Colin Chalmers

Woodturner

A woodturning demonstration in Perth, Scotland was the start of a thirty year plus love affair with lathes and the wood I have turned on them. To take something many might think good only for the fireplace and create a useful home item, or a beautiful artistic piece worthy to go on that fireplace mantel, is a calling that has given me a lifetime of enduring satisfaction and happiness.

Like many new self-taught turners, I developed a working style of my own through trial and error. Although confident with what I was doing, I still wanted to learn what others might know that would help me to become more proficient and productive. Through the years I have been blessed to learn from many world class woodturners. Thanks to the formal training and mentorship of these teachers my knowledge of the craft and technique have significantly improved. Combining what I learned on my on, from others, and years of doing the work, I finally mastered a proper technique. This allows me to turn efficiently with little physical effort, very few tools and without torn grain. 

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Now I enjoy teaching these techniques to other woodturners showing them what I have learned and helping them become more confident in their abilities. This makes it a much more rewarding and enjoyable experience for them. Classes are taught in my own purpose-built woodturning school in Tennessee. The shop is equipped with 4 full-size 2HP and 3HP lathes equipped with Vicmarc chucks. Besides teaching, I've given demonstrations at the Southwest Association of Woodturners (SWAT) and local clubs. My specialty is natural edge bowls, and I'm also proficient in other aspects such as spindle turning, hollow forms, and wood texturing.

 

(Need to work with you on this part to get terms, places and timeline correct) Born in ?place Scotland, my misspent youth in ?place led me to serving in the Black Watch in Northern Ireland. (Insert photo Colin full dress with bag pipe) I performed in America with the pipe and drum corp. on two occasions and all over Europe while in the service. Afterwards drove busses and snowplows for a while, settled in ?place and set up studio in what used to be a blacksmith shop in the ?eighteen hundreds. Finally, I moved to America and wound up in Texas (the treeless part) repairing musical instruments. Now living in the hills of Tennessee, with lots of species of trees and friendly people I am reminded of the place this love affair started. Beside my passion for woodturning, I make kilts, drink an occasional Blue Moon, and in my free time enjoy doing some fishing.