Fine Curlies -

It's The Holiday Season...Free Shipping Too!

2013-11-20T15:18:00.000-06:00

So...Small Business Saturday is November 30^th and Cyber Monday is December 2^nd…Why do I mention these two dates? I’m have a small business that has a store online, that's why! This holiday season, if you could, please support small business when shopping for gifts. If so inclined, I would consider it an honor if you took the time to look at my pieces at my online store while shopping.

To get ready for these upcoming dates, I've added quite a few new items to my store on goodsmiths.com. More bowls, cutting boards and earrings and a couple sculptures as well. Plus, I've added free shipping to all jewelry thru the end of the year! Also watch for a great promotion I will be starting next week that will benefit a great cause too.

Some pics of a few of added pieces are below, but to see it all click here

PS Goodsmiths.com is a great site that is supporting artists, makers and business owners by providing a great site that enables them to have an online store at an affordable price and keeps the mass produced stuff out, period.

Upcoming Shows

2013-10-30T15:17:00.002-05:00

I’ll be busy the next couple of weeks finishing up some last minute pieces for 2 upcoming shows. First, I’m very excited to exhibit at Art On The Prairie on Nov. 9th, 10-5pm and Nov. 10th from 10-4pm. This show takes place in Perry, IA inside some of the historic buildings downtown. My booth will be inside the historic Security Bank Building, 1102 Willis Ave. in the Clarion Room. Alongside my bowls, bottle stoppers, vases, cutting boards and earrings, I will be debuting some new bowls and sculptures at this show so don’t miss out!

Perry is just a short drive from the Des Moines metro and there will be lots to see and do. In addition to the artists and their wares, there will be music, wine tasting, food, poetry and more. Learn more by checking out http://www.artontheprairie.org/

The following weekend my dad and I will have a booth for the third year in a row at the Beaverdale Holiday Boutique on November 16^th from 8am to 3:30pm. It takes place inside the gym and school at Holy Trinity Church, 2926 Beaver Ave. in Des Moines. Along with our typical bowls, vases and other forms, my dad will have tons of ornaments, coffee scoops and more. See more at the show's facebook page

For Your Viewing Pleasure

2013-07-12T14:41:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I went on local TV station KCWI Chennel 23's "Great Day" as part of their "Geat Art" segment they do each thursday to talk about woodturning. Enjoy!

Click Here To See Video

Valley Junction Farmer's Market and Goodsmiths

2013-06-14T09:20:00.000-05:00

Had a good time last night sharing the Goodsmiths booth with Kathy Leonard, from Prairie View Studios and the staff at Goodsmiths. The market was very busy with the great weather we had. Thanks to everyone that stopped by and said hi! I hope to be able to do this a couple more times this summer as well. Until then, check my Goodsmiths Store and enjoy a couple of booth shots from last night! (please excuse the cute kid in the first pic and the ISU thing in the background of the second pic, Rock Chalk!)

Valley Junction Farmer's Market - Let's Try That Again

2013-06-06T10:47:00.002-05:00

We got rained out on the 30th, but I will give it another go at the Goodsmiths.com booth at the Valley Junction Farmer's Market on Thursday June 13th. Hope to see you there!

Also if you look to the right (and below), you'll see the new button to get to my Goodsmiths store. Father's day is right around the corner...

New Listings in Online Store & An Upcoming Show

2013-05-21T11:39:00.003-05:00

I've added quite a few new items to my online store on Goodsmiths.com (also some pics below) I'm getting more items in the store in anticipation of joining the Goodsmiths' staff and another artist at the Valley Junction Farmer's Market on May 30th from 4-8pm.

I was invited by Goodsmiths as part of their promotion of a new app, Swipe by Goodsmiths that links your sales at art and craft shows with your Goodsmith shop! I'm told the Android verion is coming soon. More info is available here. Can't wait to join them at the farmer's market and try out Swipe! Hope to see you all there!

Spalted Maple Bowl

Spalted Hackberry Bowl

Burr Oak Decorative Bowl

Natural Edge Butternut Bowl

Market Day Is Near

2013-05-14T10:00:00.003-05:00

The day is finally near! This Saturday, the 18th, Market Day takes place inside the Kirkwood Hotel and Gramercy Tap from 8am-1pm. My booth will be along the north wall inside of Gramercy between Marrisa Kephart of The Moon and Honey and Sara Briddell of The Sara Initiative . I look forward to meeting and learning from all of the other vendors, but I hope to be so busy at my booth that I'll have to do that as we break down after the show!

Want to see more of the beautiful things

that will be available at Market Day?

Just click here: Market Day Vendor Preview

Market Day Preview Video

2013-05-09T10:06:00.001-05:00

A couple weeks ago Kathy Lankin stopped by my shop and did a little filming. The video shows me turning a small walnut bowl (really fast!) along with a couple other very talented artists that will also be vendors at Market Day on the 18th. So check out the video and make sure to stop by Market Day at the Kirkwood Hotel...Enjoy!

Natural Edge Cutting Boards

2013-05-07T10:25:00.000-05:00

More prep work for the upcoming Market Day event on the 18th has me finishing up some really nice looking natural edge cutting boards. Wood species include ambrosia maple, butternut, cherry, hard maple and more. I'll have lots of different sizes and prices of boards there....along with bowls, vases, jewelry, bottle stoppers, cheese knives and much more...see you there!

Now Available Just In Time For Mother's Day!

2013-05-01T10:47:00.001-05:00

Mother's Day is just around the corner on the 12th! Not sure what to get her? How about one of kind jewelry made from recycled/reclaimed wood!! This morning I added 6 sets of earrings and 6 necklaces to my online shop. Click below...

Mother's Day Gifts!

What To Do With The Small Bits Of Wood...

2013-04-29T17:30:00.000-05:00

Every woodworker struggles with saving or throwing out scraps of wood. Some say if it hasn't been used in a few months it's gone. Others (like me) hold on to even the smallest piece of wood if it has amazing character to it. I have boxes and boxes of bits of wood that are the size of a golf ball or even smaller. A few years ago I made some necklaces from some of it, but the boxes of bits continued to grow. I'm participating in Market Day next month on the 18th and I needed some smaller, lower priced items to go along with my bowls, vases, bottle stoppers, etc. What I came up with were earrings, necklaces, key chains, tops, buttons, fridge magnets and a few other items.

Below are a few pictures of some of them. Stop by my booth at Market Day inside of Gramcery Tap at 400 Walnut St. before or after you enjoy the Downtown Farmers Market on May 18th from 8am-1pm and you can see them for yourself!

Woodturning Demo With Trent Bosch

2013-04-22T15:47:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday the Des Moines Woodturners group had Trent Bosch give a all day demo. I've enjoyed Trent's work before and wondered how he accomplished some of it. The demo started at 9am and with only two short breaks other than 30 mins for lunch, the day went to quickly. Trent is a great teacher, explains things in great detail in ways anyone can understand and enjoys doing so as well.

He turned his "Vessel of Illusion" first. I always wondered how he got the vessel inside another vessel...and it really is quite simple to do although there will be quite a bit of trial and error I'm sure. He first turns a hollow form with 2 top edges.

He then carves and sands the "petals" using air tools.

Then he turns a very thin insert out of a contrasting wood and drops it into boiling water until it drops to the bottom of the pan. He then quickly bends the insert and gets it into the hollow form. Gets the insert where he wants it, blows a balloon up inside the vessel to hold the insert in place and form itself to the interior of the hollow form. After it all drys, he glues it in place with epoxy.

Then he turned and showed us how he carves a platter, again with air tools.

Finally he turned a large bowl I didn't get any pics of that he used to show several ways he embellishes his work (carving, painting, adding patina, etc.) All in all a great day to spend with my dad and other fellow woodturners. I would highly recommend attending a demo or class with Trent. He also of course makes lots of tools in his machine shop (I dont' own any, but did handle them at the demo and they are top notch!)and sells videos as well. If you wnat to learn more about Trent, check out his website.

Back At The Lathe Again

2013-04-09T11:53:00.001-05:00

I haven't been turning much lately due to cold weather and other things that have got in the way. Spring is finally here and last night I had a little time so I turned a little cherry twig pot. It reminded me of how much I missed urning and I will be doing much more in the near future.

You'll be seeing me post more in the coming days, weeks and months...at least that's the plan. I've got a couple shows coming up and lots of projects to start and complete.

Online Shop - Just in time for the Holidays!

2012-12-06T10:22:00.001-06:00

It's been quite some time since I've updated the blog! I have been busy in the shop creating a few new items that would work great for holiday gifts....I've also updated my online store on goodsmiths.com.

Check is out here Online Shop

I'm gearing up for lots of new things in the shop including more slab tables and natural edge cutting boards. I've got a great supply of bowl blanks just waiting to be turned all I need it the time to get to them. More pieces will be added to the online store as they are ready.

Walnut Bowl

2012-08-29T09:29:00.001-05:00

I have one last set of horse show awards to finish up this week for the Maffitt Lake Equestrian Center and Hott Horse Shows. They well be for their last big horse shows of the year that start on Sept. 19th. Last night I finished up one of the awards a large walnut bowl. It's about 12" in diameter and 5" tall. Before I rubbed on my home brew of danish oil, I once again used a reverse image of the horse show logo and transfer pen on the wood burner to get the logo onto the bowl. Works like a charm every time. I now have to finish up 8 picture frames and a small brush box and deliver them early next week.

You Win Some and You Loose Some

2012-08-02T15:37:00.000-05:00

Back around the Fourth of July I rough turned both sides of a walnut log. I wanted a bit deeper bowl so I left the pith in one bowl blank and cut it out entirely of the other. Both rough outs showed some great promise with the grain and variation in the heart and sap wood alignment and color. I packed them into paper sacks with some of the shavings from the rough turning session.

I took them out 3 days later and saw a few hairline cracks. No problem, I filled them with coffee grounds and CA glue and repacked them into fresh wooden curlies. (Sorry no boring picks of this step) Fast forward to this week...The rough out with the pith is split beyond use.

You can see the dark stains where I tried the CA glue and coffe grounds way back in the begining. I won't put it on the burn pile yet until I finish turn the other rough out and see what the grain looks like finished. If it looks great I will figure out another use for the split bowl. If not, well fall backyard fire season isn't that far away!

Oak Doggy Bowl

2012-08-02T15:12:00.002-05:00

A few months ago a friend asked me if I would donate a bowl for the Animal Rescue Leagues annual auction. I immediately said yes, but then realized I hadn't turned much this year do to other commitments and the hot, hot summer we've been having. (also why I haven't posted much)

I was able to find a good sized bowl that I finished earlier this spring made from oak. It's about 10" in diameter and 4" tall. The base was left a bit rough and then burned with a torch. I then oil the entire piece with several coats of my homebrew danish oil. Hopefully it will bring enough of a bid to buy a bag of puppy chow or a chew toy or two.

Large Spalted Maple Side Tables

2012-06-05T10:02:00.000-05:00

This week I completed a couple of big thick tables out of some large maple logs I acquired last fall. The logs came from a tree that had been dead for quite awhile and after being cut down the logs were just left along the road. It took some heavy lifting, but I got them home and got the general shape I wanted with a chainsaw.

After LOTS of power and hand sanding, I put a coat of oil all over them, signed it and drilled the holes for the steal legs. After more sanding and several more coats of oil they are done! The client/friend asked for them to be tall and they are at 32" and 28". The widths are about 11" X 12" squarish. I'm delivering them after the everyday job is over tonight. Will try and get some pics of the installed and share later.

New Online Store! - Goodsmiths.com

2012-05-21T11:26:00.000-05:00

Towards the end of last year, I was told about a new online store that would be going live sometime in early 2012 that would cater to people that handcraft their pieces. The name is http://www.goodsmith.com/ and they call themselves "The Marketplace for Makers". It's even a local company which I like even more. The site launch was delayed a bit, but it's live now and I've just recently started to update some items on the site. There are some pretty cool advantages to Goodsmith over Etsy.com, anyone that is a "maker" should check it out.

Please take the time to browse my wares at https://www.goodsmiths.com/maubow I will continue to have pieces at The Mansion in Des Moines, but this online store will enable people outside of the area to purchase a piece. Below are a few of the most recent items added. I'll be adding more and more items as I have time. Thanks, Jeff

Great Things are Growing in Perry

2012-04-30T10:15:00.003-05:00

Just another plug for the show I will be at this Saturday May 5th in Perry, IA. The event the show is attached to is Great Things are Growing in Perry Take some time and come up and see me...I'll have lots of new pieces ready for sale...

Award Commision - First Round - Coming To A Close

2012-04-25T10:17:00.001-05:00

For the last few months, I've been working on a the first of three rounds of awards for Maffitt Lake Equestrian Center.The owners are good friends and I was honored to have the opportunity to make them. The last 3 weeks things have really ramped up and I'm getting very close to finishing all of them. There are a total of 35 awards for the horse shows that start May 9th. Below are 20 of the "Classic Division" awards. The brand in the middle was provided by the owners of the center and I then used a woodburner to transfer the logo and name of the Maffitt Lake Equestrian Center's horse show management company, Hott Horse Shows. Eighteen are made from walnut and 2 are oak. They range in size from 6" to 9" in diameter.

The other awards include 5 coin banks for some kids divisions, a brush box for an upper division, a large walnut vase for the Grand Prix Winner and 8 mirrors for the middle division. I've included a pic of 4 of the mirror frames (sans mirrors) below as well. They, along with the coin banks, are made from ambrosia maple. Once I finish all of the awards I'll showcase them here as well.

First Show Of The Year

2012-04-16T14:55:00.000-05:00

I have been invited to display my wares in Perry, IA in a few weeks on May 5th from 10-4pm as part of "Great Things Are Growing in Perry". That Saturday there is an event call "Art on the Prairie/Seed Walk". It is an event that in part promotes Art on The Prairie (an art show that takes place in November this fall I'm hoping to be invited to) The "Seed Walk" takes people around Perry collecting seed packets and small plants at various locations in town. I will have a table set up in the Clarion Room on the first floor of the Security Bank Building. It is located just to the west of the historic Hotel Pattee. Stop by if you get a chance!
If you would like to do the seed walk, get in touch with the peeps at Art on the Prairie.

All Set Up And Ready To Go

2011-11-11T17:24:00.001-06:00

Ready for you to come by see our wares!

Beaverdale Holiday Boutique

2011-11-08T09:27:00.000-06:00

My dad and I will once again have a table at the Beaverdale Holiday Boutique this weekend. It's held at Holy Trinity Church on Beaver Ave...just north of Urbandale Ave. Friday there is a special "early viewing" from 6:30-8:30pm and we will be there all day , 8-3pm, on Saturday. Lots of handmade gifts will be available for purchase at the sale again this year. Hope to see you there!!

Cedar Slab Table - Conclusion!

2011-09-29T13:00:00.000-05:00

The table is done and delivered! Lots and lots of sanding and 10 coats of my home brew danish oil finished it off. I ended up putting recessed rubber feet on the bottom so it wouldn't harm a hardwood floor. Overall I'm very happy with the final results. This was my only slab of cedar, but I have quite a few more pieces of maple, oak and walnut that will be getting used soon!