A brief tour of the workshop
This is Anderson Hall, the building on Broad Street that houses the University of the Arts Wood Department (among others). The wood shop is on the fourth floor.
I digress, but this is the more interesting (architecturally speaking) building next door: the (former) Chambers-Wylie Memorial Presbyterian Church, which now houses the Broad Street Ministry.
The old Chambers-Wylie sign.
Back to the UArts building. When you get off the elevator at the fourth floor, this is what you see. And, yes, the lights are often off, since not many other people are working in the building over the summer.
The front room of the wood shop houses most of the woodworking equipment and our wood piles.
The second room of the shop is where we’ve spread out the boxes of stuff we got from the Wood Turning Center. These contain tools and supplies left over from past ITEs. The cupboards at the end of the room house all manner of hand tools: carving chisels, hand saws, hammers, mallets, screwdrivers, planes, etc.
Here’s where you enter the Magic Kingdom. My work station is the first one you see, straight ahead.
We have four lathes back here: three Oneways and a Stubby. We each have at least one workbench, a few lamps, and a lockable cupboard.
Jean-François works across from me, so I’m most familiar with what he’s up to throughout the day.
Behind him is Siegfried’s area.
Sean’s corner is behind me and across from Siegfried.
We have piled the turning tools and lathe accessories from the Wood Turning Center on one workbench between Siegfried and Sean so that they are easily accessible.
Behind Siegfried is a shared carving station.
The turning room as seen from the corner behind Siegfried. The area in the far background is storing unused workbenches. We will clear space there for Peter, who showed up at the shop this morning.
Nice photos of the area – it gives a really good sense of where you are. So I’m curious – is using a OneWay lathe true nirvana for a turner? Or is it not that exciting, just another tool?
Dear Darcella,
Thank you for your thought-provoking question. After much pondering, I must conclude that the Oneway is not the One Way to Nirvana. It is but one way; Jet, as I know from my work at home; Stubby; Powermatic; Grizzly; Delta; Nova—for the sincere turner, all these paths and more lead to Nirvana.
Turn on, tune in, peace out—