Bill Wyko
17th February 2012, 03:15 AM
I'll have to insert pictures this evening. (I took a lot of them)
Where to begin....
First, I got off the plane and my daughter picked me up. We got stuck in sickening traffic so I called Paulo to let him know we were in town. I told him that my daughter and I were going to get a bite to eat once we got out of the jam. He said he and his wife Karin were going out as well and we should join them. Of course I couldn't say no. I was already anxious to meet him the next day, why not meet that night?
When we got to the restaurant, Paulo and Karin greeted me and my daughter with a big hug. It was like we had known each other for years. We all sat down and hit it off like old friends. He and Karin were so kind to me as well as my daughter Heather.
While we were eating and enjoying the evening, Karin noticed the man across from us happened to be Nikki Sixx from Motley Crew. Turns out that Karin used to prepare special meals for the Motley Crew Band, since she was Heather Locklear’s private fitness instructor. I found out that Karin was a competitive bodybuilder, who was Miss Western America and third in the world. Now the party was warming up and getting even better. We all talked it up for quite a while. Then another gentleman across from us who was listening to our conversation invited us to visit his restaurant the next night . He mentioned he was the manager of a place called Wolf’s Creek Brewery and he would like to buy us a beer. More on that later!
By the end of the evening we had enjoyed an incredible meal and solidified a friendship, which I feel will last a lifetime.
The following morning I arrived at the shop, again to be greeted like a million dollar customer. We took a quick tour of the shop while we were waiting for Alan Lacer and his wife Mary. I got to see some of the most incredible machinery. The HAAS equipment he showed me was absolutely fantastic. These machines can actually check themselves as they are making parts. Paulo even showed me how to probe one of the tools the machines was using. His inspection capabilities are incredible. His company was responsible for 80% of the manufacturing of the Mars Pathfinder program.
Once Alan and Mary arrived, Paulo got into great detail about the many different technologies he is creating. One being a new material developed for Glaser Hitec named Cauldron 305. I got to hold and examine this material and I can tell you from what I understand, this metal will change the way we sharpen and extend the life of our tools like no other metal has.
Another thing we enjoyed was seeing all the other incredible pieces they make for the aerospace industry. He showed us a little tiny billet that was so complex and only about the size of 1/2 a postage stamp. What was funny though, was Alan took out a little cork bottle to reveal some spinning tops he had turned that were almost the size of a hair in some cases. For me, I was in the presence of truly great minds. We spent all day going over tool design, metallurgy, technology and so much more. He even trusted us to reveal his new developments which are secretly kept from the woodturning world for now but which will really knock your sox off soon. If I said anything about it, I think the secret service would come knocking :)
For me, I decided to be quiet most of the time and just listen to their minds at work. These people are so incredibly ingenious. Alan went into great detail on so many aspects of just about every tool you could think of. Turns out Paulo pretty much had nailed it on all of them.
Something else I didn't know, Mary Lacer is an incredibly talented turner and has a vast knowledge of just about every aspect of the turning world. She too was truly incredible to talk with. I even got to see some of her shaving kits she turns… Beautiful work.!
Between her and Alan, they have been to every state in the nation to teach and share their vast knowledge with everyone. I would have to say they are largely responsible for some of the skills of more turners than I could count. Yet they were both so incredibly kind, humble, thoughtful and so incredibly knowledgeable. And since they were there, I picked up 5 autographed copies of Alan's DVDs and one of his diamond hones for tuning up my tools. That Lil stone is bad ####.
Oh yea, my reason for going in the first place. I picked up 3 skews and decided to save the shipping and picked up a roughing gouge a beading and a bedan tool as well. After seeing so many details of how these tools are made (I.E. the flute, which is ground using a "diamond wheel" rather than a ball endmill or cutter like other tools are done. This method is more expensive, but it makes a more perfect shape and a deeper flute) I now realize that more flute means more cutting. More mass under the flute literally means “less flute” to do the cutting. I also now understand some of their proprietary heat treating procedures, which Paulo made sure to mention that Jerry was the genius behind “their cooking recipe” since the beginning of the Glaser line. On that note, one thing I’ve noticed is that Paulo is a really humble person. Even though a lot of these improvements and technologies were developed by him, he kept deferring the accomplishments to Jerry Glaser. Even Alan Lacer highly complimented Paulo for “thinking outside the box” for his ingenuity and attention to detail,
Another BIG change I can see coming is the Synergy line. I got to hold and play with these tools. I felt like I was holding a piece of the space shuttle. These tools are absolutely amazing. According to Paulo, they will be available within 45 days. I am sure there will be a great response toward these tools. I can't wait to get my hands on a set for myself. I will start saving for this one. Synergy, combined with the Cauldron305 will be a real game changer in the turning tool world.
Then, Paulo and Karin were kind enough to invite me for their lunch with the Lacers. We had a fantastic “meat” lunch. (Only comparable to my great barbecues J.
When we returned to the shop, we inspected some of Alan’s little tops using some of Paulo’s Digital Microscopes and I can tell you that I was amazed on how he could still maintain the shape of the top being so miniscule. Alan Lacer is an amazing turner.
I also found out that Paulo made skews for Alan in the past and is now working developing a new approach to skew chisels which I had an opportunity to see first-hand. I assure you that it is incredibly ahead of its time. Even Alan Lacer was blown away by the creativity on this new tool.
Later that night Paulo and Karin invited me to dinner again. We went to the restaurant we were invited the night before. We had a great night together and interestingly enough we did not talk about woodturning at all. The Marin’s made a point to ask about my family and they listened to my stories.
Never have I seen a business owner treat someone as warm and kindly as I was treated. We really had a blast that night.
The next day when I had to leave, Paulo was taking me to the airport because my daughter had to work. He said he had to make a quick stop by the airport to pick-up some documents. Little did I know what he meant.
We arrived at this unassuming house in Marina del Rey and to my total surprise, Paulo had a meeting with Mr. Jerry Glaser. He took me in to meet the legend himself. When we walked in and turned the corner, there in front of me was Mr. Glaser and 3 original Sam Maloof chairs, including the one which is on the cover of the Smithsonian Magazine. Every single hair on my body was about to jump right off. I was almost in tears.. to be in the presence of such a legend as well as 3 Maloof chairs… what more could I ask.
I asked Mr. Glaser if I could sit in one and with a slight grin on his face, Jerry said “Yes… that's what they are for”.
Paulo and Jerry exchanged some paperwork and Paulo briefed Jerry on his progress with the Synergy developments and the new skew for Alan right in front of me. I just sat there in utter amazement, looking at Jerry’s extraordinary turnings and the exquisite chairs. Jerry also collects puzzles, from the tiniest to the most complex. They were mind boggling.
After we left it was finally time to catch my plane. I felt as though I was intoxicated by amazement. This weekend was one of those that you remember for a lifetime. Here I'm just a guy who wanted to buy a few tools and get a tour… nothing out of the ordinary in a day’s business.
What I got in return was the royal treatment. I was treated as though I was their top client. Paulo, Karin, Alan and Mary are truly incredible and knowledgeable people.
If any of you guys at Sawmill have the opportunity I had, you will see that Paulo and Karin are great people who will go out of their way make ANYBODY feel at home and appreciated. I come out of this experiencing feeling that these are humble and good human beings that mean well. I can see right away that it has nothing to do with money for them. It has to do with being good and gentle to another human being.
Be careful though if you get to visit their facility…it may be life changing. I know I came home with a new list of amazing friends. If any of the 4 of you read this, thank you so much for your kindness and generosity.
Where to begin....
First, I got off the plane and my daughter picked me up. We got stuck in sickening traffic so I called Paulo to let him know we were in town. I told him that my daughter and I were going to get a bite to eat once we got out of the jam. He said he and his wife Karin were going out as well and we should join them. Of course I couldn't say no. I was already anxious to meet him the next day, why not meet that night?
When we got to the restaurant, Paulo and Karin greeted me and my daughter with a big hug. It was like we had known each other for years. We all sat down and hit it off like old friends. He and Karin were so kind to me as well as my daughter Heather.
While we were eating and enjoying the evening, Karin noticed the man across from us happened to be Nikki Sixx from Motley Crew. Turns out that Karin used to prepare special meals for the Motley Crew Band, since she was Heather Locklear’s private fitness instructor. I found out that Karin was a competitive bodybuilder, who was Miss Western America and third in the world. Now the party was warming up and getting even better. We all talked it up for quite a while. Then another gentleman across from us who was listening to our conversation invited us to visit his restaurant the next night . He mentioned he was the manager of a place called Wolf’s Creek Brewery and he would like to buy us a beer. More on that later!
By the end of the evening we had enjoyed an incredible meal and solidified a friendship, which I feel will last a lifetime.
The following morning I arrived at the shop, again to be greeted like a million dollar customer. We took a quick tour of the shop while we were waiting for Alan Lacer and his wife Mary. I got to see some of the most incredible machinery. The HAAS equipment he showed me was absolutely fantastic. These machines can actually check themselves as they are making parts. Paulo even showed me how to probe one of the tools the machines was using. His inspection capabilities are incredible. His company was responsible for 80% of the manufacturing of the Mars Pathfinder program.
Once Alan and Mary arrived, Paulo got into great detail about the many different technologies he is creating. One being a new material developed for Glaser Hitec named Cauldron 305. I got to hold and examine this material and I can tell you from what I understand, this metal will change the way we sharpen and extend the life of our tools like no other metal has.
Another thing we enjoyed was seeing all the other incredible pieces they make for the aerospace industry. He showed us a little tiny billet that was so complex and only about the size of 1/2 a postage stamp. What was funny though, was Alan took out a little cork bottle to reveal some spinning tops he had turned that were almost the size of a hair in some cases. For me, I was in the presence of truly great minds. We spent all day going over tool design, metallurgy, technology and so much more. He even trusted us to reveal his new developments which are secretly kept from the woodturning world for now but which will really knock your sox off soon. If I said anything about it, I think the secret service would come knocking :)
For me, I decided to be quiet most of the time and just listen to their minds at work. These people are so incredibly ingenious. Alan went into great detail on so many aspects of just about every tool you could think of. Turns out Paulo pretty much had nailed it on all of them.
Something else I didn't know, Mary Lacer is an incredibly talented turner and has a vast knowledge of just about every aspect of the turning world. She too was truly incredible to talk with. I even got to see some of her shaving kits she turns… Beautiful work.!
Between her and Alan, they have been to every state in the nation to teach and share their vast knowledge with everyone. I would have to say they are largely responsible for some of the skills of more turners than I could count. Yet they were both so incredibly kind, humble, thoughtful and so incredibly knowledgeable. And since they were there, I picked up 5 autographed copies of Alan's DVDs and one of his diamond hones for tuning up my tools. That Lil stone is bad ####.
Oh yea, my reason for going in the first place. I picked up 3 skews and decided to save the shipping and picked up a roughing gouge a beading and a bedan tool as well. After seeing so many details of how these tools are made (I.E. the flute, which is ground using a "diamond wheel" rather than a ball endmill or cutter like other tools are done. This method is more expensive, but it makes a more perfect shape and a deeper flute) I now realize that more flute means more cutting. More mass under the flute literally means “less flute” to do the cutting. I also now understand some of their proprietary heat treating procedures, which Paulo made sure to mention that Jerry was the genius behind “their cooking recipe” since the beginning of the Glaser line. On that note, one thing I’ve noticed is that Paulo is a really humble person. Even though a lot of these improvements and technologies were developed by him, he kept deferring the accomplishments to Jerry Glaser. Even Alan Lacer highly complimented Paulo for “thinking outside the box” for his ingenuity and attention to detail,
Another BIG change I can see coming is the Synergy line. I got to hold and play with these tools. I felt like I was holding a piece of the space shuttle. These tools are absolutely amazing. According to Paulo, they will be available within 45 days. I am sure there will be a great response toward these tools. I can't wait to get my hands on a set for myself. I will start saving for this one. Synergy, combined with the Cauldron305 will be a real game changer in the turning tool world.
Then, Paulo and Karin were kind enough to invite me for their lunch with the Lacers. We had a fantastic “meat” lunch. (Only comparable to my great barbecues J.
When we returned to the shop, we inspected some of Alan’s little tops using some of Paulo’s Digital Microscopes and I can tell you that I was amazed on how he could still maintain the shape of the top being so miniscule. Alan Lacer is an amazing turner.
I also found out that Paulo made skews for Alan in the past and is now working developing a new approach to skew chisels which I had an opportunity to see first-hand. I assure you that it is incredibly ahead of its time. Even Alan Lacer was blown away by the creativity on this new tool.
Later that night Paulo and Karin invited me to dinner again. We went to the restaurant we were invited the night before. We had a great night together and interestingly enough we did not talk about woodturning at all. The Marin’s made a point to ask about my family and they listened to my stories.
Never have I seen a business owner treat someone as warm and kindly as I was treated. We really had a blast that night.
The next day when I had to leave, Paulo was taking me to the airport because my daughter had to work. He said he had to make a quick stop by the airport to pick-up some documents. Little did I know what he meant.
We arrived at this unassuming house in Marina del Rey and to my total surprise, Paulo had a meeting with Mr. Jerry Glaser. He took me in to meet the legend himself. When we walked in and turned the corner, there in front of me was Mr. Glaser and 3 original Sam Maloof chairs, including the one which is on the cover of the Smithsonian Magazine. Every single hair on my body was about to jump right off. I was almost in tears.. to be in the presence of such a legend as well as 3 Maloof chairs… what more could I ask.
I asked Mr. Glaser if I could sit in one and with a slight grin on his face, Jerry said “Yes… that's what they are for”.
Paulo and Jerry exchanged some paperwork and Paulo briefed Jerry on his progress with the Synergy developments and the new skew for Alan right in front of me. I just sat there in utter amazement, looking at Jerry’s extraordinary turnings and the exquisite chairs. Jerry also collects puzzles, from the tiniest to the most complex. They were mind boggling.
After we left it was finally time to catch my plane. I felt as though I was intoxicated by amazement. This weekend was one of those that you remember for a lifetime. Here I'm just a guy who wanted to buy a few tools and get a tour… nothing out of the ordinary in a day’s business.
What I got in return was the royal treatment. I was treated as though I was their top client. Paulo, Karin, Alan and Mary are truly incredible and knowledgeable people.
If any of you guys at Sawmill have the opportunity I had, you will see that Paulo and Karin are great people who will go out of their way make ANYBODY feel at home and appreciated. I come out of this experiencing feeling that these are humble and good human beings that mean well. I can see right away that it has nothing to do with money for them. It has to do with being good and gentle to another human being.
Be careful though if you get to visit their facility…it may be life changing. I know I came home with a new list of amazing friends. If any of the 4 of you read this, thank you so much for your kindness and generosity.