Fall 2008 President's LetterFrom Angelo Iafrate... After giving it some thought it occurred to me that a journal is a diary as someone goes through life. I kept one while in art school. Mostly it was a pictorial journal, intended to track my likes and dislikes in the shapes and colors in the world I saw. It also kept track of random thoughts throughout that time. Then it struck me! That is what the American Woodturner should be! Once I made that connection, it was easy to see that our journal should be a written and pictorial record of the woodturning journey through time. This eureka also gave me some insight into what was being talked about in some of the threads on the website. Beginners want more “beginner” articles. Pros want more critical essays on design or other hot topic issues. There are vocal minorities on both sides of the spectrum but little input from the vast majority in between. I consider myself someone in between. In an effort to understand what constituted “beginner” articles I asked for a list on the forum. Boy! Did I get one! When I asked for people to write, only one person stepped up and offered to help. Thank you John Lucas! It is my plan, after my tenure on the board, to start writing about some of these suggested topics. |
(Letter continued) I also think that people who are new to turning want more information than they could ever assimilate in any one turning session. It’s only natural; I was the same way when I was first smitten by woodturning. I believe, too, that to become good at anything it is important to inform your subconscious by reading to be sure you have a frame of reference when you encounter a similar turning condition in the shop. It helps! It does not substitute for real time at the lathe; that is where you create the shapes that will form muscle memory and the skills you need to progress. Not every article in American Woodturner will strike a familiar chord with all members. An article can satisfy some of our 13,000 members some time and others another time. Can we try to be sensitive to the needs of beginners? Sure we can! And we do! As we have said before, the editor usually will not elect to reprint an article from years ago because techniques, tools, and equipment change. However, I am confident that journal editor Carl Voss would consider a new spin on a previously published technique. As a member of the AAW you must be aware that the contents of the journal are member-driven. If the members write articles, then Carl has articles to print. Without your articles, he must farm the articles through various sources, which means that you get the articles Carl has at hand, not necessarily the articles you prefer to see.Angelo Iafrate Note: click on this link to view guidelines for writing articles and taking photos for submission to the American Woodturner Journal. |
