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 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

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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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Bullmoose

Bullmoose takes up more than its fair share of floorspace in my shop. It’s old. I rarely use it. You have to be a millwright to preserve the babbit plain bearings and cast iron thrust bearing when you are turning. It represents so … Continue reading

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How I got here from there

On my welcome page I commented that I got started as a turner when I was 9 years old. To some that might seem a bit improbable but you would have to know the environment in which I grew up. … Continue reading

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Dust collector trick

In the picture in the previous post about cup centers you will note that the dust collector pick-up has a shroud or frame around the opening. When I upgraded from my dust distributor system to an actual dust collector system I purchased … Continue reading

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Using a cup-center drive

Recently I had the opportunity to participate in a workshop led by Mark Sfirri. Mark is well known for his  multi centered turning resulting in some very unique shapes. Probably the most well known are his “Rejects from the Bat Factory” series. … Continue reading

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