“What’s a Woodturner?”

By Merv Graham

“What’s a Woodturner?”- a question that is often asked in social gatherings. It is not possible to answer this question in one sentence. To describe a woodturner you need to first understand the nature of the beast. Woodturners, or just turners, come in all sizes, shapes and walks of life - from retired old curmudgeons, to world-renowned scientists. They are from pre-teens to over the hill folks and in many cases many hills. However, they all have one thing in common. Whether or not it is a misplaced gene remains to be seen, but they all love the solitude of a piece of wood spinning on a lathe. They are mesmerized by the effect of a chunk of raw forest turning into a work of art, though this sometimes is only in the eyes of the beholder. From the novice to the expert, this seems to be the unifying attraction - the taking of oneself to another dimension of concentration and solitude and cleansing the mind of all else save for the oneness with the wood. They are fascinated by the effect of creation of an object from such a simple material. Though the end product, or piece as turners like to call it, come in many forms, from simple candle sticks to massive urns made from thousands of small bits stuck together with glue, each piece needs some time spinning on a lathe to be formed. So what is a woodturner? They are designers, fabricators, technicians, craftsmen, artists, creators, but most of all they are common folk with a passion “to just make stuff”. They are not recluses however, we love to gather in small or large groups to compare and share, to discuss and pontificate, to brag and congratulate, to teach and to be taught and to share good times.

MEANINGFUL QUOTE’S

Chris Stott: “An amateur turner picks up a tool and starts to cut with it. A professional turner picks up a tool and sharpens it.”

Bill Jones: “The brotherhood of the lathe must be almost unique in friendly encouragement.”

Bill Jones: “I’m convinced that whatever skill one is aiming to achieve is attainable in a time commensurate with the effort one expends working at it.”

Everybody: “There are two things that you must always do before you switch on the lathe: Make sure it is free to rotate 360 degrees. Make sure the speed is correct for the weight and balance of the wood between centres.”

Bill Jones: “It’s the satisfaction of being able to make things with real skill – the reward of daily practice – that enables old crocks to keep turning, to the encouragment of us all.”

Walter Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus School of Design: “There is no essential difference between the artist and the craftsman. In rare moments beyond control of his will the Grace of Heaven may cause his work to blossom into art. But proficiency in his craft is essential to every artist. Therein lies the source of creative imagination.”

Bernard Leach says: “Some of the most beautiful pots in the world are full of technical imperfections.”

Florence Harper to a customer: “That, Madam, is a minor imperfection that marks a hand made piece”.

Bernard Leach says “let us not be hypercritical about fortuitous blemishes”.

Excited buyer says: “I just bought a piece and I know it is hand made because I can see the tool marks.”

Bernard Leach says: “An oriental art lover eyes any very perfect piece of technique with the suspicion that it contains little depth of meaning.”

Peter McLaren: "Some people say life is too short to turn crappy wood; I say the crappy wood provides the best opportunities. Remember, you don’t learn to sail well on smooth waters!".