Artisans of Dartmoor - Book - Page 31
“The tool creates
a rhythmical
whispering sound
as it shapes the bowl.
It’s very sensuous –
like a
heartbeat”
noses through the gap, drawn to the clickety-clack of
his contraption in action.
It’s in this cow field that Sharif leaves his timber
to season. He sources it from a local forester, picking
fallen or ailing trees, which are due to be felled, to
minimise his environmental impact. He favours
sweetly scented cherry and apple trees, along with
native beech and sycamore because of the rich patina
they develop over time.
After 18 months, once his timber has dried, Sharif
begins crafting a bowl by hewing a block of wood into
a crescent shape with an axe. He mounts it to his lathe,
pumps the foot treadle and, as the driveshaft spins,
rounds it using sharp-edged hooked tools, which
he forges himself with a portable forge and farrier’s
anvil. “The way you hold a turning tool has to be very
The Woodturner • Sharif Adams
LEFT: Pumping the foot treadle of
his lathe to make the driveshaft spin,
Sharif shapes a bowl, creating pretty
curled shavings in the process.
ABOVE: A set of completed bowls.
31
