Art in Turned Wood
John Birdsall Woodturner
Woodturning has been around for many centuries as a tool of the cabinet maker to embellish his work, or in its own right for the manufacture of utility items. In many of these instances the beauty of the wood is often lost to the design of the turning, in fact in some instances turned finials on clocks or knobs on furniture are actually painted.
Today woodturning is taking up its own rightful position as an Art Form. My work tends to take on a simple form which best shows off the fantastic natural beauty of the wood, the functionality of the piece is of secondary consideration.
I source my own timber seeking out interesting pieces and use almost exclusively British timber.
Welcome to John's Woodturning Gallery
Man has used wood for many thousands of years, from early times as a fuel and construction material. Furniture making has developed from simple utility pieces to the magnificent works of art of the 17thC and 18thC utilizing the wealth of colour and grain patterns available.
Diseased and decayed timber exhibit remarkable colour variations as in the piece featured on this page. Spalting (the dark lines), most prevalent in beech, being another effect. Burrs, which are growths on trees, give fantastic grain effects and if turned wet can also produce interesting textures upon drying.
I am particularly fond of keeping as much of the character of the tree as possible and many of my pieces are designed to retain as much of the bark as possible (natural edge work). Frequently I retain or incorporate shakes (natural splits) and on occasions make a feature of these imperfections in the timber by inlaying them with metal.
John Birdsall Woodturner 12 Heather Fold Skelmanthorpe Huddersfield HD8 9LD Tel 01484 860174 e-mail:j.birdsall@talktalk.net
