Open Shop Wrapup — October 2020 — John Lowder

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Recap

John has a very nice and well organized shop – he is an superb wood turner and has done some fantastic crafts which he displayed a few of. High-quality tools and many jigs to assist with his woodturning, particularly his intricate segmented bowls and vessels.

John was a great host and did a great job explaining his shop. We adjusted the time to one hour (3 – 4 pm) which worked well.

Shop turnout was poor – only 8 people as noted below:

John Lowder, Craig Thompson, Jack Collins, Fred Walters, Mike Guthrie, Joe Steele, Scott Logan, Dick Meyer

— Craig Thompson

 

Following are some pictures of his shop showing his ultra-efficient use of space, sophisticated dust control, and full array of woodworking tools, most mobile.

John Lowder describes how he cuts and glues thin layers of varying wood species for turning.

 

A so-called “wedgie sled” accurately sets angles of cut for wedges which will be glued into rings and layered before turning.
This shop-made jig steadies larger turnings.
His well-equipped shop is uses space frugally.
This specialty jig enables resawing on the bandsaw with extreme accuracy and thin cuts.
John’s work is stunning.