Wood turning
For The Sheer Beauty Of Wood
Wood turning
For The Sheer Beauty Of Wood
For The Sheer Beauty Of Wood
For The Sheer Beauty Of Wood
My name is Chris Knight and I love working with wood. For many years I dabbled with marquetry and made some quite presentable pictures but I found the work very slow and I was usually working to someone else's design. Several years ago I started woodcarving. Again, it was a slow process, but at least I could work to my own designs and on cold winter evenings it is something I can do whilst indoors.
A few years ago, I decided to buy a lathe. It was just a cheap one and not terribly substantial but after a few days I was hooked. I did my basic training at Stiles & Bates in Dover and my hobby grew from then on. I find it difficult to describe the satisfaction I feel when turning a "lump" of wood into a thing of beauty.
At that time we lived just outside Ashford in Kent in a place called Sevington. At one time, Sevington was just a village but it gradually became consumed by the ever-expanding Ashford. Living in Sevington suited us for many years and it was a good location for my other hobby - beekeeping. ( hawthornbankhoney.co.uk )
The move, at the end of 2017, to Dumfries and Galloway, has provided new and exciting opportunities.
We now had the space to set up the apiary for the bees and I also had a large workshop where I potter to my heart's content. I replaced my cheap lathe with a heavy-duty, cast iron wood-turning lathe. I am experimenting with shape and colour at the moment. Some things work, others do not. However, there is a saying among wood-turners that, "We never make mistakes, we just alter the design".
I am a member of Galloway Woodturners who hold regular meetings where we discuss ideas, techniques and watch demonstrations and then try to put these ideas into practice back in my workshop.
“Every tree in the forest has a story to tell. Some of them were burnt but they endured the fire and got revived; some of them were cut, their barks injured, some people pick up their leaves to make medicines for their sicknesses, birds used their leaves to make their nests, etc. Upon all these, the tree is still tree!”
Israelmore Ayivor
If you would like to view my work (or purchase any!) please get in touch.
Hawthornbank, Bankend Road, Dumfries DG1 4QS
Phone : 0796 159 1043 e.mail: chris@hawthornbankwoodcraft.com