2)

[Scott Donley]

Funny you should ask. He just happens to have his own website. :cool: You can see more of my boy at the following links:
www.moffsoft.com/woody (http://www.moffsoft.com/woody)
www.moffsoft.com/woody2 (http://www.moffsoft.com/woody2Now)[/quote] Now you did it ! If my dog see's this I will be in big trouble :D
As far as the class, if I could, I would, any time with a turner at this point would have to be of GREAT help :o

[Al Navas]

I'm planning to attend Craft Supplies' 5-day Basic Workshop in August. Dale Nish will be the instructor. Have any of you taken this class or had Dale as an instructor? I'm curious to get some opinions about the facilities, instruction, and quality of the workshops at Craft Supplies. Is this money well spent ($595 plus travel expenses)? Thanks for your input.
LOML and I attended a workshop with Keith Rowley about 9 years ago. Although he was not the instructor for the week, Dale was always available for consultation. He is a very skilled and technical guy.

You will enjoy the workshop and the entire week there.


Al

[John McAdams]

Jeff, I have attended workshops at Craft Supplies twice. I didn’t have Dale Nish as instructor but he stopped in the workshop to share a little dry humor and did assist students a little during hands on phase. Rex Burningham was the instructor for the 3 day basic and Jimmy Clewes was the instructor for the 5 day intermediate workshop I attended. Kirk Deheer assisted during each workshop and gave me lots of help with technique and especially tool sharpening during the basic class. Is it a good value? The workshops were very helpful to me because of the format; lecture/demo followed by time to make the demo project with hands-on assistance from the instructor and assistant instructor. Airfare and gas are expensive this year so it makes it an expensive total package, but, to me the several days of concentrated instruction helped me get turning faster and more confidently than did demo’s at shows and local club meetings. Good luck. John

[Jeff Moffett]

Thanks for the feedback, Al and John. I'm glad to hear from people with first hand experience. I'm officially registered now for the basic class that runs during the first week of August. I've taken a couple of classes locally, but they just weren't the in-depth concentrated instruction that I wanted. With assistant instructors and small class sizes, I'm hopeful that this workshop will give me a solid turning foundation.

[Jim Becker]

Ok, I'll buy that. I've looked at their list of instructors, and all of them are "extremely well-known and respected"...as wood-turners.

My question is, how are they as teachers? Because it really isn't necessarily the same thing.

Yes, what you say is absolutely true. That said, nearly every one of the turning "movers and shakers" I've met have not only been incredible artists, but also good teachers and mentors. In fact, I'll go so far as to say that many of them are accomplished turners because they teach...

[Curt Fuller]

Jeff, our turning club meets in Clead Christensen's shop. He teaches periodically at Craft Supplies. I asked him about the workshops and he said they're well worth the money. But he said to be sure and sign up for the class that matches you turning skill level. The beginner classes are for those with little or no experience and some make the mistake of signing up and being bored by so many basics. He said anyone with basic tool experiece would be better off in the intermediate class. Also there will be other instructors on hand along with Dale Nish. And he said to take your visa card because once you've worked on all their top of the line lathes, used the best of tools, and seen all they have to offer in kits and supplies you'll need it.

[Jeff Moffett]

I attended Craft Supplies' Basic Woodturning workshop last week, so I thought I would update this thread with a report.

In a word: spectacular! The class met from 8-5 Monday through Thursday and 8-3 on Friday. During that time, we created the following 10 projects (see attached picture):

· Bead and cove stick (Aspen)
· Egg (Cedar)
· Bud vase (Aspen)
· Bowl (Box Elder) cut in half on bandsaw to observe wall thickness
· Roughed out wet bowl (Poplar – not pictured)
· Dry bowl (Box Elder)
· Another dry bowl (Ambrosia Maple)
· Goblet with captive ring (Claro Walnut)
· Box with inlaid lid (Myrtlewood with Thuya Burl)
· Platter (White Ash)

Each new project was accompanied by a set of written instructions and a live demo. I actually had to buy another piece of luggage in Utah to haul everything home! I never imagined that I would be able to create as many keeper projects as we did in one week. Of course, that was a direct result of the excellent instruction. Dale Nish, one of the godfathers of woodturning, was the lead instructor and he was assisted by Kirk DeHeer. If you've ever stopped by the Craft Supplies booth at a woodworking show, you probably talked to Kirk. In my opinion, both instructors are master turners and outstanding teachers, and with only nine students in the class, you could almost always get instant help.

The training facility is beautiful with 11 high-end lathes from manufacturers such as Oneway, Vicmarc and others. I got to turn all week on my dream machine, a Oneway 2436. Each station also has a complete set of beginner tools and chucks, and the shop is decked out with everything else you can imagine to take a project from beginning to end.

In addition to the great instructors and fully equipped shop, there were lots of other little things throughout the week that made the experience memorable. For example, big name turners like Mike Mahoney, Kip Christensen, and Rex Burningham would just pop in to see how things were going. And Dr. Nish, who is one amazing individual, actually invited the entire class over to his house one evening to see his collection of over 1500 turnings. Most of them are from famous turners throughout the world, so the variety and quality is unbelievable. We also got a full tour of Craft Supplies' facilities and operations which gave me a new appreciation for the complexities and organization of their business. I even got to observe some of the photography shoots for the upcoming fall catalog which was fun to see.

Overall, it was one heck of a great week. I would highly recommend this class to anyone with under two years of turning experience. I plan to save my pennies so I can go back to the intermediate class next year.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Jeff..........I'm glad to hear that you week was that good! Those classes are on my list of things to do!

P.S. ..........Nice looking class projects too!

[Corey Hallagan]

Very cool Jeff. It looks like it went well and you did great judging by the turnings. Congrats!

Corey

[Mike Jory]

Jeff, very glad you came back for the update. I've always wanted to do that since I read about them regularly in the catalog. And seeing what your projects were in the beginner's class helps me think of the right one for me, (should I ever get "permission" to attend!) I've thought that would be a great way to ramp up to higer quality work to sell when I retire.

Without getting into all the specifics, do you think the overall costs, school; plus travel, meals, room, etc. are acceptable when compaired to what you gained?
Thanks for your post.

[Bart Leetch]

If you can't go to the instructor bring the turning instructor to you. get Bill Grumbine's DVDs.

http://www.wonderfulwood.com

I have his first DVD & plan to buy his second one I understand there are a few of them out there already being evaluated.

[Bart Leetch]

Yes, what you say is absolutely true. That said, nearly every one of the turning "movers and shakers" I've met have not only been incredible artists, but also good teachers and mentors. In fact, I'll go so far as to say that many of them are accomplished turners because they teach...


Thats because they have to really think how to get across the technique they have developed to their students in the process it makes them evaluate what they have been doing even closer than if they just stayed in their own shop & turned for fun.

[Jeff Moffett]

Without getting into all the specifics, do you think the overall costs, school; plus travel, meals, room, etc. are acceptable when compaired to what you gained?

The total cost of my trip was $1500. That included the workshop, hotel, rental car, meals, and airport parking. My airfare was free thanks to frequent flyer miles. I viewed the whole trip as a vacation, not a business expense, so it was completely worth it to me. I believe that ultimately the trip will pay for itself as I apply and refine what I learned.

Disclaimer: My budget above did not include the money I dropped in Craft Supplies' retail store. They make it nice and easy to add things to your tab throughout the week, so I managed to ring up another $330 in supplies.


If you can't go to the instructor bring the turning instructor to you. get Bill Grumbine's DVDs.

I agree, Bart. I have Bill Grumbine’s DVD and absolutely love it. I will continue to refer to it often as I refine my bowl turning skills, but there's definitely some value in having a pro looking over your shoulder and helping you make slight adjustments to improve your technique.

[Cecil Arnold]

Jeff, thanks for the report. It is something I have considered for some time and is on my list (like Ken) also.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Thanks for the report Jeff. I hope someday to do just that. Attend a turning class.