Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #66758 in Books
• Published on: 2008-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781565233775
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Review

About the Author

Customer Reviews

A great read for anyone interested in woodturning, or in gaining insights into the mind of a master artist.
David Ellsworth's new book on Woodturning is, on one level, a concise introduction to his art. It covers everything that he teaches in his intensive three-day seminars taught at his home and in his week-long classes offered at leading schools of arts and crafts. He offers insights on wood selection and object design. He explains what tools he uses -- and how to make them -- and the techniques with which he applies those tools to the wood. With beautiful photographs and his own sketches, Ellsworth demonstrates how to create the three basic forms: open bowls, natural-edge bowls, and hollow vessels. He literally takes the reader from the sawing of a log to the sanding and finishing of a final product. On that level alone, his book would be a great success, one that anyone interested in woodturning should read.

But the book offers much more. Ellsworth is, after all, a master of his art. He invented many of the tools and developed many of the techniques that are used today by woodturners around the world. He as much as anyone has been responsible for the recognition that woodturning is more than a craft that produces useful objects. He has greatly contributed to the public appreciation that woodturning is an art and that its practitioners can produce works of beauty, revealing the special qualities of wood in shapes and forms with visual and tactile delight, often incorporating references to classic ceramic or glass forms. Along the way, he has challenged the conventional notions that woodturnings need to be functional, or that forms need to be monumental to be appreciated as art. In very personal ways, in this book, Ellsworth shares his sense of awe at the qualities of wood, and his appreciation for the work of other woodturners. For example, the sketches in the book are all by Ellsworth's own hand. They are very personal and, to this reader at least, each sketch says as much about the author as it does about the subject of the sketch.

So on a second level, the book reveals much about the mind of a gifted master of his art. He shares his deep appreciation of the qualities and varieties of wood, especially its ability to change as green wood dries and matures. He demonstrates the importance of using tools in their most efficient and effective manners. Ellsworth's appreciation for efficient use of tools also extends to the human body. For him it is important that the body be used in ways that minimize the wear and tear and maximize the opportunities for success in woodturning. For Ellsworth, the body of the artist should move in an almost dance-like way as the tools move through their arcs on the wood. It is only through such smooth and efficient movement that smooth and graceful lines can be created. On this level, the book reminds of George Nakashima's "The Soul of a Tree."

Finally, Ellsworth is not only a talented artist, he is also a caring and gifted teacher with a delightful sense of humor. In his brief concluding appendix, he sets forth his approach to teaching, revealing much about the artist as a person who takes joy in sharing his insights with others. And in his glossary we see his humor -- a buyer is someone with the means to purchase a turned wooden object; a collector is someone with the means to purchase a second object.

In summary, Ellsworth's book is a great read for anyone interested in woodturning, or in gaining insights into the mind of a master artist.

The Master speaks
David Ellsworth's hollow vessels are magic in your hands. This book is truly a book from a master. An understanding of the Ellsworth method can do nothing but improve your turning experience. The cover of the book shows the hole worked through to create the vessel. David's approach is straight forward with no gimmicks or special apparatus to create his stunning turned pieces. If you do hollow forms this is the example of the best. Recommended.

Fabulous Book
I have been turning less than two years but have read more than a dozen books on turning and own three of Raffan's and Keith Rowley's book. I have had the opportunity to see Dave Ellsworth demontrate at a symposium. I really like his book! Reading parts of the book reminded me of the notes I took at his demo covering points I was not aware of or failed to realize the importance. It is an inspirational book and covers topics frequently missed in other books like making your own tools. It has a great chapter on Design. It is probably not the first book a new turner would buy as it does not cover basics as well as some others like Keith Rowley's Wouldturning: a Foundation Course. But if you have advanced to bowls and hollow forms you need to get this book.