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.

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 →

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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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Keeping up… or, go big or go home as they say

Posted on October 22, 2011 by Ed Pretty

My little fridge works pretty well for drying blanks and rough turned pieces but doesn’t quite have the blast for large volumes of stock, so I decided to build a kiln. I had a bunch of thick styrofoam, a box … Continue reading →

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Trying to keep up

Posted on October 1, 2011 by Ed Pretty

Recently I came upon a new wood supplier – or rather he came upon me. The burls that were the subject of a recent post are an example. I have at my disposal an endless supply of figured maple of … Continue reading →

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