The Humble Grumble

Wednesday, 1 June 2011

Listening to the wood...

There are times when it pays to listen to the wood as you turn it.

This piece of ash was going to be a platter - the intention was to make a large rim and carve and decorate it with spirit dyes and bonising spray - as the grain showing on the outside was fairly plain and not terribly inspiring. After about an hour's total frustration - catch after catch, resharpening my tools, changing the height of my toolrest, re-evaluating my turning technique etc, I finally took a breather and sat in the sun outside for five minutes to calm myself.

Except for the foot and the slightly raised bead on the edge, the bowl is more or less the same thickness all the way through.

When I came back in again - I heard myselfy talking to the chunk of wood. It went along the lines of "Ok - so you don't want to be a pretty platter - so what DO you want to be then?" I de-focussed my eyes (not always a good thing when turning), and let the grain of the wood guide my tools rather than the other way around. After another 20 minutes or so, this is what emerged - and looking at the inside and how the grain lines are just about perfect in the middle, I'd say the wood was trying to guide me all the way, only I wasn't being sensitive enough to hear what it was trying to say to me. And I don't hug trees...

Similar items are available to buy from my webshop in Bowls, Platters, Plates and Hollow Forms