I had the early view of the list of Makers this year before the actual event.  It’s one of the perks of being on the board of directors!  The other perk is that I get to walk around and meet all the smart and creative folks on the day of.  One thing that made me super happy was that the RVA MakerFest focuses on more than just tech.   Don’t get me wrong, I’m a software/tech guy, but I also love making things with my hands.

A few years back, I managed to buy a BIG and HEAVY lathe from the 50s.  It was 4 ft long, cast iron and awesome.  This isn’t it, but it was just like this:

From: https://ozarktoolmanuals.com

I turned a lot of wood and the best thing  I made was a mortar and pestle.  Hot stuff!! I digress, this isn’t about me.

One of the booths that most excited me was the Richmond Woodturners.  These are some folks who have actual skill when it comes to turning wood, unlike yours truly.

On the day of the RVA MakerFest 2018, they were doing all day demonstrations as well as showing some of their wares.  The specimens they showed off were amazingly high quality.

Check them out!  The bowl with the tops is absolutely beautiful.  The live edge of the wood shows off the natural beauty that has been transformed into a hand made work of art.

See that ‘vase’ with the ‘flowers’ in it?  yeah, that’s all wood.   I wish I had gotten a better profile picture of the vase.  It may look like a solid cylinder but there’s a really cool shape inside the ridges.   Go find them and check it out yourself!

Alright, this vase is also another piece of ingenuity.  This style of project is made of multiple pieces of wood that are cut and rearranged.  They’re glued together and turned into a vessel.  It’s hollow inside with some really nice work around the upper lip.

Check them out!

Richmond Woodturners

Gallery

Go hang out with them on the 3rd Thursday of each month at Woodcraft!


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