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Eugen Schlaak, a resident of Niagara Falls,
Ontario, born and educated in Germany, is a self-taught Woodturner and
has practiced woodturning since 1968.
He is a member of the "American Association of
Woodturners", the "Western New York Woodturners" in Buffalo, N.Y., the
"Golden Horseshoe Woodturners Guild" in Burlington, Ontario, the
'"St.Catharines Craft Guild" in St. Catharines, Ontario and the
"Niagara Woodcarvers Association " in Niagara Falls , Ontario.
He has participated in many Arts and Craft Shows
and Trade Exhibitions throughout Ontario and Western New York, both as
an exhibitor and as a demonstrator.
Without any formal education in woodworking, he has
produced a wide variety of uniquely hand-crafted items. A listing of
tutors include: Richard Raffan and Vic Wood from Australia; Ray Key and
Michael O'Donnel from Great Britain; Rude Oselnik, John Jordan,
Christian Burchard and David Ellsworth from the United States; Jeff
Parsons, Mark Salisbury, Mike Hosulak and Frank Sodul from Canada.
His creations range from intricate mechanical
wooden toys for all ages (eagerly sought after by many collectors in
Canada and the United States) to colonial type Furniture and
reproductions of antique spinning wheels and related equipment such as
wool winders, swifts, bobbin winders and weaving looms.
His endeavors include the production of hollow
forms and vessels exposing the colors of native and many exotic woods,
Burls being the most favored media. Many of these forms are turned from
"green" unseasoned wood and can only be produced by hand guided tools;
no machines have yet been invented to guide the various types of
woodturning chisels and gouges to achieve the intricate designs of
round hollow shapes ranging from miniature goblets of 1/8" in height to
bowls as large as 30" diameter and 10" deep.
His "free form" bowls from unseasoned logs and
burls, with the original bark and all faults still remaining, have won
critical acclaim from leading professional Woodturners and Artists,
including the Ontario Crafts Council in 1998, which has exhibited some
of his work in the past.
Much of his work is in many private collections in Canada, the United
States, as well as in Great Britain, Germany and Sweden.
Eugen Schlaak is constantly experimenting with new
methods, tools, shapes, forms, new varieties of wood, and mate-
rials using different woodturning machines such as an 1885 pattern
makers lathe, made in "Berlin" (Kitchener), Ontario; a modern "General
260" lathe; an old patented bowl-making lathe and a mini lathe , the
"Vicmark 100" from Australia.
He will custom turn one-of-a-kind spindles for
restoration work and new furniture, copying available samples or in
accordance to drawings supplied.
He is able to demonstrate, teach and lecture on the
craft of woodturning, having done so at many trade shows, indoor and
outdoor craft shows and at woodturning clubs, supplying his own tools
and a small portable lathe.
He has demonstrated woodturning for Record/Marples,
Rockwell/Delta and General Mfg. at various industrial exhibitions and
shows, using a variety of woodturning lathes manufactured by these well
known companies. A list of topics and time required for each lecture or
demonstration is available upon request. More of Eugen's work can be
seen at the Western New York Woodturners website - click
here.
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