Re: Who hollows with laser rigs?
Bill Grumbine, Kutztown PA
>Wow, what a discussion! I thought the cheating thing might arise, because I wondered about it myself before I posted this question. Here is my perspecitve on this particular aspect.
First, there are two components to a turning, technical and artistic. The technical aspect can be achieved by just about anyone who puts their mind to it, and who can obtain the proper equipment. The technical aspects can be achieved with different levels of equipment, but with different amounts of effort needed.
The artistic component is a little more elusive I think. While good form and design can be learned (and indeed NEEDS to be learned) by anyone, there are always going to be people who have a natural gift for it. Please understand that I am not denigrating anyone's ability here. I am just making the observation that not everyone has the same gift for artistry just as not everyone has the same body shape, intelligence level, etc.
It is true that some people also have a gift for grasping the technical issues more quickly, but in my opinion, these are basic skills that can be taught to anyone intelligent enough to understand. I offer by way of example the ability to read a tape measure as a technical skill. One inch is one inch and that is very objective. The flow of a nice curve is much more subjective, and is much harder to describe, much less achieve.
So, is it really cheating to take advantage of more advanced technology? This same discussion goes on over on the flat side all the time, and is so passionate that the Neanderthals have their own message board. But there are Neanders who built crappy looking stuff just as much as the power tool people - it just takes them longer. Now this passion has reared its head here on the turning forum.
It seems to me that if someone were manufacturing templates that we could stick on our machines and use to carve out hollow forms to be sold as artistic work, that would be cheating. I went though this whole process when I made the decision to buy the copy lathe, because that is exactly what I intend to do - use a template to churn out hundreds of pieces. But in spindle work, it is not cheating, it is taking advantage of technology to manufacture pieces efficiently. There is no question as to whether it is art or not because it isn't. I will add the caveat that there are apparently a whole parcel of Windsor chair makers who own the same copy lathe I do, but will not breathe a word about it, for fear of being labeled a cheater.
But in hollow turning, once the form is shaped, then hollowing it out is just the drudge work of getting it done, right? We have often discussed wall thickness here and in local groups, and the conclusion is almost always that wall thickness is not really important to anyone EXCEPT other turners! Most buyers don't care how hard it was to get a vessel to 1/8" instead of 3/16". It is of no importance to them, with the upper and lower limits of fragility and clunkiness. If a piece is too fragile, many people will walk away, and the same goes if it feels too clunky, although there are always exceptions. But anyway...
It seems to me that if a person has achieved to their own satisfaction, and measured by whatever standard they care to use, the ability to produce well designed pieces, how does technology enable them to cheat? Remember, we are not talking about a form template or something like that. We are talking the equivalent of power sanding versus hand sanding. Even with the advanced technology, one can still produce poorly executed pieces. I know because I still manage to do it, and I see others doing it as well.
So, this has turned into a very interesting discussion. I hope it continues for a while, as it sure is a lot more interesting that a lot of the more mundane stuff that comes along.
Bill
