Texas Creeker Visit

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Saturday morning was a great time with Texas Creeker Tom Hamilton. Tom and I were able to spend some time together and I got to see his Bowl up close and personal. Wow, what a Beauty! For a fairly new guy at this he had it nailed! He also brought with him a long small hollowing tool that was formed just like my Kelton Hollowers. It was really kool to see an old tool like that. He started a Bradford Pear on Beauty and is going home to finish it. Now I need to tell you, this Gentleman, is another example of the fine folks you can meet in the Creek. He brought me two wonderful gifts. The first was a big hunk of roadside wood. It is almost white and I can't wait to turn it. Next, he gave me something that took my breath away.:eek: It is a Buck Bros, Chisel. When he gave it to me I felt like he had handed me a precision writing instrument It is certainly a beautiful tool that I will cherish for years to come. We only had a few hours together but I really appreciated his visit and the time we had.:)

[Paul Engle]

That is soooo cool , first thing i saw was not the wood but the chisel , I'll trade ya two 1 " steelies a cracked cats eye boulder:eek: and throw in my bestest mepps ..... no? ok. Great fellowship you guys... far out!:D

[Jim Kountz]

What a cool thing this internet can be sometimes, When folks of like mind can get together and learn and grow its just a nice thing.
Thats a really nice ol Buck Bro chisel there too!! Its awful what they did to those things now with the quality going out the window. Those old ones though are real keepers. Im jealous!!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Great deal Chris. It is really cool when turners can get together and learn from one another. Way cool Chris.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I can tell you from having met Chris and Tom at my son's home in Houston in June! They are both gentlemen and neat people! Congrats to both of you!

[Jim Becker]

Creeker visits are da best!

[Tom Hamilton]

Yes, Chris invited me to the Hartley School in Turning on Sat AM for a one-on-one instruction on Beauty, his Robust brand lathe.

Chris is a patient teacher and hospitable host. I had a great time.

As we were admiring Beauty I asked how long is that machine. You know we describe large jointers as aircraft carriers, well Beauty is a Freeway: 71" from tip to tip. She will take a 48" piece off the end. Quite the piece of equipment for a guy learning of a Delta Midi with a 10x14" capacity! Like a demo ride in a Bentley when used to driving a VW Bug.

Chris showed me some moves and the two hours passed by all to quickly. He chucked up a nice Bradford Pear blank and we worked on the inside and outside cuts.

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The shape developed nicely and I brought it home to finish.

Chris also helped start my Stash of blanks with a generous donation of Elm, Oak, Sweetgum and Pine.

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It was a lovely morning in Chris' studio and I learned much.

When I got home I chucked up the Bradford Pear bowl-in-progress and tried some of my new skills. I've mastered Lampshade turning I think and will be offering tutorials and DVDs in the near future.

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Thanks Chris for a great morning and to the Creek for fostering a community where we can tranform on-line relationships into in-person relationships.

All the best,

Tom, in Houston, wondering if he can glue a disk into the Bradford Pear and salvage it.

[TYLER WOOD]

Oh, for sure, yes. Glue in a contrasting colored wood. Call it segmented!!

[Tom Sherman]

Way to go Chris and Tom, Sounds like an enjoyable time.

[Pat Doble]

Sounds like a good time was had by all.

I made a few mini-lampshades myself this weekend...:eek:

[Steven Russell]

Wow, a nice visit and goodies too! One of the really neat things about woodturning is the quality of people you meet... The wood might be a young Pecan, but it's hard to tell from the photo. Is that Buck Bros. chisel a skew? Take care and all the best to you and yours!

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Wow, a nice visit and goodies too! One of the really neat things about woodturning is the quality of people you meet... The wood might be a young Pecan, but it's hard to tell from the photo. Is that Buck Bros. chisel a skew? Take care and all the best to you and yours!Stephen, The Buck Bros. is a chisel, and a beauty it is! I'm not sure, but I have a some form of elm in my front yard that the bark is very similar to this and the wood is about the same color. I noticed you are in the Woodlands, that is very close to me here in Spring. Hope to meet you sometime. By the way I really enjoy your website.:)

[Steven Russell]

Hello Chris,

You've got a beautiful chisel there Chris... :) Do you think your blank might be an American, or Winged Elm? It's hard to tell sometimes when you don't have the leaves for reference. The younger American Elm's can be quite pale in the sapwood areas.

We're almost neighbors! I didn't notice your were in Spring. I guess I need to start looking at the upper right corner of the screen... :o We'll have to get together sometime, it would be great to meet you. :D Maybe we could have a Houston area Creekers meet and greet or something?

Thanks for the kind words about my website. We rapidly approaching our first anniversary and it has been a year long wild ride. When we first published the website, we knew absolutely nothing about HTML, or how to build a site. We're getting comfortable with HTML now, not to mention Flash and Photoshop.

I've got tons more articles to get uploaded and lots of video as well. It's going to be a great second year! Take care and all the best to you and yours!

[Pete Jordan]

"When I got home I chucked up the Bradford Pear bowl-in-progress and tried some of my new skills. I've mastered Lampshade turning I think and will be offering tutorials and DVDs in the near future."

My goal in life is to make a lampshape that doesn't burn the house down!

I even bought Peter Bloch's video on how to do it. http://www.woodshades.com/