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.

I’m pretty stoked about this one.

I am a member of a website called World of Woodturners (WOW) where members post pictures of their work as well as comment on pieces, ask questions and offer suggestions. The membership reaches around the world and counts many well-known names … Continue reading

Posted in Colouring wood, Finishing, General | 1 Comment

Colouring class in my shop

A while ago a friend in the Greater Vancouver Woodturners Guild asked if I would tutor him in some of my techniques. David was specifically interested in my use of dyes and other colour mediums but was also interested in woodturning … Continue reading

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Gilding

Well this was a first for me. I have always admired gilding on various pieces that others have done. Enough that I knew I would get around to doing something myself one day but never finding any pieces that were suitable. I’ll … Continue reading

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Skews: oval? flat?

As I proof read my last post it occurred to me that one point of interest (confusion?) to new turners is the option of flat versus oval skews. Here is my opinion on the topic, and as they say, that and a … Continue reading

Posted in Woodturning Tech Talk | 3 Comments

The dreaded skew is not so dreaded. Trust me.

Like most turners, my first experiences with the skew were tense sessions sometimes ending successfully and sometimes not. Of course we all have known the agony of defeat, experiencing at least one “catch” in our career. And even if you … Continue reading

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Stop the presses! Big assist for a vacuum chuck.

Maybe the title is a little over the top but I’m pretty pumped about a stupid-easy fix that I tripped onto for a common problem when using vacuum chucks. Yesterday I was vacuum chucking a hollow form to finish the foot … Continue reading

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A little bit about dyes

I was queried by a few turners at the West Coast Roundup about the materials I use when colouring wood, so promised I would put something up. My plans for the future include posting something on coloring wood so I already … Continue reading

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A few quick pointers on using a chuck

Today I was working on a hollow form when the lathe started to growl – first when I was cutting the end grain then getting progressively worse. I checked the chuck to make sure it was tight on the lathe and … Continue reading

Posted in Lathe Safety, Lathes and Tools, Woodturning Tech Talk | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

West Coast Round Up Woodturning Symposium

 Well, it’s done. Our guild, the Greater Vancouver Woodturners Guild, hosted the West Coast Round Up September 10 -12 featuring Nick Cook, Dale Larson, Marilyn Campbell, Graeme Priddle, Michael Hosaluk, Allain Mailland, Jason Marlow and our own Art Liestman. Our team … Continue reading

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The other end of the spectrum

The last post was about a huge lathe by most standards. This one is about work produced at the exact opposite end of the scale.   Yesterday I attended the “open shop” for Art Liestman’s new shop/studio at his home in … Continue reading

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