WOODTURNING

WOODTURNING

As a hobbyist woodworker, I was always intrigued by woodturning but never found the nudge to try it out.

A friend of mine in Hawaii is an amazing woodturner, I asked if he’d be up for giving me some lessons and he graciously agreed, and helped me turn my fist bowl.

As soon as I got a gouge in my hand and started making shavings I was hooked. When we returned to Maine, I bought a used lathe, made it the new centerpiece of my shop, and haven’t looked back since.

Person with protective face shield on near woodturning equipment

Chatoyancy Showcase

A five inch spalted Formosan koa bowl.

3/8″ walls, a deep well, and thick base provide a nice weight and balance.

The depth and chatoyancy in this piece can only be appreciated by marveling at the bowl in your hands.

Sanded to #600

Burnished with shaving then burnished again with brown paper bag.

Finished with Carnauba paste wax then hand buffed.

Recent Work Gallery

Light colored wood bowl made of ash.
8 inch ash bowl.
Dark colored wood bowl
8 inch Hawaiian milo bowl.
Black walnut wood bowl
4 inch spalted black walnut bowl
light colored wood bowl
7 inch ash bowl
a small, live edge wooden bowl with a redish color
6 inch live edge Lychee burl bowl.
Napkin rings made of Hawaiian Koa
Set of Hawaiian Koa napkin rings.
Wood bowl
7 inch oasage orange bowl
ash wood bowl
7 inch ash bowl
small wood bowl
3 inch pear wood bowl
wood vase with dried flowers
11 inch osage orange vase with dried hydrangea
small wooden jar with top
4″ x 3″ milo jar & lid
Light colored wooden bowl.
6 inch avocado wood bowl
shallow wood bowl
7 inch Hawaiian Koa

Around The Shops

woodturning lathe in a workshop

All of the wood I use for turning is salvaged. Some examples include:

  • My neighbor had an arborist cut a dying maple from his front yard on Beech Hill Rd.
  • On Kainalu Dr. in Kailua I came across a pile of Mango wood left on the side of the road.
  • Fellow turners bring extra wood from similar sources to meetings for sharing.
  • A pear tree in our back yard die from bugs, I was able to get a small bowl from the stump.
  • A large branch fell from a black walnut tree at my in-laws place.

My wife and I have family in Hawaii and are also able to work there in the winter. So for a few months in the winter we escape the cold dark days of Maine and head to Kailua.
I am a member of the Honolulu Woodturners and was able to get a used lathe from another member.
There is a lot of gorgeous wood in Hawaii and so many great woodturners to learn from.