Adam Rubinstein

I have been turning wood, on and off, since 1970 and have to thank Richard Ince, my craft teacher, for the opportunity and inspiration that has stayed with me ever since.
Wood is a wonderful, ever changing material to work with. As well as the different species of tree that give different grain patterns, colours and finishes, all the different parts of the tree can produce very different qualities in the finished piece. Straight grain, inclusions, feathering, branch wood, burl, etc, so no two items can ever be the same. Wood starts evolving as soon as it is cut down and the process of 'spalting' (fungal infection) gives another infinite range of variety to a finished piece sometimes adding startling colour or strong, irregular patterns and lines.

Living at the edge of the beautiful English Lake District, I am now turning wood from Ash and Alder trees that I planted in 1998 when I moved to Whinfell, just outside Kendal.

Apart from these, I mainly use wood from trees that have come down in storms or need to be felled for safety reasons. No trees are cut specifically for my turning and I avoid imported exotic timber.  ​Very occasionally I have found pieces of tropical hardwood that are offcuts or waste from joiners or wood yards and, rather than waste something beautiful I will find a use for it, perhaps a finial or handle.
I have been asked to make several commissions, usually from a tree that has some special meaning or association for someone but, if you have anything in particular that you would like made, let's discuss it.