Woodturning

Hi folks - there’s always a mountain of timber available on small blocks - either left over from times past or growing and having to be cut down. Turning some small or large item from this timber can be great fun - and you can even make useful items.
Wood is not the most popular medium in the art business these days so you won’t get rich selling it. But it’s nice to give away to grateful recipients and for those going overseas or visiting.
There’s a mass of information available and a good place to start is the National Association of Woodturners

For anyone in the Waikato contact me for details of our Waikato Guild of Woodworkers. We have monthly meetings and a workshop where we can teach you for free to see if you like it. We also have a mountain of dry wood!

Phone me (07) 847-9367 or

Are they interested in Native timber? I have some in an old house that is coming down, but because it is Native it must be worth something, I didn't want to just burn it all up. I was looking to sell it on TM. I'm not sure what it is, could be Rimu, but will find out for sure.

Toni - Northland;153727 wrote: Are they interested in Native timber? I have some in an old house that is coming down, but because it is Native it must be worth something, I didn't want to just burn it all up. I was looking to sell it on TM. I'm not sure what it is, could be Rimu, but will find out for sure.

Blardy oath they are...often the bits that other people chuck out or burn are just what woodturners want. I'm just learning at the moment but it is a great pasttime. Most of what we use is recycled native or 'foraged' timber.

We had the woodturners come through our factory, what a delightful group of people. After the tour they had scones and goodies in our lunch room and left the reminders for us...yum yum.

Toni, it would also depend on if the wood had borer, that would determine $.
I got some beautiful heart Matai floor boards, I am going to make a dining table out of them!

Sunflower, Matai floorboards will make a lovely dining table. We made ours out of old rimu floorboards and it is beautiful.

When I have more free time (ha!) I fancy having a good at wood turning or carving to make a change from furniture making.

One of 'sheddwellers' Matai creations
img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/woodsie/Wood%20stuff/coos045.jpg

That bowl is lovely betenoir, recently I did alot of work for a lady that had all walnut furniture cut from their farm. Boy did it have the WOW factor.
What sort of furniture do you make George? I converted an old oak table the other day into a coffee table, the extentable type, I put a really funky grey wash then a 2 pot coating and it is great!
I am looking forward to making this table from the matai, the floorboards haven't even been used, had been sitting under a house for 50 years.

That is a lovely bowl. I love walnut and wouldn't it be great to make furniture from your own wood. The coffee table you made sounds cool Sunflower. I do like the idea of recylcing stuff instead of just buying new.

We arrived in NZ without any furniture so we have been gradually furnishing our house with the homemade stuff.

I make simple, classic sort of furniture. Between hubby and I we have made a coffee table which is leaf shaped (pine), a dining table and 8 chairs (recycled rimu), a bed and bedside tables (pine), a tallboy chest of drawers (macrocarpa), a hall table (rimu) and a couple of sofa end tables (pine). We have also a blanket box which is not quite finished (macro).

We did this over the course of 4 years but we then ran out of space in our house so we have stopped for a bit!

I have my eye on making a grandfather clock next when the space problem is fixed.

I will try and put up a photo of the dining table later when I am back at home.

George