Local Focus: Opening new worlds through woodturning

The Hawke's Bay Woodturners Guild is unleashing the creative side of its members.

The Hawke's Bay Woodturners Guild was a revelation for Ian Graney, unleashing a creative side he never knew he had.

"For someone who's never been able to make anything, it's like a new world opened up,'" he said.

"I've never regarded myself as creative and suddenly I'm making stuff that I'm giving away to daughters-in-law, daughters and sisters-in-law and friends.

"A nice turned bowl goes down very well. It's not the value of it, it's that you made it."

The Hawke's Bay Woodturners Guild hall is at St Leonard's Park, Hastings.

Being a guild, it takes passing knowledge along seriously, with formal classes held regularly.

"There are plenty of people here who will give you tuition and it's surprising how easy you get underway with the process - very straightforward," Graney said.

There was no shortage of wood, with many precut lengths available to members, he said.

"The danger is that as a wood tuner you can't go past a piece of wood.

"So suddenly there's a mountain of wood at your place because you think, I'll make something out of that. And you do."

Guild committee member Bryan Baker said the organisation had many lathes for members to use.

"We've got over a dozen lathes to work with and all the equipment and gear is supplied to them.

"Once they've learned how to use a lathe they will generally purchase one.

"You can get the smaller ones to start with for between $600 and $1200 for a small lathe, to the computer-operated ones now for $3500 to $4000.

"There's quite a bit of gear that you pick up as you go along.

"As older members retire that gear usually becomes available and is sold back to guild members."

He said he loved the living quality of wood.

"Even though it may be cut down, the wood still moves and it's still a living thing.

"You can turn something that has been stable for years and all of a sudden the humidity changes in your room, or something like that, and you end up with a crack in it.

"A few days later the crack disappears - it's dried up again.

"It's the feeling of the wood."

Graney said the oldest guild member was 96 and the youngest 15, "with a good number of female members".

"It's not all blokes and it's not even a blokey place to be."