Ed Pretty – Wood Artist
Ed is an accomplished woodturner who has been turning for a very long time, 62 years to be exact. Of course he didn’t start out being an expert, no one does! He started when he was only 9 on an old lathe at home with his father at the helm. His first project was a handle for his mother’s favourite slotted spoon. (We still have it today). He has branched out extensively since then. Want to keep up with Ed, keep coming back, or check out his Facebook page.
As Promised, the Spinning Tools!
Ed has been busy in the shop making lots of spinning tools and he is having the time of his life doing so! He has made Drop Spindles, Supported Spindles and cups, Ring Distaves, Nostepinnes and Yarn Bowls. Let’s not forget the niddy noddys that he is making and the Dizzes are on the way.
Check them out: https://edswoodturning.com/spinning-tools/
New to Ed’s repertoire, Spinning Tools!
Ed has started something completely new and we are very excited about it! I never would have expected this line of artwork and tools. He has, with the continued help of a couple of new friends, Kim and Diana, developed a line of spinners tools.
Stay tuned, I will be writing posts on each of the items in the coming weeks. It’s hard to keep up with Ed as he is turning, turning, turning which keeps me very busy.
Checkout the new page at: https://edswoodturning.com/spinning-tools-and-gadgets/
Check out the Gallery
Want to see some of Ed’s work, have a look at the gallery. Unfortunately it is a little behind the times and I, his wife Arlene, haven’t had the time to update it. Stay tuned though, I will be working on that soon.
Woodturning Lessons
Ed also offers woodturning lessons here at the shop. Lessons are one-on one or perhaps two in cases of couples, siblings of other synergistic combinations. There are three categories:
- “Want to turn”. People who are interested in learning to turn but do not have a lathe. This is a single day where you will learn what you need, what you don’t need and what’s nice to have. You get the experience of turning a bowl but, understandable, Ed will do a lot of it. Many have come back for further instruction, noting that they saved the price of admission in the things that they didn’t buy but would have.
- “New Turner”. People who have a lathe and tools and want to learn proper technique. This is a minimum two-day session, preferably two days back to back.
- “Master Class” sounds a bit pretentious so we’ll call it “Advanced”. Single days offered to established turners seeking advanced instruction (often in between-centre techniques) or bowl turners that find themselves struggling with one or more issues.
From one of Ed’s star students…
I have had the distinct pleasure of taking woodturning lessons from Ed in person and online. He is a complete pro in every sense of the word. You cannot ask him a woodturning related question he hasn’t already considered and resolved. He is technically, intellectually and artistically in a class of his own. He has been turning since his youth. He would probably not like me saying this but Ed is very smart. He has an inquisitive mind and the type of personality and character that propels him get to the bottom of every complication he encounters in his woodturning endeavours. I came to learn that Ed was a farm boy in his youth which loosely translated means if its broke you fix it and if you can’t fix it you just weld something together that works better than what you started off with. When you ask Ed a question about woodturning you don’t just get an answer in return, you get a complete understanding of the underlying principles behind what you asked. He is a natural teacher and more than that he loves to teach and share his craft. Before I began woodturning I spent 35 years of my life stressing as a lawyer in a downtown law firm. My clients were justifiably, very demanding. I carried that forward in my expectations of a woodturning instructor and boy Ed did not disappoint. Since taking my first lesson from Ed I have fallen in love with the craft. I turn daily for a good portion of each day. I am at the point now that I sell my turnings but I still consult with Ed when embarking on a new aspect of turning or when I encounter an issue that Ed will surely have engaged and conquered long before I make contact.
Mike Shane
Tips and How To’s
This is something fairly new that we have added to the website. There are a variety of topics to choose from. This is being updated daily. I’m revisiting most of them before posting and am trying to only include a couple a day. Wouldn’t want you to miss any. 😉 These were mostly originally written by Ed for Craftsy. Click here, or on the tab above to get to this section.
Blog!
This is a running list of Ed’s posts, both old and new. The newest are on the top, so you may have to do some digging to get to some of the oldies but goodies. Of course, you can always pick your category from the menu at the side.
Stay tuned
This, like all websites, is a work in progress. Stay tuned for the new up and coming posts, projects, photos and more.