Here’s a piece that I created specifically for the Nova Woodturners’ Guild Turning of Age Exhibition last month. I call it ‘Godina’, which, loosely translated, is Croatian for ‘aged’. Here, have a look at why I believe the name is appropriate:

The bowl is made of Maple and has been heavily textured. This was helped by the fact that the wood was fairly punky when I started. It was then painted with a metallic type paint and then over-layed with a layer of Verdi Gris. The base was made of Pine and painted with a crackle paint to match the old, decayed look of the bowl.

The diameter of the bowl is almost 7 inches and it is 4 inches tall. The overall height of the piece is 10 inches and the base is between 4 and 5 inches square.

The different textures, the mix of woodturning with woodworking and the finishes were all really fun to explore.

Here’s a few more photos:

Continue reading 'Godina'

This month’s meeting of the Atlantic Woodworkers Association featured a visit and demonstration from the owners and staff of Sasco Products Limited.

Sasco, formerly known locally as ChemCraft, manufactures and carries a full spectrum of environmentally responsible wood coatings and finishes, wood protection and wood preservation for every market.

Owners Sam and Lizzie Sorenson spoke extensively on a wide variety of products, explaining their use and how to apply them properly for best results.

You can find out more about Sasco and their product line at http://www.sasco.ca

There were 30 members in attendance for this informative and entertaining presentation.

Back to the shop…

Here’s a piece that I call the Collection Plate, since it is a shallow, flat-bottomed plate for displaying a collection of items. It could be used for a small collection of brightly coloured stones, perhaps some aptly, appropriate old coins or like in this case, just a few glass balls.

While creating it I was struck by the remembrance of ornate silver collection plates that passed through the church pews during my youth, not like the baskets of today. It’s flat-bottomed bowl left a lot of wood in the base, therefore a fair amount of weight. I left this to give the piece a sense of substance, that no matter what is in the bowl it’s worth is substantial, where mass is relative to worth.

It is made of Birch and it is 10 1/2″ in diameter and 2″ tall. It has a 2″ rim that has been textured. It was finished with tung oil and then buffed using the Beale system.

Here are some more photos:

Continue reading 'A Charming Collection Plate'

Here’s a collection of small boxes that I did over the summer. They vary in size from 2″ tall to 4 1/2″ tall and they feature pyrography and staining.

A pair of the boxes also feature a small glass bead accent in the center of the lid. They are all made from Ash and finished with wipe-on poly.

Here are some photos of the individual boxes. The first ones are of the largest box, that is approximately 4 1/2″ tall X 3 1/4″ at its widest. It features a black glass bead on the lid, matching the black stained band that was burned with ‘swirls’ and ‘dots’:

Continue reading 'A Collection Of Small Boxes'