Traditional Turning

During the past 20 years Robin Wood has produced and sold over 30,000 wooden plates and bowls from his small workshop nestled into a Peak District hillside. Creating items for everyday use and making a living from his work as a craftsman is a fundamental principle underpinning Robin's working lifestyle. He seems very happy with the path he has chosen but his activities are not restricted to wood turning.

Robin is also Chairman of the Heritage Craft Association heritagecrafts.org.uk, is featured in many television craft programmes, and shares his skills and knowledge with others by running classes in bowl turning and spoon carving. He also writes a very interesting and informative craft blog. greenwood-carving.blogspot.co.uk

Dave and Lynwen went along to see him turn a bowl. artisanco.com

Robin Wood's website: robin-wood.co.uk

• Category

  Howto & Style

[ArtisanMediaLtd]

;)

[ArtisanMediaLtd]

Hi Kerami,

In the past, turners would make their own lathe tools, and Robin does the same. I'm sure if you contact him on his website he can share more with you robin-wood.co.uk

[musicman9897]

YOU DIDN'T USE A WOODEN DISHWASHER.

[robin wood]

thanks for the nice comments and to Artisan Media for the lovely film. To find out more about my work google "robin wood" to find my website

[ConfusionWood]

very nice

[Wehawk100]

I have an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts and we use the wooden boards and Cesar Salad bowls and the instance of illness from wooden objects exposed to bacteria is low and usually comes down to brain power, wash immediatly, keep overly bloody items off the wood and don't put chicken or fowl on the wood. Its mostly the birds that cause problems.

[Justmyopinionlol]

I've seen those footpowered/handpowered tools in Pakistan/Turkey (no electricity)...and they make knives, tools, and even guns using them. Amazing.

[Manny1222]

This is pretty cool.

[TheFluteArts]

Amazing!!!

[Mike Abbott]

Lovely film, Rob - first time I've seen it. Just been directed by a friend to the Seiffen turners - absolutely amazing, so then I showed her how it could perhaps be done on a pole lathe. Ever tried?

[Gordon Henderson]

would that have anything to do with the Tannin content of wood being aseptic. If that is the case would certain woods have a better effect on stopping Salmonella?

[djenorman]

I really enjoyed watching that robin :)

[robin wood]

I would love to have multiple sources but in 15 years looking for serious research Professor Cliver's is the only objective scientific study that I have found along with the research of Professor Philip Class into Salmonella which found that California residents using wooden cutting boards were half as likely to contract salmonellosis as those using plastic boards. This research is backed up by recommendations from USDA in the US and the UK Food Standards Agency both are happy with wood boards.

[Jason Pettitt]

That's a good point. Woodies like me have a pro wood bias so when we find something that says nice things about our material we latch on to it.

The best info I can find after quite a bit of digging including meta studies is that plastic is likely better in a commercial setting where stuff is in constant use and gets thrown once it's scratched (scratches in plastic are bad).

In a domestic setting where things dry and rest between uses and plastic doesn't get thrown out, wood is very very good.