Meet the Maker – Bluebell Woodturning

Woodturner Mel Adams from Bluebell Woodturning had been captivated by the beauty of turned wood he had seen at craft fairs, so when he needed an outlet to escape the pressures of a stressful job, it was this craft that he turned to. The focus that turning wood requires, combined with the pleasure of the process and the delights revealed beneath the bark, gave Mel the sense of purpose and joy he was looking for and continues to do so 15 years later. Mel talks to jeweller and fellow Folksy seller Sarah Hoare from Bird and Monkey about how he learned his craft, the characteristics of different woods, his essential woodturning tools and his advice for other wishful woodturners…

To celebrate being our featured maker, Mel is offering a10% discount on all his pieces until midnight on 22 July 2018 with the code ‘MEL10’. Click here to shop Bluebell Woodturning >

Woodturning requires great concentration and also provides a profound sense of achievement which I continue to enjoy and benefit from to this day.

How did you discover woodturning?
It was during the 1990s when I met woodturners exhibiting at the craft fairs where my wife and I had a pyrography stand that I noticed what a lovely craft it was. In 2003 I decided to try it for myself and contacted my local club – Black Country Woodturners – who, at the time, had access to multiple lathes on which to practice. It came at a time when I was suffering from excessive work-related stress and was looking for a creative outlet where I could concentrate fully and forget my cares for a while. Woodturning requires great concentration (at least up to the sanding stage) and also provides a profound sense of achievement which I continue to enjoy and benefit from to this day.

This is one of the delights of woodturning: when your work reveals the beauty hiding underneath the bark.

What does making mean to you?
As well as a sense of achievement, there is a sense that I’m leaving some sort of legacy behind in the items that I make: a couple of thousand items which will hopefully be cherished during the owners’ lifetime and may even be passed down to future generations. As nearly all my work has my signature pyrographed on the bottom, I like to think of them wondering who Mel was in years to come!

In common with other makers, there is the thrill of making something that is good enough for someone else to want to own (and pay for), especially in these days of mass production and cheap imports. Ultimately, for me, it is more about making the item than about making a fortune.

There is the thrill of making something that is good enough for someone else to want to own (and pay for), especially in these days of mass production and cheap imports.

Where are you based?
I have a workshop in my garden in Halesowen in the West Midlands, which I built myself with a little help from my family. Although large, it no longer feels as spacious as it once did as it quickly became filled with machinery and wood. In addition, the top third has now been given over to my wife Jacqui, for her enamelling venture Jax Enamelled Jewellery. Working from home does have its disadvantages – I can’t get out of going to work in heavy snow because I only have to travel two metres from the back door to my workshop.

I was suffering from excessive work-related stress and was looking for a creative outlet where I could concentrate fully and forget my cares for a while.

Does the material inspire the finished piece?
Certain woods, such as yew, ash, holly, elm and horse chestnut, can have very distinctive grain and figuring in them that might not be immediately obvious on the surface. This is one of the delights of woodturning: when your work reveals the beauty hiding underneath the bark. Others, such as sycamore and beech, can be quite plain to look at and therefore these may be enhanced with iridescent paints or use of hot wire to add burnt bands. Several of my pieces are now pyrographed with images such as owls, trees and acorns by my wife Jacqui and our latest collaboration is the addition of enamelled cabochons to some of my bowls, which makes them very distinctive and has proved very popular.

For me, production turning defeats the object of producing unique items and would make me feel more like a machine than a man.

Do you have a favourite type of wood to use?
I prefer to use English hardwoods but if I had to choose one it would be yew, closely followed by horse chestnut for the wonderful variety in both colour and grain. The variety of the woods I use is what makes turning a pleasure, as each piece will come out differently. It’s also the reason I don’t take commissions that involve ‘production’ turning – I was recently asked if I could supply 30 of a particular item but passed the enquirer on to a different turner. For me, production turning defeats the object of producing unique items and would make me feel more like a machine than a man.

The variety of the woods I use is what makes turning a pleasure, as each piece will come out differently.

Do you have a favourite piece to make?
My favourite items are bowls. The first piece I made was a turned bowl, after watching a professional turner’s video and so I still enjoy making them. A good turned bowl shows off the figuring and grain of a piece of wood really well and can be further enhanced by pyrography, iridescent paint, enamelled cabochons or – occasionally – hand carving or texturing.

Find more wooden bowls on Folksy >

My industrial-sized band saw is the single most expensive piece of machinery I have, although it does enable me to cut up logs of up to 12” in diameter and so is a vital piece of kit.

Do you have any advice for others who would like to try woodturning?
Before you invest in a lathe and other tools and machinery, look for a local woodturning club which should welcome you and where you can see what’s involved in the craft. Hopefully you’ll also be able to try it out, as many clubs will be insured for hands-on evenings where novices can have a go for themselves. Most members will be only too happy to share their knowledge and experience of machinery, tools and materials and to impart their skills to those interested in the craft, and it’s often possible to pick up second-hand lathes from members who might be upgrading to something more expensive.

Two serious points: firstly, bear in mind that woodturning is not a cheap craft, so do your homework thoroughly. Secondly, it’s vital to invest in good dust extraction for your workshop and to wear an effective dust mask (I use a Dust Bee Gone mask). I cannot emphasise this point strongly enough as inhaled wood dust can cause cancer of the nasal system, which, if not found early, can spread to the brain and prove fatal.

A good woodturner needs only a small range of basic tools but understanding how to keep them sharp is vital.

Are you self-taught?
Yes I am. I haven’t attended any formal courses. Instead I’ve learned my craft from a variety of sources, including help and advice from woodturners within my group, Black Country Woodturners, and watching professional turners demonstrate both at wood shows around the country and when they visit the club on demonstration evenings. These days, of course, many woodturners share their skills and techniques via YouTube – a wonderful resource for all kinds of craft! Like every other craftsperson, you never stop learning and exploring as there is always a new technique to try.

The time it takes to set up and pack away at craft fairs is quite considerable for a woodturner, so I much prefer to have my work permanently on show via Folksy.

Do you attend craft fairs?
I attend only a couple of craft fairs a year, both of which are involved in raising funds for the organisers’ charities through the table fees. Although it’s lovely to meet people face to face, the time it takes to set up and pack away at craft fairs is quite considerable for a woodturner, so I much prefer to have my work permanently ‘on show’ via Folksy, where, incidentally, I find that several of my lovely customers purchase in the ‘wee small hours’.

If you want to try woodturning, look for a local woodturning club which should welcome you and where you can see what’s involved in the craft.

What has been your biggest workshop investment?
My industrial-sized band saw is the single most expensive piece of machinery I have, although it does enable me to cut up logs of up to 12” in diameter and so is a vital piece of kit for me. This is closely followed by the original lathe I bought and then the dust-extraction equipment. To set up my workshop from scratch at current prices would definitely set me back four or five thousand pounds.

Like every other craftsperson, you never stop learning and exploring as there is always a new technique to try.

Every maker has a favourite tool. What’s yours?
Without doubt, it’s my trusty Henry Taylor 3/8” bowl gouge, which has been in constant use since 2003. A good woodturner needs only a small range of basic tools but understanding how to keep them sharp is vital to getting a good finish and is one of the first skills to master. My least favourite is my range of abrasives because, in common with most turners, I love turning but hate the necessary task of sanding!