Making (& marking) time.

An element of my wood turning which I've enjoyed pursuing recently has involved time. Both mine and the creation of bespoke timepieces. My time is both precious and my own, so these days I'm happy to only utilise it in pursuit of things I enjoy and love. Which makes for a contented lifestyle and pleasingly low blood pressure. (Having dealt with muppets in my commercial life, nice to only have to answer to myself now, and of course she who must be obeyed!!!)

Of course time & tide wait for no man, and so getting on with creating bespoke wood pieces for self or (as the cottage gradually fills with these combustible materials) others ensures I make good use of my own.

This oak clock was turned from an offcut given to me by my local sawmill when I popped in to buy some chunks for turning. It had been tossed in the firewood box, but retrieved by the gaffer when he spotted its potential for a small-scale woodturner......then I came along.

A bowl with a difference - a clock 'hidden' in the base of a sapele bowl makes an interesting conversation piece.....as long as the contents are carefully decanted before turning it over.

This pair of clocks, again in oak, made a couple of nice christmas gifts for our neighbours either side. I particularly liked the crack through the middle of 2020 in the Yew Tree Cottage version, it seeming somehow appropriate given the annus horriblis we suffered.

Not all the clocks I make are turned. Jeni is a gifted artist and pyrographer, and undertakes all the wood-burning on my pieces. She's also the main architect of this clock, based on a painting by Chas Jacobs (www.chasjacobs.com) - an artist based in Lancashire - of Lancaster castle gateway.

Walnut is a smooth wood to turn - the peelings coming off in smooth ribbons so much so that it's often difficult to want to stop turning. Hopefully on this piece I got it right....

...and on this one, crafted from the same original block.

Of course there are some for whom retirement means not caring too greatly about THE time....

Making clocks has been a very rewarding pastime for me in the recent lockdowns. As spring has accelerated then there's more to do out there now, and less time for the workshop. But I'll soon be back, burning up time.....