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Steve
Pritchard was born in a small town in South Dakota, growing
up on a farm. He developed an interest in working with wood
while helping his father build pole barns, cattle sheds, and
even a grain elevator. Steve graduated with a BS from South
Dakota State University in 1970 and joined the Air Force becoming
a pilot instructor. He also worked for the Federal Courts
as an instructor of their computerized case management system.
In 1995 he moved to Atlanta to become the IT manager for the
US District Court and retired in 2007.
His
lifetime interest in working with wood led him to consider
woodturning and in 2000 he purchased an inexpensive Craftsman
lathe. After making his share of bowls, boxes and weed pots,
he focused in the exploration of three areas:
Hollow
Forms - This involves shaping the outside of a vessel
and then using specialized tools to remove the wood from the
inside. The walls of the vessels are usually about ¼
inch thick or less.
Piercing - The process of using a dental drill to create
holes in very thin walled vessels. The holes form patterns
and shapes.
Coloring - Much of the work is finished with a clear
lacquer, oil, or shellac. Some of it is painted, or pierced,
or both. He uses a variety of paints including acrylic, airbrush
paint, and milk paint (his favorite). Milk paint is made using
the cassien from milk as the binder. Because of its thickness
it is great for distressing pieces.
The
process used in most of Steve's woodturning involves turning
the piece twice. He starts with wet or "green" wood
and produces a rough version of the piece with thick walls.
After the piece dries he returns it to the lathe and produce
a finished piece.
Steve's
favorite woods are Bradford pear, cherry, and maple but he
uses almost any wood except pine. Bradford pear heads the
list because it turns easily, finishes like glass, and is
a wonderful blank pallet for woodturning, painting, and piercing.
Like
everything in nature, each piece of wood has its own character
and also its own personality and appeal. Being able to see
that personality emerge from a large wet lump of wood is very
enjoyable.
Almost
all of the wood that Steve uses comes from trees that have
been felled due to disease, storms, or development and destined
to be ground into mulch. Woodturning is one of the few ways
that we, as individuals, can preserve a little of a tree that
once stood tall and proud in our community.
Steve
is president and webmaster for the Georgia Association of
Woodturners (GAW) and a member of the American Association
of Woodturners (AAW).
Exhibitor's
Website
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