On Sept. 26, 2015, a small group of members took the opportunity to take a shop tour of three of our members: Ted Monk, Bob Baird and Gary Dumas.
The shops were quite different, reflecting the available space, the preferred wood projects, and the personality of the owner. We had lots discussion and good questions. At each stop, I picked up a few tips and tricks – and I know that I wasn’t the only one.
Shop 1: Ted Monk
Our first stop was at Ted’s who shared many of the tools and strategies for the amazing work he does turning bowls and art pieces. I might have to give turning another try. Ted also showed us the greenhouse that he has been building in recent weeks.
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- Showing the lathe and some other projects
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- Getting inspired at members’ workshops
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- wood and bowl blanks in various stages
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- Giving us some description of turning tools
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- Sharing some speciality turning tools
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- Comparing rests
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- Bowls in progress
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- Shot of the shop
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- And a different angle. Lots of blanks drying
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- Ted showing us how he would start turning the bowl
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- This piece has spoken yet about what it wants to be
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- Some finished projects
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- Several ‘celebration’ bowls
Shop 2: Bob Baird
Next stop was Bob, who says his claim to fame is keeping things simple. He had some great ideas for jigs and storage (I don’t think it will be long before Gary is duplicating some of those small drawer units).
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- Bob has made great use of cupboards and drawers
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- Gary liked Bob’s shavings sheep
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- Demonstrating some turning jigs
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- Showing a jig for cutting small strips – hinged to get out of the way for small cuts
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- Bob’s version of Sketch-up
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- Bob showing us his filter design
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- A woodstove helps keep the shop warm year round
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- Wise words for any shop
Shop 3: Gary Dumas
The final shop on our tour was Gary’s where we found some ways to really maximize space.
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- The length of each piece of wood
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- A drawer unit for some of the bits and pieces
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- All doors attached by magnets for greater flexiblity
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- And tools in pull-out compartments
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- A works space for doing plans and sketches
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- Drill bits on drawer sliders makes a compact storage area
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- Router jig that fits on table saw table
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- A pull-out trolley for jigs
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- Bandsaw foldaway extension for longer pieces
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- Table saw cover allows extra work space when table saw not required
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- Tips for cleaning blades
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- Table saw extension
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- Air filtration system hanging by chain and bungee for extra support.
After our busy shop schedule, we made a quick stop at Pilot’s Pub to finish the day. It was a fun and inspiring outing. Big thanks to ours hosts for opening their shop doors for visitors. We will definitely be planning another tour, perhaps in the spring. Let Gary know if you are willing to be one of the points on the tour. No shop is too big or too small. It would be great to get two or three sites in the same part of town as this made it much easier for us to connect.
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