traditional turning

When George Lailey died in 1958 a craft going back more than 2000 years died with him. He was the last person in England to make a living turning wooden bowls on a pole lathe.

I became fascinated by the craft whilst working in woodland conservation and set about reviving the technique, first learning the blacksmithing skills required to forge the specialised turning tools.

Like the old turners I use no sandpaper relying entirely on the sharpness of my tools to get a good finish. Bowls made in this way have a very distinctive character with the marks of the tools being clearly visible, like hand thrown pottery or blown glass.