Today, after going through many of the flickr Pictures and blog posts from PAB, I found myself at the Influential Blog of Chris Brogan. Chris is the co-founder of Podcamp and blogs about business and community here. For all of my good friends in the art world using New Media to help them along this video I have embedded below recorded by Chris Penn of the Financial Aid Podcast and Marketing Over Coffee is a must see! I will first share the notes I took after watching the video for the fourth time! These are my two favorites. Often spoken about yet rarely done with sincerity and in the spirit of giving. Social media is not a one way street but rather a dialog.

1. Build Community
2. Raise those up around you! Give Love!

Chris made my Fridge! I have posted my takeaways from Chris’ Jolt session. I do this from time to time and then I take them down when they are implanted in my head. As an artist trying to make it in this space Chris’ blog and bits of knowledge are invaluable!

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The “art” of the art is to be able to tell a story with your craft. Many of us think of a story as something you can either read in a book, listen to on your iPod, or watch on a television screen. The fact is though, that the best artists of our time and from days gone by have told a story with their medium of choice and it was never about the brushes, the hammers, or the computers, but rather about the story and the passion behind the work that glows through.

Today, I was listening to an inspired podcast by my good friend John Meadows called “On the Log“, and the story that he was able to weave along with the thoughts that he wanted to get across combined with the flawless audio production to me was “Artistic”. John has come a long way in the Podcasting world and has improved his delivery after each and every episode he has done. His non-pretentious attitude towards the engagement of his community no matter how large or small is a breath of fresh air! Every week, John tries to tie in the old with the new, bringing what many would consider old fashioned values to a community of high tech enthusiasts.

This next month, I will be speaking at Podcamp Boston 3 on web 2.0 tools meshing with creativity and the arts. John, in my mind embodies the ability to create art with web 2.0 tools through his podcast and I am proud to be his friend.

Related Posts

My Time with John Meadows

Thank you to Mark Blevis of The “Canadian Podcast Buffet” for the Three faces of John Meadows Photo.

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So my “BIG QUESTION” for you is; What is your peak time? When are you the most Motivated? Not what motivates you, but what hour of the day are you at your best? I was thinking about doing some research on this topic of peak productivity times, but the fact is….I know when I am at my best! I don’t need a study to tell me otherwise or to confirm.

I am asking you guys to chime in here and let me know when is your peak hour of the day? Do you take a nap during the day? If so, does this help your productivity? How many hours of sleep do you need? If you need less than 7 hours of sleep and feel great when you wake how old are you?

Yea, lots of questions….I am curious? It seems to me that techies by nature are night owls. Myself, I am a night owl. I wake up at 5:30 AM every morning to get my butt to my day job. I literally have to drag my butt out, and when I get there I don’t really feel awake for at least an hour.

If I wake at say 7 A.M. I am progressively better, and at 8 A.M I am a bull ready to pull a plow through a muddy field. My dilemma however is the evening. I am writing this post, and it’s 9:40 PM. I feel like I’m just getting a second wind, heck maybe even a first wind. Nice healthy dinner at 6:30 and by 8PM I am ready to go out to my wood shop and work until midnight or better. Problem with that is “I have a day Job!” 5:30 a.m. wake up after working in my wood shop until midnight for me would be almost impossible. So I am forced to be in bed by 11PM. My mind racing with creative ideas, and my body telling me to go out to the wood shop. When 5:30 A.M. rolls around, my body is saying, just another couple of hours and I’ll be set to go.

Are you a night person or a morning person? Are you both? And How long have you been that way? Has anyone ever said “you’ll get used to waking up early.”? What’s the deal, I have been doing this for years and the fact still remains that my bodies natural cycle is not that of my day job. How important do you feel this subject is in your creativity and productivity?

Please, hit the comment button, and let me know.

Question Mark of Lightning Photo from http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/920100.html

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A UFO in the Woods!

UFO’s are coming to Magic Woodworks! Recently, after having read quite a bit about the Phoenix Mars Lander, I was inspired to do a series of UFO inspired pieces handcrafted from wood. This month as a part of my “Twitter Friends Discount” program I will be introducing a new series collection called “Extra Orbital” The series will include 5-10 works inspired by UFO’s, Outer space, and The Unknown.

I would love some community participation. Inspire me! Send me links to your favorite UFO stories, your favorite mysterious happenings, and the unexplained. I will be using multiple woods, texturing, carving, and coloring to achieve the effect that I am looking for. Keep up to date with the newest pieces as they are finished and look for my first ever video podcast to be coming soon where you can watch these creations come to life. If you are a graphically inclined person I would love to see some cool logo artwork for the “Extra Orbital” series. any entries received will get full props here on my blog and the community can vote on the official logo.

Remember, June is “Twitter Friends Discount” month, and is good on anything you purchase from my Magic Woodworks Etsy store. The new “Extra Orbital Series” will be available soon at the Magic Woodworks Etsy store. One lucky purchaser will gt the DVD of the making of their piece! Which one, who knows……it’s a mystery.

This week’s thank you’s

Zena Weist - Purchased three sets of my handmade bottle stoppers from the Magic Woodworks Etsy store. Thank you Zena for kicking off the first Etsy Purchase!

Tommy Vallier - For the amazing work he has done under the hood of my blog. If your feeling charitable, send Tommy a case of Yoo Hoo, they don’t carry it in Canada anymore!

Greg Barnett - For his alway great and timely advice. Check out Greg’s web design services at Rock N’ Motion.

Source Image from http://www.thelosthaven.co.uk/ufoforest.jpg

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It’s June! I’m cranking stuff out of my wood shop and I’m offering some benefits to my friends on twitter! For the past year I have been using twitter to help get the message out about my unique lathe turned and handmade items. Now, it’s time for me to give back!

In all of the month of June I will be adding items daily to my Etsy shop and I am offering my twitter friends a bonus for any purchase you make! Because the items will change and be added frequently, the only way I could think to do this was to base it on pricing, so here goes.

Purchase $20 worth of merchandise and I will send you a coupon for 10% off your next purchase and a free Exotic Wood Wine Bottle stopper!

Purchase $40 worth of merchandise and I will send you a coupon for 20% off your next purchase and two free Bottle Stoppers!

The process is really simple. When making your purchase Etsy will allow you to make notes on the receipt. Simply put your twitter name in the notes area and it’s that simple! If you are not yet a friend of mine on twitter then click here and add me as a friend!

If you are new to my work you can find photos here on my flickr page. All of my work is handcrafted on a lathe. The finish I use on all of my pieces unless specified otherwise is a natural combination of Linseed Oil, Shellac, and BeesWax. This twitter friend discount offer will only be available in June 2008 as a kickoff to my new Etsy storefront. Act Now, or miss the boat!

Schedule Announcements

I’ll be speaking at Podcamp Boston 3 - July 19th & 20th 2008

I’ll be selling my art at the Appleumpkin Festival - September 27th & 28th 2008

I’ll be selling my art at the Letchworth Art & Crafts Show - October 11th, 12th & 13th

If your in the area I hope to see you there!

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This series of articles will come out once a week for the next four weeks and will be displayed on the “Beginning Woodturner Page” found on the header bar of this page. My hopes is that at the end of the four week series that you will have a basic grasp on what tools, equipment, references, and information you might need to enter into the wonderful world of woodturning. You may also subscribe to this blog for free by signing up through email or the RSS reader of your choice. If you have further questions I am always just an email away. Email Me!

NOTE: This article will be updated and evolve throughout the process, so please check back.

Part one will focus on “The Lathe” and making an informed choice on the most important tool in the woodturners arsenal. I will focus on the decision between a mini lathe and a full size lathe, cost, electricity needs, and we will discuss your seriousness of the pursuance of the hobby of woodturning. I will also give examples of what can and cannot be produced on lathes of different size and power.

The Lathe - this picture was sourced from a Wikipedia Entry called Parts of the Lathe

Mini-Lathe vs. Full Size Lathe

Mini Lathes

There are many producers of electric lathes on the market today and I am not going to get into deep discussion about what brand of lathe to buy, but rather I’ll talk about the features and benefits of the lathes discussed. Common producers of mini lathes are:

Jet, Turncraft, Rockler, Grizzley, and many more. Local or internet retailers can be found by googling the names of these makers for more information.

The difference between a mini lathe and a full size lathe is really very small in terms of parts and pieces. The major difference however is Size , Power, & Capabilities.
For the beginning woodturner I would make this decision based mainly on what it is that you would like to turn. A mini lathe can handle:

Pens
Wine Bottle Stoppers,
Small Plates & Platters
Small Bowls & Hollow Forms,
Spinning Tops

There are many very qualified and successful woodturners that make their living turning small items, and many turners that I know that turn exclusively beautiful pens and pencils. Do not make the mistake in associating a smaller lathe with lesser skill. This is simply not true. If you are looking to enter the hobby or field of woodturning and have less than $500 to spend on everything to get started, you will want to consider a mini lathe. I have found throughout the years that when purchasing tools, always buy the best you can afford. If you take care of your mini lathe it will hold it’s value.

Full Size Lathes

Common Producers of Full size lathes are:

Powermatic, Delta, Oneway, Grizzley

The added feature to having a larger lathe is quite significant to the experienced woodturner. You are able to turn much larger items with greater ease.
Here is a sample of items that can be turned, but not limited to, on a Full Scale Lathe:

Large Bowls or Vases
Large Hollow Forms
Large Artistic Pieces
Large platters or Wall Hangings

From a personal note, without giving manufacturer, I found that after one year on my mini lathe that I had outgrown it in terms of what I wanted my lathe to do for me. My interest was to be able to turn larger items with more power and accuracy. This led me to purchasing a full size lathe. However, I do still use my mini lathe for items such as my wine bottle stoppers and childrens toy tops. Also, to be completely transparent, I was working on my mini lathe sometimes 4-5 hours an evening and I was also looking for a machine that could withstand the rigors of my constant use. Purchasing the mini lathe firs was a good ove for me as i was able to master many of the basics before moving on to a larger machine. At this point I knew woodturning was my passion and not a fleeting hobby.

Lathe Options & Features

Electronic Speed Control

The main upgrade found from one lathe to the next in the mini and full size lathe category is ESC. (Electronic Speed control) ESC allows you to have constant and nearly infinite control over the rate of speed at which the lathe spins the wood. If there is no electronic speed control then the speed of the lathe is usually changed manually by hand. this is done by switching the pulleys that the belt rides on inside the headstock of the lathe. Most mini lathes that do not offer ESC have four fixed speeds. These speeds are adequate for a beginning turner and for someone who is testing the waters to see how serious they are about the hobby. Non ESC units are usually more affordable than thos that offer ESC. If you are sure that you will be serious about woodturning and are interested in purchasing a mini lathe I highly recommend ELC.

Moveble Headstock for Outboard Turning

Some lathes will offer you a moveable headstock for outboard turning of larger items. The headstock in this situation will rotate away from the bed of the lathe so that the piece being worked on has more capacity to spin. If you feel you need this extra capacity it is important that your lathe has enough horsepower. The further you get away from the center of gravity the heavier the load is on the motor making it more likely to stall or slow down. This will effect the quality of your cuts. So if you are looking into having outboard turning capabilities be sure to do your homework and research. Forums are always a good place to get honest information on a particular machine.

Additional Resources

“A Beginners Guide to Woodturning” by George Flavell & Dick Veitch. Made available by the South Auckland Woodturners Guild.

Terry Scott

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