Author Archives: Ed Pretty

About Ed Pretty

I am a professional woodturner, specializing in gallery work, commercial work, teaching and demonstrating. I have been turning since 1958, so... a long time. I use this site to present my work to the public at large and to let people know that I am available for teaching private lessons in woodturning. Wood turning is one of my passions (the other is motorcycle touring). It is my desire to pass on everything that I have learned over the years to others so that the craft of woodturning will grow.

The New Carbide Scrapers: an opinion

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Ed Pretty

“New” carbide scrapers is a bit of a stretch since they’ve been on the market for a couple of years at least. It’s just that they’re newer than traditional cutting tools. I thought I would enter this post because I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Opinion Pieces | 1 Comment

Why I Haven’t Been Posting

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Ed Pretty

It’s been a long time since I’ve been posting steadily.  Lots of stuff has been going on and I have been turning my brains out but nothing has appeared here. Last November I mounted my first solo gallery show. It … Continue reading →

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Help! What caused this?

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Ed Pretty

A few days ago I got an email from a friend wondering what had caused some blotchy marks on his bowl. He wasn’t sure if it was the wood or the material he used for the finish. Upon seeing the … Continue reading →

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A blast of colour

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Ed Pretty

Well, I’m back. Haven’t posted for a while so I thought I would plug this in real quick-like. This video is (almost) totally unrelated to turning. It is, however, completely related to what I do after I finish a turning. … Continue reading →

Posted in Colouring wood, Finishing, General | 1 Comment

One for the Man in Motion

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Ed Pretty

A couple of weeks ago I got an email from the Rick Hansen Foundation requesting a piece to use as a base to display a medal. And what a medal it is! Without size reference it’s not easy to see … Continue reading →

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Masking Made Easy

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Ed Pretty

I’m not sure how many of you have turned pieces then finished them with a painted or dyed feature while the rest of the piece remains natural. It can be a bit of a pain to get it “just right”. … Continue reading →

Posted in Colouring wood, Finishing, General | 2 Comments

Another colouring class

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Ed Pretty

This past weekend I hosted eight students from the Fraser Valley Wood Turners Guild; four on Saturday and four on Sunday. As they say, a good time was had by all. We covered various ways of altering the colour of … Continue reading →

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My Collaborator

Posted on December 10, 2011 by Ed Pretty

When I speak of the wood turnings that I do I usually refer them as “our” pieces. I feel that there is equal input from my wife Arlene in almost every piece. Often that input makes the difference between a … Continue reading →

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Now THAT’S a gouge.

Posted on November 19, 2011 by Ed Pretty

Sounds like something Crocodile Dundee would have said if he was a wood turner. 🙂 My Grandfather was a wood turner and we had a huge lathe in the shop upstairs in our barn. I rescued it about 20 years … Continue reading →

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Something architectural for a change

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Ed Pretty

For many years my stock in trade was architectural projects. One-off replacements, one of a kind pieces and whole spindle jobs, one of which was the most unique design (with every spindle being slightly different than the rest) that the … Continue reading →

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