Timber and preparation

I source my timber as locally as possible, although Edale is not well endowed with trees so much of it comes from a tree surgeon about 20 miles away.

I use only English hardwoods; mostly sycamore, beech and alder all of which have been used to make functional bowls for centuries. I prefer to turn wood that is not totally green and season most of it in the log for 6 to 18 months after it has been felled.

With a chainsaw I cut rings from the log the diameter of the bowls I wish to turn and cut these rings into slabs of the appropriate depth. I mark out the bowl blanks with a compass and cut out the circles ready for the lathe.

Whilst in nearly all other respects I keep to original production methods, I use chainsaws for their efficiency. The marks they make are entirely turned away, so they make no difference to the finished piece.