Andy Cole

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Andy started woodturning about 25 years ago after taking a class at Woodcraft. What started as a hobby soon blossomed into a full-time passion and profession. Andy is a member of the Honolulu Woodturners Club. He attended his first AAW symposium in 2003 and has not missed one since. While he enjoys many aspects of turning, producing natural edge bowls gives Andy the ability to integrate the organic beauty of wood into a pleasing form. Andy learned how to core multiple natural edge nested pieces from one piece of wood. His nested demonstrations are always very popular with turners.

Natural edge bowls with flair

Shapes and form for natural edge bowls will be the focus of this demo. Preservation of bark and alternatives when there is no bark will be discussed. Blank selection and various chucking methods will be covered as we create an attractive looking natural edge bowl with an ogee curve. Skill level is beginner to intermediate.

Hawaiian Calabash style bowls

Traditional bowls are a favorite in Hawaii and this demo will focus on pleasing shapes that are simple to make. This is a good demo for beginners and we will cover many basics including the various cuts and turning tools available. I will also demonstrate various chucking methods that can be used.

Little things can make a big difference

This demo can include such things as spinning tops, bottle stoppers, tool handle extenders, knobs and poi pounders (very popular in Hawaii). There are many times when a small wood item can be turned to replace something around the home giving each item a custom woodturner look. This is a good beginner level demo.

Sunny Side Up Egg on a Plate

This demo is a lot of fun and involves some class participation in the design and sanding of the egg parts. I will create an edible looking (but very hard to eat) sunny side up egg on a plate using appropriately colored woods. I will first turn an egg yolk using Osage Orange. The next step is to create a realistic looking egg white in which to insert the egg yolk. Creating and shaping the egg white will include some freehand abrasive work and sanding. Lastly, a plate will be turned to hold the breakfast item. Skill level is beginner to intermediate.

Natural edge nested sets

This demonstration will show how to extract multiple natural edge bowls from one blank using the Kelton McNaughton coring system. The focus of this demo will be how to extract as many natural edge bowls as possible from one piece of wood. We will also discuss the various other coring systems available and the pros and cons of each. Our goal will be to rough out at least five pieces and show how to re-chuck the pieces for further turning. This is a very popular demo and is always a crowd favorite. Skill level is intermediate to advanced.