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.

A very satisfied customer

Patti Houston of Fluff Rentals and Fluff for Keeps commissioned a piece a while ago and we delivered it to her office/warehouse last week. Several gals work for her there, interior designers all. Patti was very happy with  “Debutante” (by … Continue reading

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Supersized hollow form

Many years ago I watched a deep hollowing demonstration by the late Frank Sudol. Sudols’ forte was very large, very thin pierced hollow forms. I took a class using his boring tools and found it quite easy. I started down … Continue reading

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Bee tea. My first tea pot.

 Our guild president offered a challenge to turn a tea pot after Art Liestman did a demo on the pots made by woodturners. This is my effort. The body is birch burl, the spout and top/dipper are birch, the legs … Continue reading

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It’s time to lime (but not your lawn)

Recently I have received requests from a few other turners for tips on using lime wax. There’s not a lot of literature on the process that I am aware of except a book that I have myself; “Colouring Techniques for Woodturners” by … Continue reading

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Art as utility

Today a potter-friend posted some pictures of some pottery that he had fired in a campfire while he was on holidays. My first thought was how great the pieces looked and how they conveyed a message of ancient wonders. In … Continue reading

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Turned box for surprise gift requires a profile gauge

I won’t say what the surprise is going to be because the recipient might read this. All I’ll say is that the request came from someone wanting to have a turned box shaped like an egg to hold a very … Continue reading

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A Day with Doug Fisher

Recently our guild hosted Doug Fisher for a one day demo and one day workshop. For those of you who are not aware of Doug’s distinctive style, I have included a couple of pictures of his signature pieces. Typically he turns wall … Continue reading

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Another “cover” shot!

I guess I’m fluffing my own feathers here a bit, but then why have a blog if you can’t do that. 🙂 Recently I started posting shots of my work on the WoW site (Woodturners on the Web). I have been … Continue reading

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Stand-Alone Tool Carousel

 At one time my lathe was against a wall so storing my tools was a simple matter of providing a rack on the wall. When I got serious about turning I moved things around to get the lathe out in … Continue reading

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New Gallery Opening

Last night I attended the opening of Fluff Rentals’ new gallery, Fluff For Keeps. As galleries go this one is a bit different. Fluff Rentals offers interior design services and up until now only rented the necessary furnishings. Their target market for … Continue reading

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