A brief history of how my bowlturning came about

Hello readers

This is my first attempt at blogging, so apologies if it all feels a bit rough round the edges, but I hope you enjoy this insight into the life of a green woodworker!

So, first things first, a brief account of my history and what this blog’s all about.

I'm a tree surgeon based in a small Sussex village called Ardingly, working for the country's leading arboretum, Kew Gardens, at Wakehurst Place.  Not only do I lead on the gardens' tree work, but I carry out all sorts of woodland conservation and forestry work too.

But perhaps the most exciting development in my career so far has been entering the world of heritage green woodwork, my passion in life (well, perhaps second to my wife to be!).  I've been pole lathe turning since the mid '90s, and have always had an ambition to make bowls on a pole lathe after seeing a picture of Stephen de Brett doing this in Mike Abbott’s ‘Green Woodwork’ book, but somehow never got round to making it happen due my lack of knowledge of this complicated skill at the time.

However, this all changed when I had the opportunity to build a timber frame oak building at Wakehurst.  I enjoyed this so much, it was the realisation that I should delay no longer in pursuing my ambition to turn green wooden bowls.

Now I have got to a stage where I consider myself a fledged competent bowl turner, and I would like to write this blog to record how I have developed my skills and where they’re taking me now.

2011 Bodgers Ball, Lower Brockhampton (the 'half hour challenge')

I’d also like to take the opportunity here to pay a tribute to my grandparents, who inspired me as a child to respect nature and enjoy the countryside from a young age.  I stayed with them every weekend after school and during school holidays, and they would take me out to local woodland and wildlife sites like Woods Mill and the South Downs.  They also taught me basic field skills like using a sheath knife, collecting firewood, axework and lighting a fire, well before I was 10.  This is what drove me in the end to have a career in conservation and treework.