About my work
I started turning wood as a hobby twenty years ago, needing a distraction from the intensity of my real job. I was attracted to a leisure activity that would use my technical abilities, but it had to be something I could start and stop in step with other demands on my time. I was also keen to make things, so there would be a tangible result at the end of the process.
Woodturning seemed to fit the bill, so I invested in the necessary tools and set things up in the workshop, wondering to myself how long my interest would be held. The addiction was immediate, but available time was still restricted. A career change enabled me to assign more hours to turning, and with this came more output and an improvement in skill.
In the early days I mostly gave the things I made as presents to friends and relatives. My limited output only allowed selected birthdays, special events or festive celebrations to be marked by the award of a bowl or platter or something in between to the chosen recipient. People were polite, but results were variable. With more time spent in the workshop and additional and better tools bought, the results improved and became more consistent. A small stock built up and contributing to a fund-raising Christmas fair was possible. Everything sold in a few hours, and I knew woodturning was about to become more than just a hobby for me.
Now, I produce items that are available for sale on this website, or from my workshop [by appointment, please, as I may not be in]. I also take commissions and I’m happy to sell vouchers so the recipient can have input to their gift. I mainly use native British woods, locally harvested if possible, and occasionally obtain exotic timbers from sustainable sources if a particular appearance is required.
Bowls, plates and platters make up most of my output, although the odd batch of spurtles and an occasional chopping board have appeared out of the haze of woodshavings and dust. If you would like something in particular, and I think I can make it, I’ll be happy to do so.
Please contact me for a chat.
Douglas
Some early commissioned pieces
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