Part of the fun of doing this is being surprised by the
experiments in form and design. Especially when I first started learning pen
turning, what I intend and what came out in the end are at times very different
things. I confidently make a cut or series of cuts, "knowing" how
they'll turn out, only to stand at the end thinking, "How in the ...
?"
One of my favorite examples of this was "Crazy
Spider." The idea was a wave design in purple heart and canary wood with
an offset inlay line. After the fairly simple cut and glue of the purple heart
and canary, I turned the blank 90 degrees and cut another wave, inserting a
padauk inlay and then just gluing the two pieces back together. The surprise
came when I turned it on the lathe. The width of the pen just happened to
coincide with the peak of the inlay wave. Sanding to that point created the red
padauk "X" that came out in the final pen. It may not be pretty, but
it sure is unique! I've been able to duplicate this a few times, but it's not
easy.
Another fun thing is to just cut and assemble, with no idea
what's going to happen. Most of the Sanitarium Line are like this, at least in
specific shapes and patterns. They're designed to be abstract, so if they make
a discernable shape it really is a surprise. I thought this one looked like
some kind of Picasso-style eye when it turned out. That silver dot, by the way,
is a piece of aluminum I had no idea was in there.
I used to make fun of abstract art!
I want to know! What surprises do you get at your work or
hobby?
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