Ryedale Woodturners directory of visiting demonstrators

John Boyne-Aitken The Bowler Hatted Turner
Last visit January 2021 (online)
John has been chairman of the RPT since 2016, and chairman of the Kennet and Avon Woodturning Club. He works from his home in Trowbridge, Wiltshire. He turns a wide range of things from bowls and goblets to newel posts and spindles for joinery manufacturers, replacements for the antique trade and wedding gifts for newly-weds.

Darren Breeze Art and Craft in Wood
Visits: Aug 2022 April 2019
Darren started turning in 2007, and has since won many awards, including the Wizardry in Wood prize in 2017. He enjoys large scale pieces, particularly wall hangings. He has a shop and gallery in Lowestoft, and is a member of Waveney woodturners.

Ian Clarkson
Last visit: July 2015
Ian works from a home studio in picturesque Hebden Bridge in the southern Pennines. He produces hollow forms, bowls, platters and sculptural forms, working almost entirely in British timbers. Finishes range from light oiling of the natural wood to metal leaf, coloured stains and blowtorching.

Emma Cook (The Tiny Turner) www.thetinyturner.co.uk
Previous visits: Nov 2017, Nov 2019, June 2020 (IRD), April 2023, June 2024
Emma is in her 30s, and has been turning for over half her life. Her business name - The Tiny Turner - reflects her small height at 4 foot 10 inches. She is both a carver and a turner - she says "I love to work with a material which has a story and a soul of its own".

4 April 2024 Ian Ethell ICE Woodturning
Ian studied Creative Design at Loughborough University where he began to develop an understanding of form. For over 30 years he worked in various manufacturing companies as a product designer/ design manager designing everything from guitar amplifiers through bespoke furniture to fire engine ladders. He became hooked on woodturning twenty years ago, and his work has developed to include other materials beside wood, including resins, metals, paints, pyrography and carving. His workshop is in the national forest, in the East Midlands.

Steve Fearnley www.oldfern.co.uk
Demos: Oct 2023, Oct 2022, Jan 2022 (IRD), Oct 2021, June 2021 (IRD), Feb 2021 (IRD), April 2016
Steve has been turning since 2009. He is a hobby turner who enjoys all kinds of work, but has specialised in trophy and commemorative item commisions, and in pyrography. His preference is for natural wood finish without texture or colouring. More ...

Richard Findley www.turnersworkshop.co.uk/
Last visit: May 2016, July 2018
Richard works at the Turner's Workshop in Wigston, Leicestershire, specialising in hand turning of everything from one off prototypes to small production runs for the trade or general public. His excellent instagram account which is well worth a visit.

Keith Gardam

Last demonstration: October 2024
Keith is a former joiner, a top class walking stick maker and competition judge, and a woodturner with a keen eye for attention to detail.

Margaret Garrard www.margaretgarrard.co.uk
Visits: Oct 2014, March 2016 July 2019 Nov 2022
Margaret lives in Swaledale in the Yorkshire Dales, and is a member of the Jorvik Woodturning Club. She started turning in 1995, and is RPT and AWGB. She has developed piercing and complex designs, her inspiration drawn from natural forms.

Philip Greenwood woodturningintoart.co.uk
Previous visits: Nov 2023 Sept 2021, Mar 2021 (IRD), July 2020 (IRD), May 2020, Mar 2019, Sept 2016, Jan 2013
A former member and chairman of Ryedale Woodturners, Philip lives and works in Hutton le Hole, and has been turning since 1986. He is RPT, and has written 60+ articles for Woodturning magazine.

Andrew Hall www.hallwoodhats.com
Visits: April 2017 Nov 2010
Another Teesside woodturner. "An international demonstrator, woodworker, woodturner and wood hat milliner". Turned wooden hats are his speciality, and "bowlkuleles" - ukelele type instruments with a bowl shaped body.

Mick Hanbury www.mickhanbury.com
Visits: July 2022 June 2015, September 2017
Mick is a skilful, artistic woodturner who has been turning for over 20 years. RPT, AWGB. He has developed a unique style of decorative finishes, beautiful finial boxes, elegant spiral stem goblets, and delicately patterned platters.

Mark Hancock Mark Hancock.co.uk
Last visit: November 2018
Based in Pershore, Worcestershire, Mark has been turning since 1989. He says "My work is ... more an exploration of line and form than an effort at an artistic statement and it continues to amaze me how each minute refinement of a curve can alter the character of a piece."

Paul Hannaby Creative Woodturning
Last demo: Sept 2023 (IRD), April 2021 (IRD)
Paul was chairman of the Association of Woodturners of Great Britain (AWGB) until 2022, and has been demonstrating for over 15 years. He specialises in artistic and creative items. He is based in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.

Sue Harker Harker Woodcrafts
Visits: Nov2015 June 2017 Oct 2018 Sept 2019 Oct 2020 (IRD), April 2022 (IRD), February 2023 (IRD)
Sue and Graham Harker are previous club secretary and chairman. Sue is on the RPT since 2007. Involuted turning and segmented articles are signature pieces for her. Sue ceased "live" demonstrations in 2021.

Keith Harte
Demo: July 2022
Keith has been a Ryedale Woodturners club member for many years, and served as club chairman for 2017 - 2019. He has always contributed to all aspects of the club and often won club competitions with items such as his chess set in 2018

Steve Heeley www.steveheeley.co.uk
Last visit: May 2017
A member of Cannock Chase Woodturners and City of Wolverhampton Woodturners, Steve has spent most of his life working with wood - originally as a carpenter and joiner. Steve is a member of the RPT.

Simon Hope http://hopewoodturning.co.uk/
Last visit: June 2016
Simon describes himself on his website as a dedicated family man, toolmaker and woodturner. His tools for hollowing, sanding and general turning clearly show that he has thought about their design from a turner's point of view. He is based in Great Bromley, Essex.

Peter Howells
Last demo: June 2022 (video available)
Peter has been a Ryedale Woodturners club member from a number of years, along with being a regular at Snainton Woodworking Supplies Wednesday night sessions (before Covid closed them down).

Paul Jones www.pauljoneswoodturning.co.uk
Last visit: March 2015
Paul Jones describes himself as a Woodturning Artist. He was accepted on to the RPT in 2012, and is based in Bollington, near Macclesfield, Cheshire. He produces hollow forms, sculptural pieces and large diameter bowls and platters mainly, but not exclusively, in sycamore.

David Lowe www.davidlowewoodturner.co.uk
Visits: November 2017, January 2019
Dave is on the RPT. He has a passion for working with wood and showing off natural beauty, using traditional techniques and modern ideas such as airbrushing, texturing, piercing and pyrography. He finished demonstrating in September 2021

Gerry Marlow
Visits: April 2015 May 2019
Gerry is based in Chesterfield. He took up wood turning after taking early retirement . RPT, AWGB. He enjoys turning anything from 3mm spindle work to large diameter bowls and platters, particularly with natural edges or decorative rims.

Randall Marr The Turners in the Church
Visits: November 2016 May 2018
Randall is RPT, from the same Teeside Woodturners club as David Muckle. He has a good gallery of his work on his website, the Turners in the Church.

Andrew Morby-Smith
Last visit: March 2017
Andrew is a South African who has taken to life on these shores and settled in Pickering. He was a club member, specialising in finely polished hollow forms and large bowls which use the features of the wood he starts with, often rough cut logs.

John Oldham Teesside Woodturners Association
Last visit: October 2017
John is the "quartermaster" at Teesside Woodturners. He recently demonstrated the intricacies involved in making a Harry Potter wand at his club, including an LED at its tip. David Muckle recommended the demonstration as one to watch.

Peter Osborn http://peteosborn.wix.com/peteosborn
Last visit: May 2015
Peter is a chairman of the Cumbria Woodturners Association. A former Woodwork and metalwork schoolteacher, he took early retirement in 2004 and concentrated on woodturning. He was accepted on RPT in 2009, and is a member of AWGB. He set up his own website in 2015 - have a look for more information.

7 March 2024 Chris Parker
A full time woodturner, artist, demonstrater & teacher based in Preston. He enjoys texturing turned pieces with various techniques from a simple wire brush to more advanced techniques, and likes his pieces to be organic & individual. He finds inspiration from various places but most notably from the ancient ceramicists.

Joey Richardson http://www.joeyrichardson.com
Visits: May 2010 July 2016 October 2019 Sept 2022
An internationally recognised turner and sculptor, using carving, colouring and piercing to transform turning into sculptures, often floral in theme, and always with a story to tell.

Les Thorne www.noturningback.co.uk
Last visit: October 2015
Turn your wood into something good. Les became a full time woodturner in 1998, having previously been involved in the timber industry as director of a family timber mill, and a saw doctor. RPT 2001

Dick Veitch South Auckland Woodturners
Last visit: July 2017
From Auckland in New Zealand, Dick is retired but still very active in woodturning. Dick has actually visited Snainton before: A write up in the old club newsletters of his visit in August 2011 is on the site.

Dennis Wake Woodturning Hartlepool
Previous visits: May 2023 March 2022, May 2023
Dennis has been turning since 2002, and has demonstrated all over the country. He is a member of Teesside Woodturners Association. He turns a variety of pieces, and has "a passion to pass on skills to all age groups alike"

Colwin Way https://www.colwinwaywoodturner.com
Last demo: 2 February 2023
Colwin lives and works in the West Country, down in Lyme Regis. He started woodturning at school, and took a woodworking apprenticeship on leaving school at 17. He has worked for Axminster Tools as a demonstrator and tutor since 1998.

Martyn Weller
Last demo: June 2023 May 2022
Martyn has been a member of Ryedale Woodturners for a few years now, a key factor in us having quality video display at meetings. He enjoys the intricacies of segmented turning, but also has a go at all types of turning.

John Whiteley
Demos: January 2018 September 2018 March 2023
John is a member of Ryedale Woodturners. He mounts regular exhibitions (and sales) in Sandsend, near Whitby, jointly with his wife who makes jewellery. He has masterminded club exhibitions and sales at Thornton le Dale in recent years.

Tony Wilson
Last visit: November 2011
Tony is a regular favourite at woodturning shows, turning a wide variety of items, often quite large. He is a "seated" turner, having suffered a life-changing accident when he was a coal miner.

Jim Wood
Last visit: February 2011
Jim comes from Alne, where he runs a business in vintage tools, spares and bygones. He makes and uses pole lathes. He often demonstrates to schoolchildren to try and encourage an interest in wood.

Danny Woof
Visits: September 2015 June 2018
Danny is a member of the Cumbria Woodturners Association, and lives in Staveley near Kendal. He is self-taught - having read the Woodturner magazines his newsagent shop stocked. He is RPT.

Calendar of events

Woodturning Demonstrators

Brief profiles are given below of demonstrators who have been to the club in the past. The website started in September 2015, so some demonstrators previous to this are missing.