A Penmakers Challenge

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Sorry, I guess I should have read more of the thread before responding, but who cares if some people are following direction while others are figuring it out for themselves? Why can't some people be satisfied with using instructions and being happy with that. You obviously are a committed artist when it comes to your craft, but not everyone is. Some people do this just for the fun of completing a project rather than innovating and coming up with their own processes. I understand the desire to push talent to greatness, but it's not for everyone.

I know what I know about turning from what I've read and what others have taught me. I have never lived close enough to a club to have others help me one on one, so it has been tutorials and forums for me. I have since developed my own processes for many things, but I have found that in some cases, a tutorial would have saved me a lot of time and money with just a couple of simple tips that I'd have never thought of.

Chris

ldb2000 said:
I'm not knocking tutorials but you really don't learn much by just following someones instructions on how to do something . As a starting point I guess they show that "something" can be done , that flap A goes into slot B , but if you have a problem they can't help you with fixing that problem . If you worked out how that "something" was done yourself you have the knowledge of why flap A goes into slot B which gives you the understanding to fix it if it don't work . Also if you ever want to try "something" different knowing that "something" can be done won't help you adapt the old "something" to the new "something" , you need to understand why the "something" was put together the way it was to adapt it .
My main problem with tutorials is that most people will be happy to just do what has already been done and won't bother to learn why it was done that way . They really won't advance their knowledge base , so in that way it hurts their understanding .
Sorry but most people are afraid to fail at something but you learn as much by your failures as you do from your successes , failure is not something to be afraid of but something to be examined and figured out so you can succeed next time .
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The purpose of this challenge is to advance everyones knowledge of penmaking , not to defend my beliefs about tutorials . I never said that anyone else had to hold my beliefs , I was just agreeing with another poster and was told I was wrong by someone who wasn't even joining in the challenge to begin with , so I was forced to defend my beliefs .
We all have different ways of doing things , just look at the CA finish , there are as many ways of doing it as there are turners , no one is the right way just a different way .
A while back a member did a tutorial for the members and was harassed that his way was wrong to the point the he didn't want to do any more tutorials and another member was harassed for not wanting to do a tutorial on how to make a certain type of blank , he was more then willing to help anyone who asked for it . All he asked was that you made an effort . These are some of the problems I have with tutorials .
This debate about tutorials has been around since long before I joined and will continue long after I'm gone . The debate within this challenge has ended . Anyone who is interested in continuing it should do so in PM's not pollute my thread that is trying to help others advance their skills through plain hard work , but I will warn you that I have been holding back so be prepared .


Debate ended !!!
 
Don't worry , there seems to be enough interest to get started so I will be posting the first part of the challenge soon . I just need to find my lathe so I can clean it off to take a few pictures of the first stage .
 
Sounds like fun... I'm in and interested. As a current B2B guy, I think I'll enjoy the stretch outside my comfort zone.

Just a thought... Will each entry/new modification be a separate thread? I hope so because I can easily see this becoming a 50 page thread(or more) and a little cumbersome to review with subsequent additions. It's already 5 pages, and I haven't seen a single pen. Now on with the games...
 
I will watch this thread with great interest.
Thanks for doing it Butch! :smile:


Lenny



(Look forward to the tutorial at the end!) :biggrin::biggrin::devil:
 
If B2B stands for bearing to bearing thats me! I really look forward to stretching my abilities and learning new techniques. Thanks for doing this.

John
 
Looks like you have a good following here Butch. Lookin' forward to seeing what you do. Have fun and play safe.:biggrin:
 
Sorry guys but I've been in agony with back problems all day and haven't been able to get into the shop . I turned and tubed the blanks for the first pen last night but I can't stand long enough to do anything with them .
As soon as I can stand long enough to get something done I will get back to work and get the first pen for the challenge done and posted . Hopefuly in the next day or two . Please be patient .
I have my laptop set up by my bed so if there are any questions feel free to ask them .
 
Take your time Butch. We got all the time we need for the challenge right? We will fire it up when you get to feeling better!
 
I agree. The, "Don't do anything stupid and hurt yourself" rule applies to you too. We can all wait until you are able to stand without nagging back pain.
 
Trust you to be the first to go break the 'work safe' rule!!! Jeeesh:rolleyes:

Just kidding Butch.....hope you get well soon:wink:
 
I'll be in and out Butch. Sounds like fun and an opportunity to learn. I'm in the middle of a kitchen rebuild right now and SWMBO for some reason thinks the kitchen should come before lathe time.. :confused:
 
Sounds fun - i'm in, especially as I haven't made a pen for nearly a year!! Sorry to hear about your back - hope it mends soon.
 
"Trust you to be the first to go break the 'work safe' rule!!! Jeeesh:rolleyes:"

I've been dealing with this for a couple of years now . I broke one of the little bones that keep the spine aligned while crawling around under a dashboard at my job . I don't let it bother me very often but over did it last week and it's just catching up with me now . A couple of Percs and some time and I'll be back up again , in fact I spent a little time this morning turning the blanks to size and prepping the lower tube . If I get a chance tonight I'm gonna spend a little more time and finish the lower tube and start on the upper blank . Just taking it easy and not pushing it .
 
No rush Butch. I don't think any of us are going anywhere anytime soon. Take the time you need and we'll be ready when you are. Thanks again for doing this. I think it'll help alot of us to push through some mental (creative) blocks and start a outburst of great pens.
 
Ok , the first stage is about to begin . The pen is finished and I just have to get a picture and get it posted . I will be posting this challenge in several stages and creating a new thread for each stage . Be expecting the first stage to be posted in a couple of hours .
Good luck and think outside the box , soon we will be throwing the box away . As an idea of what I mean , this pen was made entirely on the lathe , no saws were used :wink::smile:
 
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