turnerwoodcrafts Weblog

I would like to introduce myself and give some background on my education and experience with wood.  I attended the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY and I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Wood Products Engineering.  I wanted to pursue a research career in wood science and technology, so I completed my Master of Science degree and then my PhD.  I then accepted a position at the US Forest Products Laboratory (part of the US Forest Service) in Madison, WI to work in research and technology transfer in wood and wood products.  Most of my research was related to wood drying and the interactions of wood and water in general.  I had a thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying career in that capacity, and retired in 2005.

My research career was oriented to the technical aspects of wood and its physical characteristics.  But in all of those years I also had a great appreciation and love for the beauty of wood.  So in my retirement I decided to explore that aspect of wood more thoroughly, which is how I got started in wood turning.  To me there is a sense of excitement every time I mount what might seem to be just a dirty, unattractive section of a log on the lathe.  When I open it up with the chisel the beautiful colors, grain, and anatomical features of the wood unfold before me and often suggest how to shape the final turning to take advantage of the features of the wood.