Lunch with Pete: By Paul Stafford I enjoyed an extended lunch with Pete Holtus the other day. As one might expect, the conversation centered on woodturning, a subject dear to both our hearts. It was a pleasant experience communicating with someone that didn’t have a need to bring up politics, religion, or health issues. Pete is one person that has no problem listening just as intently as talking. When he does, you definitely get the sense he’s paying attention to you through his eye contact. His hazel blue eyes lock onto yours so intently you can’t help but wonder if his perpetual intense expression of interest or surprise is because he’s really interested in what you have to say or if you have some condiment smeared on your lower lip that he‘s too polite to mention. Pete is that type of guy. I first met Pete back in the 90’s when I joined the FRW. It is not surprising since we both have been involved with woodturning as a hobby over such a long extended period that we share many common opinions and thoughts about woodturning, its participants, tools, and turned creations. Oh! And do we ever have opinions – enough to extend lunch into several hours. As such it’s difficult to get into disagreements since we are so like-minded. For sure we agree that being around beginners as well as experienced turners at the FRW meetings is an uplifting pleasurable time well spent. The following are excerpts from our lunch conversation and mutual worldly observations we wish to share. Pete was involved with woodworking most all his life. Earlier he had all the necessary power tools but lacked a lathe. To solve that he responded to an ad in Fine Woodworking magazine and bought a kit that would be the core of his first lathe. For $58 he bought the kit and added his first lathe to his shop. Pete recalls – “I had to spend another $350 but I created my first lathe out of hard maple. I made a few modifications to their plans and it worked well. I gave it to a friend of mine and he still uses it today.” “I did some turning in high school. I made a lamp for my Mother that she cherished for years. I read somewhere an observation that the lathe is the only tool that can reproduce itself.” “When I joined the FRW there were about 13 or 14 members. It started at Woodcraft when they were at South Tamarac Parkway. No rules – just a group getting together that got bigger and bigger. It moved to Red Rocks Community College. Then we met at Schlosser Tool - Machinery for a while. One time we met at The Woodworkers store. Now of course it is Rocklers. Presently we are probably as large as any in the country.” “Now we have bylaws, rules and regulations with various official positions and officers including someone that makes the coffee – much more complex than the old days. In some ways it ‘s not as much fun as a very small group with one-on-one encounters. Still, I wouldn’t want to go back to the old days. I find it enjoyable knowing that others are being exposed to what I consider a great pastime and giving me the joys of helping others of like interest. We have all those neat tools, visual and audio equipment, and the extensive lending library and a great relationship with Rocklers. Another advantage of our size is the discounts we get from suppliers.” Pete finds fulfillment working with people that have a true interest in learning the ins and outs of woodturning whether for future business prospects or just a hobby. He’s quick to explain that – “once you wet your feet by being a hobbyist turner you run the strong risk of getting involved much more than originally intended.” He believes once you experience the personal satisfaction from the process you’re sucked into an evolutionary movement toward deeper and deeper attachment. “I usually make my pieces to fit the wood I buy. I’ll buy a piece of wood that looks nice then turn a piece from it rather than the other way around. I’ll form an idea in my head on what I will attempt but I don’t make formal plans for what I turn then buy the wood to fit that design. Another thing I seldom do is drill a hole to the bottom as a commitment for how deep I’ll have to go on the inside. I keep my options open as long as I can for design opportunities frequently crop up especially in burl.” “Some guys are afraid to try something new unless they have specific instructions. It’s surprising how much improvement you can accomplish in just a years time if you try different things. Not everything is going to come out perfect every time. Many professional turners do a series along the same theme. If you compare the last to the first you can see a big improvement. That is a good technique toward self-improvement. Don’t just make one.“ Pete wishes there were some positive way to encourage beginners to share their creations to the group. He states, “I’m kind of disappointed that more people don’t bring things to Show and Tell – Some guys never bring anything. It’s kind of silly. Once they do, by displaying something in the “Show and Tell” sessions or asking opinions on a one-on-one basis with me or other experienced turners they go away with the understanding that it wasn’t such a difficult thing. I believe many beginners are embarrassed to show their creations for fear of critical put-downs. I wish more turners would bring problem issues before the FRW audience to ask for advice. We would all be surprised at how many others have had the same question and experience.” Mature turners like Pete relish the opportunity to provide advice and explain ways to correct problems or suggest methods to try for better results. I’ve observed, his advisements are always done in a non-threatening way (and often humorous) that helps beginners leave with a desire to try again. He encourages newbies to take the first initiative to share once or twice to get into the habit and understand no one is going to humiliate them. Pete suggests to other turners that - “one of the secrets of maintaining continued interest in turning is to try different projects and processes. Variety and more challenging tasks keep the interest evolving. It should be understood making mistakes is part of the learning process. Closely inspect a completed project to consider what might be a design improvement for the next version. What attribute doesn’t quite look right or is flawed. Be your own severe critic. Don’t accept a particular difficulty as “that’s just the way it is” – consider what you could do differently to overcome the flaw or what different tool or method could be used that may or may not result in a better result.“ “You understand you must learn the technical skills first before you can move on to being an advanced turner. It seems an obvious thing – you must learn to crawl and walk before you can run. I’ve always said that it doesn’t matter what designs you can think up in your mind – if your hands can’t make it you’re in trouble.” “There’s a lot of ways to do just about everything. I recall Trent Bosch’s statement on this issue where he wonders why anyone would name a lathe “One Way”. Turners get way too involved in discussions about the use of various gouges or scrapers. If you don’t know how to do both you’re in trouble.” Pete finds there’s something about the woodturning experience or environment that makes practitioners willing to share knowledge. “There are very few if any secrets among the group.” He wondered out loud if somehow by inhaling wood dust and chips one becomes willing to share as if chips are some sort of aphrodisiac. Perhaps we could package whatever that is and sell it. The only chip that has ever been on Pete’s shoulder was probably a sweet smelling cedar wood chip. “It’s a big thing to me when outlets that are selling my creations demand certain pieces. Instead of doing what I want, I have to do what they ask for. It takes the fun out of it. To me it’s a big difference. When you want to sell your work there are a couple things you have to consider, especially if they are low priced items– you have to have a lot of inventory, then you have to wait for your money. If it doesn’t sell it has to be shipped back to you and it’s a disappointment, and a blow to your ego. You have to continually improve yourself; you can’t keep making the same junk you made 15 years ago. Local outlets have the same customer base that want to see something different all the time. On the other hand that pushes you a little bit to try something different and expand your horizons.“ “Once I turned 600 little pieces that were 6 inches long for a historical home here in Denver. It took me a couple of months. As much as I enjoy turning as a hobby when it turns into production work it becomes a job with obligations that I don’t relish. As far as the future goes I’m going to keep on doing what I’m doing. I’ll be trying new things that I haven‘t even thought of yet.” “I enjoy making boxes the most. The first box I ever made - I still have it. My wife thought it was kind of cute. Some of my first ones were pretty ugly but I’ve improved a lot. I’ll be demonstrating my latest versions during the January meeting with the three-sided box.” “I don’t understand why more don’t come the Woodcraft demonstrations. It’s free, they don’t have to buy anything, and I demo whatever they ask for and it’s a close group. I admit I do it for selfish reasons like personal satisfaction and the act of sharing. In a class I can teach 5 or 6 people. With a demo I can reach 150 people or more. I expect a few will go away and try, perhaps some may not succeed but at least they try. That’s important to me and especially to them.” Other words and thoughts of wisdom (or not) from Pete: “I don’t believe in bolting your lathe down.” “Make sure you provide plenty of electricity in your shop.” “I don’t think people realize how important it is to get good lighting so you can really see what you’re doing.” “If you have some punky wood you can solidify it somewhat by saturating it with a half and half mixture of lacquer thinner and lacquer sanding sealer and letting it dry.” “When you get into a certain project don’t hesitate to make your own tool to do a particular cut. It isn’t difficult and doesn’t cost a lot of bucks.” “Check your lower lip – I believe you have some food stuck there.” The lunchtime experience was enjoyable for me and I heard some interesting information about this and that from Pete. I thought I’d pass this on to the group through this missive so you can understand just how affable a person Pete Holtus is.