While I might be a high school mathematics teacher by qualification, woodworking is in my blood. Some of my earliest memories are of ‘helping’ my father, Tom, at his office furniture company in the late 1980s. Even today, I continue to learn the art of woodworking from Dad, a trained Cabinet Maker and Joiner with well over 60 years’ experience.

I got into turning about 8 years ago, when I saw a second-hand lathe being offered for $100 in The Trading Post. While I have upgraded my lathe a few times in the intervening years, that first lathe is still at my dad’s shed and sees regular use.

I’m really keen to get new people into this awesome hobby and show them what’s possible even at a beginner level.

If you’ve brought family along that have expressed an interest in learning how to turn, or you’re a beginning turner yourself…this is the clinic for you. I often joke about being a ‘teacher in recovery’, but the truth is that I still really love explaining how stuff works, and breaking things down in such a way that someone listening says to themselves, “you know what – that’s not nearly as scary as I thought, and I’m going to give that a go.”