subject: A Word On Woodturning Waste From The Toolpost [print this page] One of the UKs premier suppliers of woodcarving and woodturning tools The ToolPost urges its customers (http://www.toolpost.co.uk/), and indeed all woodcraftsmen and women, to think outside the box when approaching the common challenges they will come across when woodcarving or woodturning. Working with wood creates some unavoidable waste, but thats no excuse for a turner or carver to become a wastrel. Throwing money at problems never solves them, as Peter Hemsley, proprietor of The ToolPost, explained in a piece originally published in Woodturning magazine.
Given that Peter Hemsley is the owner of one the leading suppliers of woodturning and woodcarving tools, its surprising how often he advises people against purchasing tools! Its not that he doesnt believe in the quality of his stock, or denies the fact that the tools he sells are highly useful; its because there are some occasions when they are simply not required. As Hemsley himself puts it, Supplying tools is my living but I was brought up in an age and family where waste was abhorred and was anyway not affordable. Hence I simply cant help myself when a customer asks for a non-essential tool where, to me, theres an obvious work-around. It seems that today we so readily use our wallets instead of our imagination.
Hemsley elaborates his point with a tale from his very own shop: I have a regular client, retired and careful with his spending. One day he waltzed into the shop and requested a hollowing gouge. We had a chat to clarify exactly what he meant and it turned out he wanted to take the innards out of an egg-cup. I reminded him that I had recently sold him a perfectly adequate spindle gouge that would do the job very simply. I took him to the woodturning lathe and showed him how to use a standard spindle gouge for this operation. I got him to have a go, until he was hollowing like a good un. He stepped back proudly from the lathe, brushed off the shavings - and asked again for a hollowing gouge because that was what the article he had read had told him he needed to use. I picked myself up from the floor, showed him the range of hollowing gouges and let him spend a little of his hard-saved cash. He went off happy but left me pondering words like lead, horse, water and drink.
Hemsley believes that its not just timber that can be wasted in the pursuit of the art of woodturning and carving, but the mighty dollar a refreshing viewpoint from a retailer! As he puts it, Think of the elation of working out for yourself how to overcome a problem (a.k.a. challenge). My advice is to use your head before reaching for your wallet. Solutions are devised in the mind, not in the bank. But if you do need tools, Ill be only too happy to see you!
Editors Note: The ToolPost (http://www.toolpost.co.uk/) is represented by the digital marketing specialists and SEO provider Jumping Spider Media. Please direct all press queries to Louise Byrne. Email: louise@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.
