I started woodworking at a young age while helping my father in his home workshop. He was an accomplished amateur furniture maker, and I learned much from this experience. Even though my father had a lathe, I paid little attention to it. I concentrated on furniture making thru my young adulthood, and actually made almost all of my own furniture when I got married. This hobby continued for many years.
I acquired my first lathe in 2006 at the age of 70 years and have been turning ever since then. Woodturning is a constant learning process, which I thoroughly enjoy. A lathe rotates the wood and through the use of hand tools, the surface of the piece is cut away, revealing the character of the wood below. Through careful selection of the wood blank and the position of the blank on the lathe I have influence on the outcome of the finished piece of artwork. The successful completion of a piece that shows grace of form along with the character of the wood is my idea of a wonderful day.
I turn a variety of items from pens and simple bottle stoppers to one of a kind works of art.
Examples of my work can be viewed on the accompanying gallery pages.
Individual pieces may be custom ordered, and wood species are based on current availability. Remember each piece shown is an example, and works of art are individual and may vary in detail from that shown in the gallery.
In addition to the American Association of Woodturners, I am also a member of the Northeast Florida Woodturners Association,in Jacksonville, Florida and the Brasstown Woodturners Guild, in Brasstown, North Carolina.
I operate studios in both St. Augustine, Florida and Murphy, North Carolina