I’m Teaching Again!

Picture of Jennifer Garner in her woodshop from the movie “The Last Thing He Told Me”

I got an email last summer from a local woman who wanted woodturning instruction. She asked if I could teach her and her two late teenage kids. I suggested a shop visit first and then we could talk about instruction. Other summer plans got in the way but we finally got together in the fall. Her kids were back in school so she brought three of her girlfriends for a tour and demonstration. All four women were great fun to have in the shop. They stayed for a half day and wound up purchasing bowls and a platter. I wound up agreeing to be her instructor.

After her first or second lesson, I asked her if she had seen the movie “The Last Thing He Told Me” with Jennifer Garner. In the movie Jennifer Garner is a professional woodworker/woodturner. My student laughed and said that she became interested in woodturning after watching that movie.

I believe in hands on learning and my student spent the best part of three hours with an Ellsworth gouge in her hands during each lesson. During her third session, she had that “Aha!” moment. She made a shallow cut from rim to the center of the bottom of the bowl. Her grin said it all. I told her then that she was already a better turner than Jennifer Garner. Someone made some beautiful live edge burl bowls for the movie but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Jennifer Garner.

I wrote a blog post several years ago about two one day workshops I had in my shop. At the time I had six lathes and I had a student on each one. I had two helpers but it was unbearably stressful so I stopped teaching and sold two of the lathes.

This time around, with just one student, I can give her my undivided attention and it’s much less stressful. It also helps that she is easy to teach and a pleasant person.

Here is Jennifer Garner turning a bowl with her teacher:

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