John Beaver Demonstration and Workshops

John Beaver Demonstration and Workshops

John Beaver - May 20-22, 2023

Finger Lakes Woodturners is thrilled to host John Beaver as our featured Spring National Turner. During his visit, John will present an all-day demonstration on Saturday, May 20, and will be available for two workshops on May 21-22.

About John Beaver

After spending over 25 years in Hollywood filming television commercials, John began experimenting with a lathe he had inherited. Having always lived near the ocean, he was inspired to bring the motion and rhythm of the waves to a round object. The exploration of that concept led to the “wavy” design which is still the signature element of his work today.

Whether in Bronze or Wood, the techniques he has invented to accomplish his designs have led to a variety of processes that are reflected in all of his work. The genesis of John’s work is his ability to deconstruct a turned vessel, add, remove or modify the elements, and reassemble the piece while maintaining grain and wall alignment. John’s designs are recognizable by his use of contrast, rhythm, motion and depth.

Along the way his beautiful work has been acquired by major museums and collectors, honored with many awards and has been shown in publications worldwide. John has also taught woodturning at schools, clubs and symposia around the world.

Saturday, May 20, 2023
All Day Demonstration

9:00 am – 4:00 pm
St. Michaels Woodshop

John will demonstrate three topics:

  • Bangles - Bangles make great gifts for wives, daughters and friends. They are also great items to add to your craft show booth. Anyone with a basic turning set can make a bangle. In this demo John will demonstrate various ways to mount and turn wood bangles. John will show you specialized tools you can buy to make the process easier, but he will also show you how to use tools you already have to accomplish the same thing. It’s amazing how something as simple as a rubber band can make a big difference in the way you use a basic tool.
  • Protruding form - The second piece will be a protruding wave bowl from a rough turned bowl. For this piece John will use his custom jig to cut a turned bowl into pieces. He will then modify the elements and put it all back together.
  • Round bottom bowls - There are quite a few tricks to getting a round bottom bowl to look and sit just right. In this demo John will take you through all the steps, show you some tricks, and share with you different ways to turn a correct round bottom bowl.
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Workshops
May 21 thru May 22
All workshops held at St. Michael's Workshop

Workshop 1
Sunday  May 21th 2023
9am – 4pm
$125 + $15 material fee
Bring your own lunch

Bangles.
This is a good beginner class but a lot of fun for turners of all levels. In this class John will teach various ways to mount and turn wood bangles. John will show you specialized tools you can buy to make the process easier, but he will also show you how to use tools you already have to accomplish the same thing. It’s amazing how something as simple as a rubber band can make a big difference in the way you use a basic tool. There are many ways to turn bangles and you will see lots of options so you can find the technique that’s best for you. John will also cover bangle sizes and talk about different styles so you can create your own unique bangles.

Materials fee covers 8 blanks per student.

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Workshop 2
Monday May 22nd 2023
8:00 – 3:30
$125 + $40 material fee
Bring your own lunch

Two projects for the price of one!

Basic Wave Bowl
For the first project you will prepare a wave bowl blank to be turned at a later date. Starting with a dry square blank, John will take you through the steps to prepare a wave bowl blank. You will cut it apart, steam bend a contrasting wood to create the wave, and glue it back together keeping the grain aligned. With a bandsaw, a few clamps and basic turning tools, this is a project you will be able to go home and do yourself.

Round Bottom Bowl
There are quite a few tricks to getting a round bottom bowl to look and sit just right. In this section John will take you through all the steps, show you some tricks, and share with you different ways to turn a correct round bottom bowl.  You will have the chance to turn 2 bowls, one green and one dry.

Protruding Forms
For this workshop, John will use his custom jig to cut a turned bowl into pieces. He will then modify the elements and put it all back together. This piece has a higher skill level but there are many tricks that may help you with some of your own designs.

Materials fee includes wood for all three bowls.

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Workshop 3

 

No Longer Available

Special Note on Wait Lists: Once a workshop sells out, the only option will be to join a wait list. The wait lists are for each individual event. Thus, if you want to be on a wait list for Monday and Wednesday, you need to join BOTH wait lists.

About the St. Michael's Facility

Finger Lakes Woodturners runs workshops at St. Michaels Workshop, 691 St. Paul St., Rochester, NY, a not-for-profit organization that offers life skills to urban youth through the art of woodworking. The skills and character traits the students develop at St. Michael’s give them a sense of self-worth and helps them establish habits essential to productive living. Several of our members volunteer at St. Michael's to teach woodturning skills to the students.

We are thrilled to have a location to set up our ten full-size lathes, along with an assortment of chucks and turning tools, for national turner workshops, and member-only events. The combination of the St. Michael's space and the FLWT lathes and equipment lets us present a world-class facility for woodturning training.