This Blog and That Author.

I’ve been spinning things almost all of my life, and for the past 13 years it has been wood on a lathe. Previously, I “spun” sports stories as a journalist, I “spun” marketing as an ad agency exec, and I have always been willing to “spin” a yarn. Heck, I was a pretty good baseball pitcher, and my best pitch was a slider. That spins, too.

I write all sorts of things, but for the past two years I have published a monthly column about woodturning as part of my role as president of one of the nation’s largest and most talented turning guilds, The Olympic Peninsula Chapter of the American Association of Woodturners. It just seemed time to put those thoughts before a wider community interested in the craft.

Sometimes my essays are flippant; other times the subject is whimsical. I will also post photos of the more unusual art pieces I create.

If knowing my background is helpful in understanding my perspective, I’ll provide a little: Navy brat. Lived all over the United States and Norway. Studied Journalism at Long Beach State in Southern California where I also raised a family.

Currently, I live in Colby, Washington — across Puget Sound from Seattle — where I live, do my woodwork and write. I’ve been passionate about general woodworking for more than 30 years — cabinets and furniture and such — but took up bowlmaking about 13 years ago. I tend to lean toward rustic-looking art pieces with lots of inclusions and barky edges, but I also do quite a few funerary and formal decorative urns, too.

For some time now I have been serving as president of the Olympic Peninsula Woodturners, which is (in my humble opinion) one of the finest groups of its kind in the United States. It’s a large guild — almost 200 souls ranging from complete novice to full-blown artisan — and we meet on  the last Wednesday of each month in Chico, Washington. Serving in this role among so many wonderfully talented individuals is quite an honor.

It so happens that I’m the local historian, as well, and my areas of expertise are Puget Sound history as well as the American Navy of the 1880-1900 era.

So, here you have it: TURNABOUTS.

–Russell Neyman, April 2015