An interview with maker Something From The Turnery as part of our 'Get to Know...' series.
Tell us a little about yourself and your business…
I'm so proud to work with my hands each day as part of the legacy of a kind, wood-turning Grandpa and time well spent with a local hero we called St Vincent as a teen. As for the story, by the close of 2019 I had all but forgotten my time in their workshops when, remembering how much I used to love it, my Grandpa gifted me his lathe. I had driven between exhausting jobs as a touring musician to clear his workshop, not knowing the impact his gift would have in the months, and now years ahead. Woodturning became, and remains a place of deep calm for me and today, my headline acts are functional pieces for the home from beautiful, sustainably sourced and reclaimed timbers. It's homeware for living spaces, like rolling pins you'll leave out on purpose and simple-form lamps designed to let natural beauty do the talking.
Where are you based?
Rural Lincolnshire
How do you make your work?
I make all of my work on a wood lathe using traditional woodturning techniques but with an eye for contemporary design in the finished product. It's a very peaceful practice, working with my hands with beautiful natural resources, smells amazing too!
Describe your studio…
My workshop is a small but mighty old stables. Slow drying, part-turned bowls lining the shelves and rows of sustainably sourced timbers waiting to become something in its right time.
Tell us about your materials - where do you source them from and are they important to you?
All of my materials are sustainably sourced from a range of storm fallen trees, salvaged timbers and responsible saw mills. I have built (over recent years) a collection of beautiful timbers that I've learned to (and still learning to) store and dry in such a way to provide myself with a supply of beautiful native timbers that would have otherwise have been destroyed. The material is incredibly important to me, trees are a precious and threatened natural resource that shouldn't be taken for granted.
Why is it important to you that your work is made as responsibly and sustainably as possible?
Making lasting homeware from trees that have reached their natural end, or have had to be cleared to make room somewhere, is important to me because it's a small dent that I can make in the climate crisis. Locking in a little bit of carbon with each piece of homeware, that when looked after, could far outlast us.
How and why did you start your small business?
It came from a passion project away from my music work that crashed (along with most of the world) in 2020. For me, woodturning scratches the same itch as creating music, it's a very familiar journey of starting with raw materials or an idea and working with it on its way to become something of its own merit. I had started posting what I had made to instagram purely for the joy of it and to document my own progress with the art form, but soon enough people began to commission pieces for their own homes, and that there was the birth of my business!Any fun facts about your business, or achievements you want to shout about?
I still use my Grandpa's tools everyday in the workshop which is a lovely connection to him now that he's no longer with us. Achievements are hard to measure sometimes, success for me is being able to take the time to create works in an honest way with beautiful materials whilst being able to generate an income that allows me to take part, and be present in the lives of people I love. And after you've read that poetry, I'm also super proud to have been featured in Gardeners' World gift edition thanks to the lovely humans here at PRIOR Shop!
What do you love most about your small business and do you have a favourite piece of work?
The process is everything to me. It's the mix of a steady, calm and quiet and then a little of the high stakes that working at a lathe brings me each day. The St Vincent lamps are my absolute favourite! They're a mix of my favourite timbers and a nod to a legend who inspired my woodturning journey.
What do you think are the benefits of people supporting independent business?
Supporting humans who are supporting humans can only be a good thing in my opinion! Every maker has stories, connecting with them at an independent store is a really wholesome experience that is impossible with giant retailers.
Tell us about your favourite purchase from a fellow maker. What is it and who made it?
I recently purchased a little artwork from Micah Purnell; it's inspiration for my workshop, made from a gorgeous piece of oak and reads ' You Are Enough '. I've placed it amongst my turning tools for the occasional pep talk when I need it!
What are your favourite things about PRIOR - both as a customer and a supplier?
Where to start! PRIOR Shop is the real thing. I know where we are right now, BUT I've not seen anyone do it better, by makers for makers and full of high quality pieces, what's not to love? Lots of times, Beck has been a creative guide to me and offered practical advice on many occasions which has been invaluable!
Do you have a goal for where you’d love your business to be in the future?
Yes! It's a dream of mine to continue to grow in my practice and understanding of the craft. Along the way, I'd love to land my pieces in the hands of interior designers who share my passion for sustainable, beautiful, living spaces.
View Something From The Turnery's handmade collection at Prior Shop here.
