# Ray Key workshop



## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

I just spent a week with RAy Key at the Appalachian Center for craft. What a fun time. I got to turn a lot. He's a great guy and I would urge you to take a workshop from him if you ever get the chance. 40 years as a production turner teaches you a lot. He's also been involved with the upper echelons of turning for all of these years so he has a million stories to tell. 
I'll try to post a few photos of some of the pieces I did late in the week. I turned a shallow bowl, a deeper bowl,2 boxes, a thin walled open bowl, a deep open mouth hollow vessel and a 2 smaller opening hollow vessels. I still have some minor finishing to do and I plan to do some other detail work on the outside of a couple of pieces.


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## Mitch Cholewinski (Mar 11, 2007)

John
Good for you John, sounds like you had a bunch of fun. I must confess I never heard of Ray Key but will take your word for it that he knows his stuff. Man, I would really like to just talk to a guy like that. Did you take a vacation week to go there? Anyway congratulations, and I for one will want to see the picture of your turnings there and a short story about each. Mitch:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

Mitch It was my vacation. I didn't really have the money to go anywhere and no one to go with. I usually just stay home but when I do that I end up working myself to death and spending a ton of money on the house or on just junk. I get a discount on these workshops since I work for the school so I thought I would spend my money that way and then hopefully make it back on some of the product I produce during the week.


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

Here is a photo of the pieces I made during the workshop. The hollow vessels are 1/8" thick except for the tall one. I didn't have the proper measuring tools to check the bottom and chickened out so I left is as it was. Turns out it was 1/2" thick but it still worked out.


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## Mitch Cholewinski (Mar 11, 2007)

John
Every one of them is a winner in my eyes. Nice work. You don't have anything planned when you go to them workshops do you John? Just turn whatever comes to mind? Your finishes look so smooth and I don't think they get that way from a lot of sanding.What kind of lathe did you turn them on? That's another thing, you were turning on an unfamiliar lathe and tools. I for one am impressed. Mitch:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

Mitch Fortunately the lathe was the same thing I use. I took each project home and sanded it in the evening because they didn't have dust collection at the school, at least not at the lathes.
The projects were sort of assigned. The first day he demo'd platters, I turned mine into sort of a deep platter/shallow bowl. The second day he demo'd bowls, I made 2 the one with the white interior and small foot that I turned 3/16" thick and the the small darker bowl. On Wednesday he demo'd boxes. I made 2 boxes and the scoop and wine stopper on that day. Thursday was the open vase piece. That one fought me because I really didn't bring the proper tools to hollow that deep or to measure that deep. Friday was the hollow vessel day so I made the southwest vesssel and turned it really thin. 
Mostly on these days I was trying to work on my turning skills. Getting cuts clean enough to only need slight sanding. The wood we used had a tendency to tear out so I got to practice putting wax on the wood and making a few really light final passes to clean up the cuts. It works very well. 
I highly suggest his workshop.


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## Mitch Cholewinski (Mar 11, 2007)

John think I would like to go to a class like this John. I wanted to mention one thing after your saying putting wax on the wood and making light cuts works good. Did you ever try applying a lot of paste wax to the turning and sand wood that is easy to tear and dry? Don't know what this wax does but it surely works good, and it doesn't affect the finish. Darrell Feltmate mentioned this on his site and I been doing it occasionally. Once again, nice work John and thanks for posting this. Mitch


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

Mitch I've been using either wax or thinned lacquer to make the final cuts for years. Thinned lacquer works really well if you wait for it to harden but it can clog up sandpaper and isn't compatible with many finishes. I think the wax acts as a lubricant to make the cutting action more efficient. I don't know that for sure.
This is only the 4th workshop I've ever done. They have all been fun. If you really want to have a good time take a workshop at John C. Campbell folk school. It's like going to summer camp for adults. It is a great experience. There are a lot of other craft schools around and you will learn a lot from any of them but John Campbell gives you the total experience.
www.folkschool.org


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