Though my network of fellow woodworkers, I sometimes get invited to help clean out the shop of a woodturner who passed away or is retiring from woodworking. I love going to these sales. It appeals to my scavenger nature and I have to hold myself back from grabbing too many things that I don’t actually need.
In these raw spaces, I’m not dissuaded by layers of dust or unvarnished boards. When picking wood, I try to see what a piece can become while I check for cracks and color. Reliable species to work with are cherry and walnut, which are common enough in the Northeast US that many woodturners stash a supply when it becomes available. In addition to those woods, I usually find some exotic or tropical woods and it’s a chance for me to try out new species. The only problem is that they are not always labeled what they are and I’m left guessing and asking around.
Sometimes wood is labeled and it’s a new tree that I have never heard of before. I picked up some pieces labeled Casuarina Pine and made a jar out of one of them. It turned nicely and has a rosy golden color with flecks similar to beech. I don’t know where these came from, but I’m happy to have them.
A few years ago, a retired woodworker needed his stash of wood cleared out of his garage. I loaded up a trunk full and have since used most of it. I picked up two thin boards that he said was philippine mahogany salvaged from pallet wood. I used one of the pieces to make a stand for a hand-carved spatula. I liked it’s rough texture, so I just gave it a light sand and an oil finish.
I love to see the workspaces where another woodturner worked. How did they set up their shop? Where did they store their tools and supplies? What sorts of work did they do and how did their set-up support that work? In my own shop, I still feel like I am getting it set up for my workflow, so I’m always curious to see what others have figured out.
Most of the tools that I have I bought second hand. It has been a good way for me to try out a variety of different gouges and skew chisels. I like to pick up modified tools that inform on how a turner accomplished their forms. The former owner of this bowl gouge made deep open vessels. This shortened gouge was probably used to shape the insides.
In addition to dried wood for turning, I often buy half-finished turnings. For some of the pieces, I can quickly complete them and sell them at markets. With other pieces, I take them on as a challenge to finish the work that someone else started. Honoring their form pushes both my design and technical skills.
The unique shape of this platter captivated me when I found it in a box with other unfinished bowls in a dusty garage. I want to try to copy the rim on a fresh piece of wood and this one will just get a flat bottom and a good scrub.
When I bring home these unique unfinished pieces and rare woods, I do wonder how many shops they have lived in. I want mine to be their last before becoming an object that lives in a home.
Upcoming markets:
May 4th and 5th Modern Makers Market in Cold Spring, NY