Name: Jim Becker
DOB: 5 March "in the late 1950s"
Physical description (G-rated, please)
Ordinary, extroverted, slightly overweight fellow about 5' 11" tall with a long forehead followed around by even longer hair, usually tied back and getting quite gray in places. Recent "fatherhood" adds "sleep deprived" (among other (!) deprivations...) to the description as well as additional opportunity for more gray hair.
Location (for how long, previous locations, etc)
Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Present residence since November 1999. I've been in SE PA since leaving "Happy Valley" (Penn State) back in March 1979 with a business degree and hardly a clue.
Family information (brag on your spouse, kids, grandkids, dog, etc)
Dr SWMBO (Alison) is an epidemiologist who does cancer research at a large, well known Philadelphia area cancer center. But soon she'll be joining the faculty of Drexel School of Public Health. Two daughters, Anastasiya (Nastia) age 10 and Alesya age 6, joined the family officially on 22 November 2005 after court in Tyumen, Siberia, Russian Federation.
(http://a-j-adopt.blogspot.com)
Two birds, Tosca age 11 and Spike age 17 run the household...at least in their opinion. Previously married; former spouse (and her partner) are good friends. One brother (who has six kids...) and parents living in central Florida. (of course...)
Vocation (what do you do for a living, and what have you done previously)
Sr Consultant in IP Telephony and Contact Centers with the industry leader, Avaya Inc.
Website?
http://sawsndust.com
Equipment Overview (lathe, tools, etc)
Well-equipped serious shop...woodworking is my avocation and mental health activity. Mini Max FS350 J/P, Mini Max MM16 band saw, Jet LT cabinet saw, Performax 22-44 Plus drum sander, Grizzly G1276 combo sander, Delta BOSS OSS, Delta 12" CMS, Oneida 2hp Commercial Cyclone, IR 60 gallon compressor and a whole bunch of Festool tools. Noden Adjust-a-bench workbench. I only have a small assortment of good hand tools, but that collection grows from time to time. And, of course, the lathe mentioned in the next section. While I don't get to do much work these days, I took advantage of things financially while I was still in a DINK (dual income, no kids) situation and bought the best I could afford. I still want a MM sliding saw, but that is probably less likely at this point for any number of reasons.
How many lathes have (or do) you own? Tell us about 'em.
One at a time. My current (and likely last lathe purchase) is a Stubby 750 aquired in February 2004. It's a wonderful machine that really works well for the kind of turning I like to do...bowls and hollow-forms. It's an 850 lb, 2hp, VFD driven, short bed lathe, and has a movable and swivalable bed for super versatility. With the bed in tight to the headstock, it's 16" swing. With the bed moved out, it can handle up to 30" inboard which is nice for
platters and even small table tops.
My previous machine was a OneWay 1018 with a 24" bed extension...also an awesome lathe...that currently lives in another SMC member's shop down in MD.
My first lathe was an HFT 34706. It worked. I bought the OneWay about six months later when I discovered the joy of turning in a serious way.
How many turning tools do you have?
A bunch. Most of my turning is done with the three Ellsworth Grind gouges I own, a few different parting tools and a specialized adaptation of a small spindle gouge that David Ellsworth developed. Hollowing is done with a Jamison captive system, using either the original Jamison boring bars or the Trent Bosch boring bars I subsequently purchased. I also own a few scrapers, spindle tools, etc., which get occasional use, such as spindles for furniture or other special projects.
Tell us about your shop
My shop is most of the first floor of a 22'x44' outbuilding on the property that was originally a three-car garage with a little more space for a "potting shed". When we bought the property in 1999, I immediately claimed the small bay that was used by the previous owners for their tractor, resulting in a 17'x21' shop. A year and a half later, I expanded that to include the middle garage bay and later modified things to remove a short wall that supported the stairway to the upper level. Walls are finished with either T1-11 or painted OSB, depending on which "generation" of shop modification you are looking at. I've been moving my turning stock storage to the upper level lately to clean up the shop a little and will likely more more of my lumber storage up there, too.
How long turning?
My first lathe experience was in about 1995 or 1996 when I took a pen turning class at the then-local Woodcraft...a course taught by our own iniminatable Bill Grumbine. I still have that paduk pen in my nightstand and it's pretty nice in my eyes considering I was a rank newby at the time. I didn't turn again until early 2001 when I bought the HFT lathe and some (incredibly horrible) Delta tools. After a short time, I ordered the OneWay 1018 and signed up for David Ellsworth's most excellent three-day class at his studio not far from here. That weekend in August 2001 "changed my life", relative to turning, that is...and I was totally hooked. (Pictures on my web site of the class)
What got you into turning?
That first time...I was looking for stress relief. Everything else was due to what we all know as "the addiction"...
What do you enjoy most about turning?
Instant gratification; seeing art develop in front of my eyes; the challenge to refine form to make it more pleasing to the eye.
What was your first completed turned project?
A pen. I did a few more of those when I got the HFT lathe, but started doing bowls right away. When I discovered hollow-forms, I was really hooked, especially after some coaching from Marlen Kemmet of Wood Magazine and a fellow named Phil Brennion of Chino Valley, AZ whom I am proud to call my friend.
What is your favorite form that you turn?
Southwestern style hollow-forms
What is your favorite form someone else turns/has turned?
Oh, there are so many...Phil Brennnion's work, Wally Dickerman's work, Andi Wolf's incredible carved pieces, Art Liesterman's puzzle piece series as well as his interesting coloration techniques, Pam Reilly's wonderful boxes, Jack Vessery's wonderful textured/carved/colored pieces, Bin Pho and J Paul Fennell's piercing work...etc.
What is your favorite wood to work with and why?
Any form of burl and cherry.
Have you met or hung out with any turnin' Creekers? Tell us about it.
Yes, I've met a few "turnin' Creekers" here and there, although most of the Creekers I've visited in my business travel have been more flat-work oriented.
What is your favorite individual piece that you have turned, and why?
I have several, but the one I feel the most accomplishment was the turned and carved sculpture I made for a close friend in late 2004. It was a first for that kind of work. Other favorites include my burl-cap bowl on a tripod, a spaulted norway maple contemporary vessel and a 16" bubinga platter with some carved leaves.
What is your favorite piece someone else has turned, and why?
Too many "out there". The favorite in my collection of other folks' work is a ponderosa pine bowl turned by Phil Brennion and oiled similar to the norfolk island pine pieces that Ron Kent is well known for. It was part of the charity auction at the AAW symposium in Orlando a few years back and I was very happy to be the high bidder...I had wanted one of Phil's pieces for so long.
What do you not turn now that you want to - or plan to - in the future?
More carved work and maybe some piercing. I'd like to experiement with dyes more, too.
What brought you to SMC?
Stumbled here in early 2003 when I was getting a little bored at another forum that I was moderating.
Now let's get a little deep... If you were a tree, what tree would you be and why?
Hmm...so many choices. Shlamaca, I think...
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