Standards

[Jim in Oakville]

Hi,

I was in a local Chapters book store today and saw a copy of the current edition of Wood Turners Design on the news stand.

I saw on the cover that they were promoting 5 articles on pen turning. One most excellent by Ron Sardo, well done my friend.

I still have to wonder though, what the magazine is really saying when 3 of the 4 pens on the cover had poor quality, the hardware fit specifically, especially the Emperor....they were turned undersize in several places and I found none of the wood choices or shapes to be appealing...maybe my pain killers were wearing off, but I hold myself to a much higher standard than that, I would never sell pens with those flaws at all.

Am I just being too picky???[}][}]

I did not buy the magazine.....

 

[Rifleman1776]

The editors simply do not know any better and used what they had. A letter to the editor could improve things the next time.

 

[txbatons]

I think the letter would help. Same thing happens in catalogs and trade mags in my business (high school band director). There'll sometimes be an ad or photo of a kid playing a trumpet or other instrument with his hands completely reversed. Nobody normally would notice, but if it's a mag aimed at those who do, you gotta wonder how it slipped by.

Nothing wrong with high standards.

Or maybe the pens were made by the editor...then ouch.

 

[mrcook4570]

I don't have the magazine to look at, but I did go to their website and there is a close up of a poison ivy emperor. Based on that photo, it's hard to say if the fit is indeed poor. The photo is terribly overexposed, so the metal parts seem to disappear. The editors may not be able to do anything about the turning itself, but surely they can fix the photos.

As for wood choices, it looks like the cover pens are all poison ivy pens. That may not look appealing, but neither does kauri, chestnut, or many of the other salvaged timbers. They do not sell based on looks. They sell because of what they represent.

Does that mean I am going to run through the woods to find large poison ivy vines. Absolutely not. I'll leave that specie for somebody else.

What I think is my ugliest pen will often be one of the first to sell. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. []