It was another beautiful day in Albuquerque and another great day at the American Association of Woodturner’s 2009 Symposium! For the first Rotation on Day 2 I went to “Getting Creative With Epoxy” with Marilyn Campbell.

Marilyn first gave us a great slideshow overview of her past work and work done by others that displayed the results of the technique that she would explain today. She then went through the steps for using epoxy not only as a glue but as a medium.

She demonstrated two particular techniques, one where the wood was cut into flowing shapes and refitted with epoxy of varying colors and thickness and the other where a channel was cut in the top of a plate and then filled with different colored epoxies and materials, like these pieces here:

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I had the good fortune to go to the 23rd Annual American Association of Woodturners Symposium in Albuquerque, New Mexico back in June and it was a total blast! There was so much going on that it is has taken me until now just to sort it out in my head.

Attending the Symposium was such a fantastic time, there was so much to do and see! I got to meet so many great people and see so many great turnings. To be totally immersed in this for over three days was an absolute thrill.

The Thursday before the Symposium was open for registrations, the demonstrator’s dinner, gallery reception and a special evening presentation called ‘Believe It Or Not, A Contemporary Look At Woodturning Artists Today’. This was an entertaining look at the more notable woodturners as they might not want to be seen. The slideshow was presented by Jacques Vesery and Terry Martin. It was a real hoot to see the ‘big names’ in turning in humorous situations. The storyline that coincided with the slideshow was outrageously funny.

Friday, June 26th, was the official opening of the Symposium and it started with a bang, literally. The Star Feather Group from the Jemez Pueblo, located about 50 miles North of Albuquerque, began the day with traditional Native drumming and singing. This was well received by the attendees as could be seen by the amount of photos being taken. The beating of the drums also drew us all nearer to the Kiva Auditorium in the Albuquerque Convention Center for the opening ceremony.

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After visiting both Liberty Tools and The Davistown Museum it only seemed right that I should complete my tool tour and drop into The Hull’s Cove Tool Barn in Bar Harbour, Maine, just a couple of hours away.

I arrived early on Saturday morning and was greeted at the door by Judith Bradshaw Brown. Judith lives here in Bar Harbor, next door to the shop, with her husband Skip Brack, where she helps run the Davistown Museum and the tool business. She was quick to offer some friendly help and to tell me a bit about the Tool Barn.

The Hulls Cove Tool Barn is located on the second floor of a barn and has the most extensive selection of old woodworking related hand tools of any of the Jonesport Wood Company’s three stores. It offers several hundred hand planes, Stanley tools of all kinds, collectibles and patent-dated tools and, of course, a whole lot more.

Like Liberty Tools the Hulls Cove Tool Barn is galloot heaven. You can easily spend a day here. It’s like reading a fascinating book, where you can’t turn the pages fast enough. Every corner you turn, each way you look there is a feast for the eyes that has to be explored. Here are some photos to show what I mean:

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Across the street from The Liberty Tool Company in Liberty, Maine, located on the upper floors of the Liberty Graphics building, is The Davistown Museum. Now, this isn’t just any old museum with long-dead artifacts, diminutive dioramas and stone-cold relics. No, this is a tool museum. A hands-on (reread: hands-on) museum for eighteenth and nineteenth century hand tools!

I was able to drop by the museum during my recent visit to Liberty Tools and I spent several (reread: several ) enjoyable and very informative hours there.

On arriving I met staff member Sett Balise, who graciously took the time to explain various aspects of the museum and a bit of history.

The mission of The Davistown Museum is the recovery, restoration, preservation, cataloging, displaying, and interpreting of the hand tools of New England’s early American industries from 1607 to 1930. This includes the tools of shipsmiths, edge toolmakers, forgemasters, blacksmiths, shipwrights, coopers, wheelwrights, sail makers, pattern makers, machinists, tool and die makers, and mechanics.

Since this is a ‘hands-on’ museum you are encouraged to touch and handle the tools. To be able to feel the weight of a tool, to swing an adze (carefully), to pick up and compare the various sizes of drawknives (and a whole lot more!) was a thrill. There are tools there that I had only read about and seen in books.

Here are some photos that I took showing some of the tools on display:

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