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.

Making handles for your turning tools 1

It’s been a while since I have posted here but it’s so hard to turn and type at the same time. 🙂 I recently had been asked to produce a video on “tips and tricks” for one of r the … Continue reading

Posted in Lathes and Tools, Woodturning Tech Talk | Comments Off on Making handles for your turning tools 1

Hollow Turning With a Twist.

I thought I would share a project I have been working on recently that is different than many and uses a hollowing technique I haven’t used until now. The size of this project is a bit nuts but the concept … Continue reading

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AAW Symposium 2014

Thought I would take a minute to show everyone the pieces I will be taking down to the AAW Symposium in Phoenix this year. This is my first time in the Instant Gallery at a symposium. These won’t be for … Continue reading

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Collaboration with Steve Smith, Native Artist

Over the last couple of years I have had the good fortune to be collaborating with Steve Smith, Native Artist. Steve paints traditional images however he imparts his own distinctive style in his work. I am beyond fortunate – more … Continue reading

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The New Carbide Scrapers: an opinion

“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

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?

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

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

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

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