Wondrous wood

Photos by Fred Abeles

MEMBERS OF THE SOUTH PUGET SOUND WOODTURNERS CREATE ORIGINAL ART FROM WOODEN BLOCKS.

Pat McCart knows that woodturning is a craft that requires both patience and creativity. He is a member of the South Puget Sound Woodturners, a hobby group that meets in Fife once a month. Through splinters and (sometimes) sliced fingers, the ultimate goal for these artists is to create a piece that will last a lifetime.

McCart, 53, is one of the group’s woodturning mentors. He has been honing his craft for about eight years. His uncle introduced him to the art form, after finding his grandfather’s old lathe, a machine tool used to spin wood to be carved. He has been a member of the South Puget Sound Woodturners for about seven years.

“It’s a hobby you do because you love to create an object,” McCart said. “The reactions you get when you give the pieces away are pretty priceless.”

Since the years following World War II, woodturning has been steadily growing in popularity. By the early 1980s, woodturning had begun to appear in galleries and craft shows. Woodworking magazines covered the techniques

and exciting new work of this old craft now recharged with a sense of quality and innovation, according to the American Association of Woodturning (AAW).

In 1985, the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, in Gatlinburg, Tenn., was one of the few places in the country where it was possible to teach or study woodturning. By April 1986, AAW was

formally named and incorporated as a non-profit organization. The organization’s journal began later that year, along with the first local chapters; the first “official” symposium was held in October of the following year.

To date, AAW has more than 13,000 members, with local chapters throughout the world.

The South Puget Sound Woodturners have tried to uphold the goals of AAW since forming about 15 years ago. The club has managed to attract a membership of just fewer than 200 people from as far north as Seattle, east as Buckley and south as Olympia.

The group holds monthly meetings to make friends, display and talk about their pieces, raffle for various varieties of raw carving wood and watch demonstrations from professional woodturners.

McCart said on average, the meetings attract about 100 people with various woodturning skill levels.

“One turner, Ted, just celebrated his 90th birthday and has been turning for over 80 years,” McCart said. “Another person, Raven, is the 11-year-old daughter of one of the members. She’s been turning for only a few years.”

Although McCart does not usually sell his pieces, he knows other members that do. He said a good-sized piece could sell for around $200 or more.

“It’s a very under-valued craft,” McCart said. “The pieces are worth a lot more than people pay for them.”

The South Puget Sound Woodturners meet every third Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Fife Senior Center, located at 2111 54th Ave. E. Social time starts at 6:30 p.m. Membership dues are $25 annually, which help fund the meeting space, supplies and other group events. To contact one of the South Puget Sound Woodturners’ mentors, visit http://www.spswoodturners.org.

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