The wood I use is collected from various sources including “downed” trees here in Vermont felled by wind, storm and even beavers. A small amount of more exotic non-native wood is purchased for specialty items. Still more is reclaimed from wood discarded at local wood product plants.
Most pieces are roughed out from their original state using a chainsaw. They are then shaped further using a band saw. I turn my wooden pieces on a PowerMatic 3520 wood lathe. This machine allows for turned pieces anywhere from 36 inches long to 20 inches in diameter. I use wood gouges to create the different types of pieces from plates, platters, bowls, boxes, bracelets, and vases. In conjunction with the Angora goats and alpacas that my wife and I raise, I also create yarn bowls, drop spindles, nostepindes, niddie noddies, wrist distaffs, shawl pins, buttons, knitting needles and other items for fiber artists.
The piece of wood often dictates the ultimate shape. Bark inclusions in the wood call for necessary responses in my turning. Some shapes are reminiscent of Native American pottery shapes. I grew up in the same town as Elbert Hubbard’s Roycroft, and as a result I also look to Arts and Crafts movement for inspiration as well. All designs are my own. No patterns are used and as a result, no two items are exactly the same.
I feel that the beauty of the wood should stand on its own and not be overly painted, carved or embellished. The grain, the defects, the insect damage and the spalting are all part of the character revealed when the wood is turned. I hope you enjoy the items I create as much as I enjoy discovering the “beauty under the bark”.
Must Love Yarn, Shelburne, VT
Two Sisters Mercantile, Jeffersonville, VT
