To Turn the Perfect Wooden Bowl

"I came to know Bob and Kay during the decade I was managing del Mano Gallery and my wife and I would drive up to visit them often. In the years since, I've found that the aesthetic embraced by Bob and his fellow pioneering woodturners has given way to works that are overly tricky and clever. Although I'm a fan of a lot of the sculptural work being created today, I feel that something has been lost in the move away from fine bowl forms in beautiful woods and believe that we'll see a "neo

A few weeks ago, I wrote about drawing inspiration for my woodturnings from the work of Bob Stocksdale, one of the most influential woodturning artisans of the past 50 years. No less a luminary than Sam Maloof says, "As far as I'm concerned, Bob Stocksdale was the father of American woodturning." A new book, scheduled to be published soon by Fox Chapel Publishing, offers up an in

About the Author: Ron Roszkiewicz began his career in the woodworking industry 30 years ago with Woodcraft Supply. He became an integral figure in advancing woodturning in the United States by discovering and importing much of the innovative turning tools relied upon by woodturners today. He has also written The Woodturner's Companion and TheWoodturner's Art. About the Book: During the woodturning renaissance of the 1970s, one man emerged as the inspiration for scores of newwoodturners.His namewas Bob Stocksdale. Extraordinarily talented, Stocksdale began turning bowls in the 1940s andwas a master at finding the natural beauty in wood. This unique talent, combined with his gifted use of simple tools, became the trademark of his work. With pieces in the Smithsonian and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, he became an unassuming celebrity who set the standard for woodturning excellence. In 1987, author Ron Roszkiewicz had the once in

About the Author: Ron Roszkiewicz began his career in the woodworking industry 30 years ago with Woodcraft Supply. He became an integral figure in advancing woodturning in the United States by discovering and importing much of the innovative turning tools relied upon by woodturners today. He has also written The Woodturner's Companion and TheWoodturner's Art. About the Book: During the woodturning renaissance of the 1970s, one man emerged as the inspiration for scores of newwoodturners.His namewas Bob Stocksdale. Extraordinarily talented, Stocksdale began turning bowls in the 1940s andwas a master at finding the natural beauty in wood. This unique talent, combined with his gifted use of simple tools, became the trademark of his work. With pieces in the Smithsonian and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, he became an unassuming celebrity who set the standard for woodturning excellence. In 1987, author Ron Roszkiewicz had the once in

Bob Stocksdale (1913

Bob Stocksdale (1913

For the carvers among you that like to dabble with turning, then take a look at this book, based on the story of Bob Stocksdale who emerged as the inspirational figure for many new woodturners during the 1970s. Stocksdale became known for his wooden bowls,and was a master at finding the natural beauty in wood. The pages reveal an in

For the carvers among you that like to dabble with turning, then take a look at this book, based on the story of Bob Stocksdale who emerged as the inspirational figure for many new woodturners during the 1970s. Stocksdale became known for his wooden bowls,and was a master at finding the natural beauty in wood. The pages reveal an in

I have always been a book kind of guy and on many subjects I would almost as soon read about it as do it. There are dozens of books in my home on many topics of interest, but as you can imagine, woodworking and turning are two of my favorites. I was cleaning out a few books a while back and came across an old favorite from some years ago. It was published by the National Geographic Society in 1975 as part of a series on many different topics. This one is called "The Craftsman in America" (now out of print) and as I thumbed back through it I realized that much of what I love to work on and really admire springs from this book. In the introduction, Gilbert M. Grosvenor captures what I think may be the feelings of every craftsman in the world: "Every morning when I dress for work, I smile smugly at the quiet, smooth way my chest of drawers opens and closes at a slight touch of a fingertip. The early sun's rays reflect the warm matched grain and the rich color of the wood. My pleasure goes beyond mere ownership, for I built that chest myself from teak I imported from Burma and carefully aged in my basement workshop for two years." I know exactly what he meant. I have a table I made at the back door, a lamp table in the den, a clock in the hall and another on the mantle, all of which I made with these two hands and enjoy every day. Bowls I make for sale sit in my dining room so I can see and touch them every day and sometimes I consider keeping all of them. Would you sell your children? In the National Geographic book from 1975, they featured Sam Maloof, who died only recently after a long career in woodworking. We should all be so good; that was 35 years ago and he was well known even then. Of course there were many other craftsmen in the book, among them, Bob Stocksdale, wood turner extraordinaire. In fact, in the picture of Maloof's furniture, the bowls on the table were by Bob Stocksdale, taken in trade for some Maloof furniture. What a deal on either side of that exchange! I bought a book at Highland last week about Bob Stocksdale and it is quite well done. The title is Turn the Perfect Wooden Bowl, the Lifelong Quest of Bob Stocksdale by Ron Roszkiewicz. It is a perfectly delightful little book, full of color photos of bowls plus many other photos of Stocksdale at work. Apparently he was not always a very social fellow; he just wanted to work in his shop and not be bothered by guests, students or writers. He collected wood from all around the world and when he passed away a few years ago, his shop was filled with literally tons of wood. Some of it was good and some of it was not and some of it was good firewood. That didn't bother him, because as he explained, he had two fireplaces. I like that. Another book I really enjoy is Ellsworth on Woodturning, subtitled "How a Craftsman Creates Bowls, Pots & Vessels" by David Ellsworth. This is a big glossy book by another master of the craft. Ellsworth is the inventor of the eponymous Ellsworth Signature Gouge, which is one tool I have not managed to purchase yet, but I admit I am intrigued by it after reading this book. This is more a reference book than some you see, and I intend to make this a step

I have always regarded Bob Stocksdale as the consummate craftsman, the epitome of old world craftsmanship in "the new world." During the time that the studio woodturning movement was developing within American craft, Bob was already long established as a highly successful and respected professional woodturner, in a league all his own. My professional relationship with Bob began in 1978 when our work was exhibited, along with that of my father and Ed Moulthrop, in a show at the Renwick Gallery, the first exhibition of studio woodturning held by a major museum. The following year, I met Bob for the first time when The Elements Gallery in New York gave us a two

Many consider Bob Stocksdale to be the father of American Woodturning, and this book is about his lifelong quest to turn the perfect bowl. Bob Stocksdale never wrote a "how to turn" book in his lifetime and was one of the few big name turners who never did. The only other contemporary turner in the same league with Stocksdale is David Ellsworth, who had never put his techniques and philosophies into book form until his recent publication. Bob Stocksdale's work was one of the first I was able to recognize by sight. His classical forms were perfectly executed and flawlessly finished, and they left no doubt as to who made the vessel. Working mostly by himself

Many consider Bob Stocksdale to be the father of American Woodturning, and this book is about his lifelong quest to turn the perfect bowl. Bob Stocksdale never wrote a "how to turn" book in his lifetime and was one of the few big name turners who never did. The only other contemporary turner in the same league with Stocksdale is David Ellsworth, who had never put his techniques and philosophies into book form until his recent publication. Bob Stocksdale's work was one of the first I was able to recognize by sight. His classical forms were perfectly executed and flawlessly finished, and they left no doubt as to who made the vessel. Working mostly by himself

Roszkiewicz, an independent author, spent a week in 1987 with master woodturner Bob Stocksdale in order to document his life and work, and this illustrated volume was transcribed directly from the audiotapes of the original interviews. The author includes dozens of photographs to illustrate Stocksdale's methods for turning wooden bowls into unique works of art that have been shown in such places as the Smithsonian and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Step

Roszkiewicz, Ron. To Turn the Perfect Wooden Bowl: The Lifelong Quest of Bob Stocksdale. Fox Chapel. 2009. c.160p. illus. ISBN 978

This book is based on the story of Bob Stocksdale who emerged as the inspirational figure for many new woodturners during the woodturning renaissance of the 1970s. Stocksdale became known for his wooden bowls and was a master at finding the natural beauty in wood. The book, written by Ron Roszkiewicz was written following a one week stay in Stocksdale's home workshop. It describes his life and works, and also features never

This book shares the life and work of Bob Stocksdale, an artist who led a quiet revolution in the field of contemporary craft. The impact the artist has had on tile field of contemporary woodturning is undeniable and this small volume will undoubtedly make his approach accessible to future generations of woodtuners. The home and srudio Stocksdale shared with his wife, fibre artist Kay Sekimachi, was a testament to both his work ethic and embrace of a modest lifestyle. Every morning, following breakfast, the two would "go to work"

TO TURN THE PERFECT WOODEN BOWL: THE LIFELONG QUEST OF BOB STOCKSDALE, by Ron Roszkiewicz, is a unique look at the life of the late Bob Stocksdale, a pioneer in the wood art movement. Using never

When I picked this book for the book review this month I wasn't sure what I was going find. I don't do much on a lathe (pens and mice, actually) and I have never attempted to make a bowl. I wasn't 100% sure that this was going to be a great book for me. What a pleasant surprise I received! Right from the start the author had my interest