Being a woodturner I have always made your typical bowls and plates on my lathe.  When we got our Angora goats I started making wood turned tools for fiber artists.  These include drop spindles, knitting bowls, shawl pins, wrist distaffs, buttons, nostepindes and niddy noddys.  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 speciality items. Still more is reclaimed from wood discarded at local wood product plants.

Large pieces for knitting bowls are roughed out from their original state using a chainsaw. They are then shaped further using a band saw. I use wood gouges to finalize the shape and a coping saw to cut in the characteristic “J” shaped notch.

 

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”.