About Me

I am a master carpenter by trade, having more than 20 years in the business. I have worked on kitchens, custom closets, wall units, you name it, and I have made it.  I love all types of wood. My wife and I frequent craft fairs, and I have been an admirer of many of the wood crafted items, whether they are furniture, turned bowls, or restored antiques. I can spend most of my time in the wood working areas – my wife always knows where to find me!   It is a challenge for me to restore flea market finds with nicks and scratches, and it is a pleasant hobby to create small items, such as picture frames and birdhouses. 

Admiring wood so, I took an interest in the art of wood turning.  Years ago, while still in school, I enjoyed turning wood, but at the time carpentry was my major focus, so I continued on that path.  I continued to have an interest in wood turning, as years went by, I wished to return to my passion, but I was caught up in other concerns in my life. So my skill on the lathe became rusty. I finally purchased a small lathe and enjoyed working on small projects.  I needed lessons to hold the tools correctly and create usable items.  I took lessons from a real pro in the business, who I still see regularly.  I felt like a duck in water! Wood turning is a very enjoyable activity. It is amazing to see the patterns in the wood grain as the shape unfolds.  My mentor became my friend, and I have enjoyed turning bowls, vases, pens and decorative vessels.  I recently became the proud owner of a Poolewood 2000. This is very powerful large capacity lathe, imported from England.  This lathe enables me to do high quality work on large pieces of wood.

The lathe is very flexible, in that the engine on the left pivots, allowing me to do work from any angle, an advantage in working with large pieces. It can go up to 3500 rpm’s, although most projects do not require such a high speed.  The machine works smoothly and quietly, a bonus for other family members. I enjoy doing unusual items, such as oddly shaped vessels.  Such vessels are also curved, and adding another dimension to the turned wood.  This is more than just a hobby, more like a calling. I hope I have given you some of the feeling I have when wood turning.