Family/Woodcentral get together w/ lots o pics

Ned Bulken

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Location
Lakeport NY and/or the nearest hotel
I had the very fine fortune to meet up with Don Orr tonight. I'm in Albany for the week again for work, and after my last trip over here almost a month ago, Don invited me to visit if/when I got the chance to be in the area. The planets aligned and tonight after work the Prius GPS'd me over to chez Orr, where Don and his lovely wife and a friend of theirs and I had a delicious dinner. After lots of laughter and even a barley pop and some cheesecake (Yum!) I got the tour of his wife's pottery studio and then Don's 'Thanks Dad!' workshop.

Folks, he said it was 'messy', but I couldn't tell from where I was sitting. Great space, well laid out and lots of natural light. I'll let him do a shop tour one of these days, if he hasn't already, but suffice to say he's got a very nice shop.
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He showed me several recent pieces which he was delivering soon: iirc there were two ash bowls and a spalted ambrosia maple HF which he rescued from a firewood pile.
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ashbowl1.jpg


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three views of the maple HF
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And then he brought out a gorgeous maple burl bowl which just blew me away.

Here's Don with the burl bowl:
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Since we'd had some barley pop, no tools were turned on, but here's proof that I was there. And yes, I'm one step closer to the abyss.
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Tomorrow evening I'm joining Don at the first meeting of a new turning club. Sounds like a fun time to me, I'll bring the big camera Don, so I hope the guys/gals don't mind photos.
 
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Looks like Don's got a nice shop indeed, and is making some very nice stuff with it.

And regarding the Abyss and your proximity...you want it Ned. You know you do. :p Come to the dark side...we have cookies!
 
Congrats Ned! Yup....Don is a nice and generous guy! I have some mini-hollowing tools from Don that I mean to get handled shortly.
 
Looks like Don's got a nice shop indeed, and is making some very nice stuff with it.

And regarding the Abyss and your proximity...you want it Ned. You know you do. :p Come to the dark side...we have cookies!

ahh, but I have so much flatwork I really need to finish up... like the shop, the doors, the...

Congrats Ned! Yup....Don is a nice and generous guy! I have some mini-hollowing tools from Don that I mean to get handled shortly.

I didn't get a photo of it last night, but yes indeed he is both nice and generous, I have a hefty slab of well traveled 8/4 mahagony to make something out of when I get my shop built. It originally came from the now defunct Marcellus Casket company which was in Syracuse. When it closed down, a gent Don knows bought the remaining wood stock and eventually it wound up in my car through Don.
 
Very Nice Visit !

Ned, You are too kind ! Thanks for posting all the photos. I just don't seem to make the time to put any up myself so I appreciate it. I had a very nice time as well. :thumb:

If you don't already know, Ned is a great guy, funny, interesting, easy to be around. When he got to the house it was like I had known him for a long time. Next time we can stick to soda and actually do some turning! I'm sure I can find some wood around here somewhere.:D

For those of you who did not get the "Thanks Dad" part of my shop, my father passed away several years ago and left me enough money to have a workshop built, so every time I walk in I get to say "Thanks Dad!".
 
Ned, You are too kind ! Thanks for posting all the photos. I just don't seem to make the time to put any up myself so I appreciate it. I had a very nice time as well. :thumb:

If you don't already know, Ned is a great guy, funny, interesting, easy to be around. When he got to the house it was like I had known him for a long time. Next time we can stick to soda and actually do some turning! I'm sure I can find some wood around here somewhere.:D

For those of you who did not get the "Thanks Dad" part of my shop, my father passed away several years ago and left me enough money to have a workshop built, so every time I walk in I get to say "Thanks Dad!".

My pleasure Don, and do you really think there might be some wood to turn? I dunno, might have to go looking for some more just to be certain. ;):rofl:
 
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