I live in Anaheim California. I started turning on an old ShopSmith in the early seventies, then when I retired in 1995 I found a part-time job at The Wood Workers Club as a turning instructor and shop monitor.  At the same time, I started taking woodworking classes at Cerritos College the local community college.  In 1999 when the Jet mini-lathe came on the market, I convinced the school to start a turning program which has been my “baby” ever since.  We have had at least 2 sections of fundamental turning each semester since with 5 instructors added since.  In 2002, I felt the need to expand the program to include a more advanced class.  So, after a day spent with a friend who was doing segmenting, I started the Segmented Turning Class and have learned along with the students ever since. Lately in addition to teaching, I have been making Beads of Courage bowls.

I have attached some photos of my class in action. The Woodworking department at Cerritos College is a 30,000 sq ft  facility with 14 labs and classrooms. The turning lab has 24 Jet mini lathes, a Laguna 18 lathe, a nova lathe, a Sawstop table saw, 2 12” disk sanders, a 20” disk sander, and 3 chop saws along with all the other required tools. My segmented turning class meets on 14 Sundays from 9 to 4 with 19 students and a teaching aid. The objectives of the class are 1 SAFETY, 2 having a good time, 3 develop a love of segmenting. It must be working since I have never had a major accident and the students keep coming back. The class has about 75% returners and 25% first timers.

In May 2017 Jim received an award As “College Teacher of the Year” from the Los Angeles County Industrial and Technology Education Association.

Jim has about eight pages of pictures up in the gallery here are few that we picked at random:

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