Trevor Jones
I am retired and have a “Shed” in which I can indulge in a life long hobby of working wood, making boxes, side tables and even a chessboard with drawers for the chess pieces.
The shed did not include a lathe until three years ago when a European ash tree died and had to be removed. We obtained a quote for chopping and shredding the tree. I was appalled by the thought of a beautiful tree becoming just a pile of mulch. At that point I decided that the shed would need a lathe and marked as many of the tree limbs that I would be able to mill on my band saw for the purpose of wood turning. And so the learning curve of turning techniques began.
I now find turning very rewarding and satisfying as I watch the wood reveal its beautiful grain patterns and figure evolve. The wood seems to determine how it is to be shaped and almost always a variation of what I thought it could be when I started the piece.
Call it Recycling repurposing or whatever you like, trees are much more than firewood and every piece saved from the wood heap has to be environmentally positive.
The shed did not include a lathe until three years ago when a European ash tree died and had to be removed. We obtained a quote for chopping and shredding the tree. I was appalled by the thought of a beautiful tree becoming just a pile of mulch. At that point I decided that the shed would need a lathe and marked as many of the tree limbs that I would be able to mill on my band saw for the purpose of wood turning. And so the learning curve of turning techniques began.
I now find turning very rewarding and satisfying as I watch the wood reveal its beautiful grain patterns and figure evolve. The wood seems to determine how it is to be shaped and almost always a variation of what I thought it could be when I started the piece.
Call it Recycling repurposing or whatever you like, trees are much more than firewood and every piece saved from the wood heap has to be environmentally positive.
