Age-old techniques can still be used today to create exquisitely detailed wooden objects including turned bowls, vessels, carving and sculpture.
Some of the most beautiful pieces use and enhance the natural grain of the wood. The transformation of this natural material can be done by hand, with chisels, or turning on a lathe. The result is fine contemporary craft that is original, engaging and beautiful.
In this section:
- Reclaimed Timbers
Some makers are well known for working with reclaimed timbers, such as Oak railway sleepers and Australian Jarrah fence posts. Others transform driftwood into works of art.
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- Turned Wood
Turned wood is an amazingly flexible medium, maintaining roots in tradition while yielding to experimentation. The process of turning wood begins with a lathe, on which wood or metal rotates rapidly while it is cut or rubbed against a shaping tool. In the simplest lathes, shaping tools are hand-held. After shaping, a common practice is to rub sandpaper against the object as it continues to rotate, further smoothing the surface. When wood is turned on a lathe, perfectly symmetrical forms result. Many makers break through the boundaries of symmetry by retaining cracks and gouges in the wood and encouraging chance, accident and asymmetry. The basic material will be chopped or carved, honed, hollowed, planed, burned, dyed or polished in its transformation into works of art.
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