We were blessed one fine Saturday this past June to be treated to an all day demo by Al Stirt from Enosburg Falls, Vermont.

What a day!

What a guy!

What talent!

This is the back side of a special home made chuck he uses. The circular dados are sized so that the chuck can be mounted in a multitude of scroll chucks

The center lag has had most of its threading ground off so it can fit snugly inside a hole drilled into the work piece.

The two outer lags are for nudging the work piece slightly one way or another to get the grain aligned the way he wants.

This chuck can only used with the tailstock brought into service.

The next words out of Al were something like,

“Now Charlotte, please be careful with that thing. I’ve got a whole $1.43 invested in it.”

The grinds on some of his more favored tools.

He sure likes to throw shavings all over the place!

Here, Al has begun shaping the interior of a shallow bowl for us.

I’d never seen this technique before. Hold the bowl still and spin the gouge in your hand really quick.

Throwing some more curls to and fro.

Here’s where he stopped to grab some coffee.

And then he mounted the piece in another home made jig that works as a third hand while power carving.

He’s got our attention now.

Here’s the jig in use.

Pretty straightforward.

Works extremely well.

A clear shot of some power carving.

A close up.

He puts down some precise layout lines for guidance only. Does it freeform between the lines for a more casual appearance.

A closer close up.

On to another item now. This will be one of his signature style pieces.

Al takes a moment to practice his semaphore skills while warning the assembly about incoming shavings.

Burt needs to brush up on his semaphore.

Ron Kostron needed a better perspective on what was happening.

And this is what happened.

That beaded piece has been partially Gesso’d and is now mounted in a stationary vacuum chuck while Al does some detailing.

Not one yawn in the whole bunch.

And this was why.

Exquisite!

Now we’re on to another piece - a traditional bowl form - that will get textured on the entire exterior.

For some strokes it’s easier to hold the piece in your hands.

And for others, it’s easier to mount it.

As before, layout lines provide guidance....

....to achieve a random thatched appearance.

Harrison Smith “shows” while Bob Delio “tells” about a recent piece during a short break.

Be sure to visit Al’s website for more information.

And click here for a one page pdf of various helpful hints and sources that Al provided.

All photographs on this page by
Peter McCrea, Jim Mullin, & Andy Hoyt

Page last updated on October 1, 2006