The Wingham Woodwhirler is Colin Van Niejenhuis, a woodturner based out of Wingham, Ontario, with a passion for showcasing the natural beauty of salvage wood grain.
Every piece starts on the lathe as a rough block of salvaged wood: maple, walnut, ash and whatever else turns up with a grain worth showing. Instead of hiding knots, streaks and colour changes, Colin turns each piece to bring them forward, so no two pieces are the same.
Wood for trees is rough-turned into cylinders and left to dry for six months before it goes back on the lathe. For bowls, coring carves a second or even third bowl out of the same blank, which makes the most of every piece of wood and gives nested sets from 6" to 20". Burls are a favourite: the grain runs in every direction, so no two turn out alike. Most of the turning happens on a ONEWAY 2436 production lathe.
The bench produces food-safe bowls that work as well on the dinner table as they do as a centrepiece, turned decorative trees for Christmas and year-round décor, tree ornaments, and salt and pepper grinders.
