The Woodworking Shows Visits Columbus, OH

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Hey Everybody! I just want to throw out a reminder to all my woodworking friends back in my central Ohio (my old stomping grounds) that The Woodworking Shows will be in Columbus at the Ohio Expo Center starting Friday, March 1 and running through Sunday, March 3.

Be sure to head to the Woodworking Shows to see a great furniture maker, and my good friend, Andy Chidwick. Andy teaches sculpted furniture techniques in Stephensville, Montana and he will be giving seminars at The Woodworking Shows.

Not only does Andy have a great talent for designing and building furniture, he is a skilled teacher when it comes to sharing the knowledge with others. He is truly another “Share the Love~Share the Knowledge” kind of guy.

Andy's work is displayed in various galleries, and most recently, Andy and I both participated in a fine woodworking exhibition at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana. In fact, one of the chairs he had on display at the museum, is on tour with him now and you will be able to see it for yourself. 

So, for all my woodworking friends in central Ohio, be sure to get to the Ohio Expo Center this weekend and say "Hi" to Andy, and catch one of his informative seminars on making sculpted furniture. He is a great guy and willing to share all kinds of woodworking information. 

There are some other great woodworkers and teachers at The Woodworking Shows. Furniture makers and master woodworkers Chuck Bender from Acanthus Workshop and Paul Sellers who founded the New Legacy School of Woodworking. Wood Magazine is represented by editor and instructor Jim Heavey. There are others, but you can check The Woodworking Shows website to see the list. 

Here's the 411:

Location - Ohio Expo Center Voinovich Trade Center

                717 East 17th Ave, Columbus, OH 43211

Dates - Friday, March 1 through Sunday, March 3

Times - Friday 12-6 / Saturday 10-6 / Sunday 10-4 

For more information visit TheWoodworkingShows.com.

Until next time - be safe in your own shop!

Your friend in the shop,

Todd A. Clippinger

Share the Love-Share the Knowledge

Showing in Fine Woodworking Exhibition at Museum of the Rockies

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Hittin' The Big Time!

If you follow me on Twitter or FaceBook, you probably already know the exciting news. I was invited to show at a fine woodworking exhibition at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana. The show is currently going on and running 3 months until Jan 27th.

There is a total of 25 woodworking artists showing and I am very honored to be counted among them. They are certainly a group of high-caliber artisans. 

(You can click on the images for a larger version to capture all the details.)

The curator requested that I build a prairie chandelier for the exhibition. At first it was "chandeliers" - plural - because I had originally built a set of two. At a certain point I was told there would only be room for one over the dining table where it would be displayed, but by then, I already had the parts milled and joinery cut for two units. In the end, I only needed to assemble one and the 2nd chandelier lays mostly in parts with the assembly only begun.

It was better that I only had to build one because they are more technically challenging to assemble than it looks. That means it was taking longer than I thought and I was way behind, even for assembling just one chandelier. 

Magic Mike Bails Me Out-

Being that I was running behind, I enlisted the help of a good friend, Mike Pasini. He is a pretty talented guy that I can trust and get along with in the shop. If anyone is "the chosen one" to spend time in my shop - it is Mike. He also helped me out with the bookcase for charity earlier this year. 

OK, I really am understating Mike's help - he really saved my bacon! For those that followed me on Twitter and FB, they were getting a first-hand account of the drama as I worked non-stop and ran into unexpected problems with my compressor and the finish. 

I ended up pulling a few 30 hour days in the shop and barely got done in time. But, as it stands now, I have a prairie chandelier hanging on display for a fine woodworking exhibition in a museum setting! 

Opening weekend was great for me. I got to hang out with a couple dozen high-end woodworkers and share in some great conversation. It really nourished me as an artist.

One thing that became clear is this, we all seem to share a very similar experience as we make our living offering fine woodworking projects. My experiences are not unique, they are common to those that choose this life. And we cannot help but to express ourselves in our work and try to make a living at it. 

Be Sure To Check It Out!

I highly recommend checking out the exhibition, it runs until 27 Jan 2013 at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, MT.

For now, one thing you can enjoy are the artists' audio recordings. We each tell a little bit about our background and the works that we have on display. You can hear them at the Museum of the Rockies web page, just click on each artist name to hear that person's recording.

This parking garage stairwell tower in Cleveland, Ohio is the one I reference in my audio recording.

What Is The Secret?

For those that wonder how do you get into something like that, all I can say it is a lot of hard work in the shop growing as an artist and craftsman, and never underestimate the importance of making connections. I have not lacked when for hours spent in the shop, being honest with myself in my work, and networking. 

What you are seeing, is the glamorous result of a lot of hard work. I certainly don't want to discourage anybody, that aspires to achieve the same, I am just letting you know what it takes. 

That's all for now. Until next time, be safe in your own shop. 

Your friend in the shop, 

Todd A. Clippinger

Share the Love-Share the Knowledge

Spring Is Here!

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Backyard winterI am so thankful for the longer days and warmer temps. The snow is gone, the grass is getting green and I have been continually working with the shop doors open. 

Billings is kind of in a unique position with the weather patterns. Most of the moisture gets dumped in the mountains just west of us and most of the cold weather coming down from Canada hits just east of us. We continually catch an upswelling of warm air from the southwest that peaks right in our area. We live in this bubble of warm air. I guess that makes us the Billings Bubble People.

 

Backyard SpringI have this incredible view out my backyard of the sandstone cliffs that rise from the banks of the Yellowstone River. These are referred to as the "rims" which is short for rimrock. There is a nature preserve on top of the rims that allows a person to hike all around with the most amazing views.

I have been in Billings since '91 and it is a major change from where I grew up in Ohio.

 

Spring is here and the doors are open.

The scenery in my backyard and the area around town is often inspirational enough to spark ideas. I find that many of my random thoughts and solutions come together when Rita and I walk the dogs or go hiking on the rims.

The last few days of working in the shop with the doors open has been the epitome of a woodworker's dream. The weather is gorgeous and I am working with the doors and windows open. As I am milling material and making cuts, I get an occasional visit from our two dogs Cookie and Bella. I am living the dream and it is just that good.

 

CookieWell, time to head back out to the shop. Remember you can't live dream if you don't spend time in the shop.

Your friend in the shop, Todd A. Clippinger.

Peace, Love, & Woodworking