A Fantastic Day of Turning Instruction

Although I joined the site 3 years ago, I have only been reading and absorbing the wisdom of the forum. My turning has been entirely self-taught until this past Friday. On Friday, I had the most enjoyable and educational day of my brief turning experience. My BIL and I spent the day under the tutelage of Bill Grumbine in his workshop in Kutztown PA http://wonderfulwood.com/ .

Bill is an entertaining speaker, a gracious host, and above all an excellent teacher. I may not be much of a turner, but after 33 years in the classroom myself, I can recognize a well planned and skillfully executed day of instruction. My BIL has just begun to turn and I have been working at it for a year now, so Bill had to divide his time and attention between two students with widely different levels of skills and needs. He did so effortlessly, providing both support and challenges as required. I expected an overload of information, but there was plenty of time to try the techniques that Bill showed us. Of course, when we left, I was eager to get to my garage and practice them, which I did first thing Saturday morning.

Bill’s basic course allows the turner to work on a bowl using Bill’s tools under his watchful eye. He began with sharpening. He showed my BIL how to use the Oneway Sharpening System. Because I already have the system, when it was my turn, Bill pointed out ways for me to improve my technique. From here we went to his lathes where he provided instruction on mounting and them roughing the blanks. Once again, he got a completely new turner working with confidence and helped me improve my work. When the day was almost over, we tried some spindle tools. He helped my BIL with his first attempts with a roughing gouge and a spindle gouge. He helped me with using a skew. If it proved a challenge on Friday, I can say that things were better on Saturday morning.

I cannot say enough about the wonderful experience that Bill provided us. The relaxed atmosphere, the quality tools, the spacious shop and an instructor who enjoys sharing his knowledge and skills with students made this a most pleasant and memorable learning experience.

Thanks again, Bill.

Bruce Whitaker

I've not had the chance to meet Bill other than through his DVDs. Turned Bowls Made Easy has long been a standard recommendation for learners.

Lauren and I spent time with Bill a few years ago... Time very well spent.

My wife purchased a day-long lesson with Bill for my birthday several years back... it was the most constructive day I've ever spent in a "classroom". He's a wild mix of intimidating-looking posture with a teddy bear heart, and you really get your money's worth. A home-cooked dinner with the family at the end of the day is a nice treat, too. Being a Robust dealer, you know you'll be working on top notch equipment... I purchased my American Beauty from him shortly after taking my lesson. And he has other hobbies, too, so feel free to ask about those while you're there... if you have an interest, he'll gladly help you out with those to boot. :)

I've taken Bill's two day session twice over the years. I would highly recommend them to anyone. I can't be more elegant than the preceding comments, so I'll leave it at that.