hey all.

thought I'd post this just for a bit of fun and see what reactions come of this...

Sculpting the blind way....

As a blind artist, life revolves on two points, music and wood. As a musician, my life is devoted to the history, present and future of uilleann pipes, flutes and low whistles. from their old designs to the new adaptations and technological advances. (not computers or samplers) new methods of making a sound have more character.

the other aspect is wood. I am a trained blind woodworker and musical instrument maker. presently until I tool up, I dedicate myself to construction of furniture, vases, bowls and sculptures. It's all in the feel of what you do and the tools of the trade.

I got into this after I became blind 10 years ago february 15th 2000. my grandfather was a master carpenter and decided to get me into a trade where I could succeed. from then on I've made it my life to enjoy the feel and smell of good wood. whether it's taking a trunk that's been felled and milling into lumber, resawing, machining and moulding or just the fine art of hand shaping and turning.

There is a unique bond between the hands and any form of trade. your hands do the talking and your mind interprets the processes. Think of making a vase with your eyes closed. your hands do all the talking on this type of work. at the lathe, you feel and hear what's happening with the wood as it spins, feeding the cutter, scraper or boring bar into the block, etc. it's just a unique feeling.

OK there's always risks but with a strong mind, a knowledge of the HSE regulations, etc and good machine and tool practices, you're good to go.

I've taken on various projects, from large vases and platters, to intricate 3D turnings, carving work and decorative furniture production.

but to be honest my three loves in my workshop are building professional workshop furniture for customers, artistic turnings on the lathe and welllllll........ Chainsaw and power carving.

There's gonna be a few people here stumped at how a blind guy can work a professional chainsaw setup and power carvers to produce various works. well as I say, it's all in the feel. in this case it's the feel from the throttle as to what the bar is doing with a cut or shave, how the profile is made and so much more. As sound and touch are vital elements of blind artistry, it's always good to keep an aspect of what you can do with your mind and hands.

anyway just thought I'd blot this down lol. it's a quiet evening and I'm about to do a write up for a tooling magazine on a product test.

lew

I think this was a good idea to describe how you work, as anything that goes some way to increase people's understanding of any disability has to be seen as positive, although I guess people who would benefit most aren't going to read this.
It interests me that because you're blind, you have developed other senses to compensate for what you lack in vision and it makes me realise how many of us do not use what we've got to the maximum. Like you, I do love the smell of the different woods although I probably won't know what they are now as it's a long while since I've been around anybody working with wood.
I have to say my home would be a blind person's nightmare, and their home mine, haha!!! I love a bit too much clutter in my environment.
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http://arisingmoon.deviantart.com/gallery/#-Fantasy-Art-
http://myriad28.spaces.live.com/

It was interesting to read your processes Lew, do you have any examples of your work to show us?

at the moment I've no photos of any projects. usually I just build the project for the client and then send it out. there are occasions wher eI send out CAD drawings to customers so they gat a feel for it but after a recent technical setback AutoCad and Turbo cad are no longer blind friendly in terms of scematic feedback or commands.

There are 3 main woods I love the smell of.

apple / pear wood,
african blackwood
oak.

oak in particular has a very hardy scent especially when it's a fresh log about to be turned into planks on my yard with a very powerful chainsaw fitted to a logging mill. nice, easy planks.

african blackwood has a fairly sweet smell after it's been turned. slightly nutmeg ish before seasoning......

Apple and pear wood are virtually the same in scent and when hot sawn or machined on the lathe have a really delicious smell which fills the workshop with a warmth. an easy to turn species which constantly stays smooth with any cut taken.

I've worked with rare species including ebony and african blackwood as well as Madagascan ash and cherry, as well as one or two other interesting pieces but I won't mention them here otherwise there would be a serious outcry but it is all legal. I have to follow specialist materials and endangered materials laws.

as I've specialised for years as an instrument maker, I built concert wooden irish flutes and started making uilleann pipes. I stopped sadly as I had to sell my workshop rig to raise funds for the braille display and computer I work with on a daily basis. the workshop is up and running but the vital machine to allow me to get back up and running isn't here and I need to raise funds for it. to the tune of £6000. pain in the backside but hey. so am working on various things to get the control lathe back.

lew

Hi.

If you use AutoCAD LT, the embedded commands such as line, arc, fillet etc should still be recognised.

Here are a few links that may prove useful, in relation to getting third-party software to work with AutoCAD - to help you to still use it.

Also, Autodesk's direct contact details (Autodesk write AutoCAD software) for their UK support outlet are as follows:

Autodesk
1 Meadow Gate Avenue,
Farnborough Business Park,
Farnborough,
Hampshire,
GU14 6FG,
UK

Telephone: 01252 456600
Fax: 01252 456601

They may be worth telephoning.



External links to other sites as below:

http://www.brite.ac.uk/resources/sight_village_2009.html

http://www.qac.ac.uk/sightvillage/index.html