Posting this for Art Silva
Dan Donaldson
>Last weekend we had our Grand Opening blast at the new Woodcraft store in
Allentown, Pa.. I asked Ellis beforehand if he could stop by on one of the
days and regale the crowd with his turning expertise. After telling me how
busy he is, he said he would get back to me. He did not get back to me, but
he showed up with his irons on Sunday afternoon. I had a break in the
schedule between Ken Burton and Bill Grumbine, and Ellis graciously filled
in. He selected a piece of Ambrosia Maple that was 4" thick by 8" square
which he knocked the corners off on the band saw, and proceeded to turn it
on a new Nova DVR 3000. There were over twenty people in the classroom, and
at least a dozen more standing in the doorways. He made credible progress
before he had to turn over the room to Bill Grumbine. The crowd was privy
to an impromtu lesson in turning by one of the best Turners on the planet,
and it was a freebie!
After I took this picture, Ellis, without a break in his turning, commented
that he would hate to see his ample "turning muscle" show up on the web
site. Ha! Ha!
To all you Centralians out there who have not been fortunate enough to meet
Ellis in person yet let this little vignette assure you that he is the
genuine article, and his devotion to woodworking and the disemination of
knowledge to all who are willing to listen and learn is unflagging.
Art
