About me
I am an Engineer in automation and fine mechanics, born in 1954 in Germany, married and father to a son, working and living since 1983 in Norway nearby the Capitol Oslo in a little town with the name Skjetten.
I am still fully employed and turning wood in my leisure time as a relaxation to the daily routines in the office.
About my woodturning live
Since the beginning of the 90’s of the last century in the past millennium i am turning wood.
It started with a rather primitive setup with a drill-driven lathe i inherited from my father, but very soon i got caught by the woodturning bacillus. I bought my first real lathe, a British build Tyme Avon with a turn able head-stock with 4 speeds, and started to produce my first objects.
Fortunately i also bought a book from Richard Raffan which teached me. I continued in many years as self-learned woodturner and experienced most of the mistakes and near-incidents you could expect – but i learned a lot form these. I went to fairs and exhibitions and bought more books and videos (this was before the era of now well-known online-platforms) until i came to the point i felt i needed more tutoring to become better.
Around the year 2000 i met Jimmy Clewes on Holmen Gård in Norway where he was demonstrating his marvelous way to turn. I some years later discovered that he was tutoring workshops in Stavanger and decided to participate in 2007 – and it become a great experience. I learned much about tools, design, turning techniques, coloring, decorating and last but not least ex-center turning. It gave me a tremendous push in my work.
The good experience with Jimmy encouraged me in 2008 to book a new workshop with Nick Agar. He fascinated me with his sense for colors and form.
With the impressions of these workshops i continued turning fetching new ideas and challenging my techniques by information from international fora on the internet and in magazines.
In 2011 then i participated on the Woodturning Cruise along the Norwegian west coast from Stavanger to Hammerfest together with many internationally known woodturners and many woodturning enthusiast like myself. I experienced 11 days full of woodturning demonstrations and almost continuous workshops. It became the most inspiring arrangement i ever participated in. Among others i met
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- Richard Raffan from Australia, one of the worlds best woodturners
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- Jimmy Clewes from UK , former mentioned acknowledged and respected woodtuner now living and travelling form the USA.
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- Mark Baker from UK, excellent woodturner and editor of the “Woodturning Magazin”.
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- Glenn Lucas from Ireland, known for his extraordinary techniques in bowl turning
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- Bonnie Klein from the USA, world known for her miniature objects.
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- Nick Agar from UK, former mentioned excellent woodturner known for his colorful and innovative work.
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- Rolly Munro from Australia, the inventor of the the Munro-tool and specialist in hollow forms
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- Åsmund Vignes from Norway, specialist of the ring tool.
- Terry Scott from New Zealand, a fantastic woodturner.
On the cruise i got known with a woodturner from nearby in Norway which introduced me in to the Norwegian Folk Art and Craft Association and their local woodturning club. Since than i have been teaching woodturning to newcomers, experienced turners and youngsters (age 14-24).
In 2013 i had my first exhibition in the Lillestrøm Art Association where i displayed 18 of my works and got very inspiring and encouraging feedback.