Welcome

Welcome to my woodturning site. I am based on the outskirts of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire and have been turning wood for over 40 years.

I concentrate on turning one-off pieces working with more difficult or unusual pieces of locally grown timber – making use of the natural shape of the tree by exposing the grain or ‘defects’ within it in an interesting and/or sympathetic way. I particularly enjoy working with burred or damaged material, revealing the beauty within the wood and letting its shape and form suggest the design of the finished piece. All the timber I use is either reclaimed or sourced locally, here in Yorkshire. Each unique piece is individually hand turned and then finished using natural waxes or oils. Occasionally I will make something for you from your own tree. See my FAQ page for more info.

Starting
Out

I took up turning over forty years ago as a teenager in order provide lace bobbins for my mother. These initial bobbins were produced using a lathe attachment for an electric drill.

A single advert in the Lace Guild magazine resulted in me sending bobbins all over the world and provided sufficient funds to allow me to purchase my first ‘real’ lathe. During the early years of my turning, I estimate I made over 20,000 lace bobbins and now try to avoid them !

My turning teacher became a longstanding friend and together we gave demonstrations and attended shows and craft fairs throughout Yorkshire.

One-off
works

I now prefer to concentrate on making one-off items using more unusual timbers or the parts of the tree others reject.  Each piece of wood is carefully crafted by hand on the lathe with the final shape often being dictated by the wood or defects within it to create, unique pieces of turning.

The majority of my work is now sold via galleries, shops and this website. I am happy to discuss commissions for turned bowls, sculptural forms or other turned pieces based on items I have on display on this site.