Hello again, Here in the northern hemisphere, spring has most definitely sprung. We have wildflowers in the mountain meadows and the trees are all budded out. Speaking of trees, our Carver of the Month in this issue is a celebrated artisan who has won awards and international acclaim for his work in the classical mode. Dimitrios Klitsas was born in Greece about half a century ago, and he has spent most of the intervening years creating a portfolio of breathtaking work in Europe and America. We are honored to introduce you to this modern master (who has actually appeared on the TV show, Modern Masters, on the Home & Garden Network). Elsewhere in the issue we talk about such varied topics as HVLP; solar kilns and the differences between vertical and horizontal sharpening stones. In addition to our regular departments (Turning Tidbits, Carving Tidbits, news about tools and materials, and the free classifieds), we are especially pleased to bring you the work of this issue's Turner of the Month, Alan Lacer. Located in western Wisconsin, Alan creates some of the most beautifully delicate pieces imaginable, like the goblet shown at right.

There are some interesting Letters to the Editor this month, too. One e-mail arrived a couple of weeks ago from Barry Humphus of the Lake Charles Woodworkers' Club in Louisiana. Barry asked if we'd like to know about the club's meeting last month, when professional turner Bill Berry was the guest speaker. This tied in with a suggestion we'd had some months ago to start a club page, so that's exactly what we did. In addition to Barry's excellently written and photographed piece, we also visited with the Pacific Woodworkers Guild. They have a competition every year to see who can come up with the best project from a single 2x4 (any species). You owe it to yourself to visit them and see what these folks can do. And then we stopped by the Guild of American Luthiers and learned about their efforts to promote the art of stringed instrument making. They have a wonderful quarterly magazine that's pretty much a must-have for anyone interested in this special form of woodworking.

Because we publish every month, and we don't have to wait for printing presses and mailmen, we can pass along information very quickly. In fact, Woodezine is quickly becoming the hottest place on the Web for manufacturers to tell woodworkers about new tools and materials. That's probably why the News section ran to two pages this issue. If the trend continues, we may have to split it into separate categories in future issues, so the pages don't take too long to download.

I know you're all busy people, so perhaps the best way to enjoy woodezine is to add the Table of Contents page to your favorites list every month, and then you can come back whenever you have a free minute. (You can enjoy some of the features from past issues too, by clicking on our archives page.)

Well, that's about it for now. Until next month, remember to wear your safety glasses!

Take care,
John

John English
Editor, woodezine.com