As the wood turns: into bowls, bottle stoppers, and funky decorations
What is David Press at? Chipping away in search of the useful and the beautiful
David Press is a longtime practitioner of the craft of woodturning, and he is surrounded by proof of his passion.
"I like taking a piece of wood, finding what's in it, and either making something that's beautiful or something that's useful," says Press.
"Or, when I'm really lucky, it's both."
Woodturning involves using a lathe to transform a square piece of wood into a smooth object, usually with rounded corners, by spinning and chiseling the wood to shape it.
Many years of turning wood
Press first got into the craft of woodturning when he was a teenager, watching his father practicing the art in the family basement.
He started woodturning seriously about 25 years ago.
Press is a longtime member of the Avalon Woodturners' Guild, and he is one-half of Two Turners, along with fellow wood turner Pete Stanbridge.
Together, the duo brings their wood turned bowls, bottle stoppers and funky decorative mushrooms to craft fairs all over the Avalon Peninsula.
What about you?
Do you have an interesting weekend project or hobby? Tell us what you are at. Email [email protected] or tweet @CBCWam.
You can hear What Are You At? This Is It on Saturdays on Weekend AM from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. in Labrador) on CBC Radio One. Subscribe to the Weekend AM podcast on Apple Podcasts and other services, or listen to highlights here or on the CBC Radio app.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
with files from Mark Cumby