Let there be no doubt about it, turning wood creates an extensive mess. Please allow me to share…
Al Lanseigne, my husband and the sole wood turner at Willow Vale Woodturning, stores his logs outside in a nice, tidy woodpile at the edge of our property. It’s logical. Who’d keep a bunch of logs in the house? When he’s ready to turn, Al rolls a log from the wood pile onto the driveway and uses his chainsaw to cut it down to a more appropriate size. Wood shavings and sawdust scatter about. He then carries the reduced piece of wood into his workshop, which happens to be located inside our house. Wood shavings and sawdust trail behind him. Once the log is positioned on his lathe, Al begins the turning process. Wood shavings and sawdust fill the air. They fly like snow in a New England blizzard, covering every exposed surface, filling every nook and cranny. There are piles and piles of wood shavings and sawdust. Al himself becomes covered with wood shavings and sawdust; it’s in his hair, in his pockets, in his ears…you get the picture. Lunchtime rolls around and Al leaves his workshop to go to the kitchen. Wood shavings and sawdust follow. He sits down to eat; wood shavings and sawdust stick to the chair. Our cat Layla jumps on his lap; wood shavings and sawdust become stuck in her fur. Al and I pass by each other; wood shavings are now on me. Like the wood shavings and sawdust, what began solely as Al’s hobby has become a part of my daily life; though not directly involved with woodturning, I am consistently seeing it, hearing it, cleaning it, supporting it and learning new things about it. Thoughts of woodturning stick in my brain, just as wood shavings and sawdust cling to my clothes. Thus I write As the Shavings Fly. Here I will share insights into the world of wood turning and crafting. I’ll tell you of successes and failures, of the people we’ve met and the experiences we’ve had. I’ll write a bit about what goes into Al’s woodturning and how he comes up with the pieces that he creates. There will not be anything very technical here, just a collection of thoughts that I think might appeal to people who are interested in natural, hand made, unique and crafty types of things. People like you! Needless to say I am new at this. Your feedback, comments, and suggestions would be helpful and appreciated!
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AuthorAs the Shavings Fly is a blog written by Jeanne Betournay Lanseigne, the wife and #1 supporter of wood turner Al Lanseigne Archives
September 2015
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