Since childhood, I’ve been intrigued by machines and how things work. When I was 7 years old, I removed the music boxes from my stuffed animals to see how they worked and reassembled them.

A few years later, I saw a calliope at the county fair and became obsessed with the idea of making one. Although I didn’t get past the point of making a few rough drawings, my parents (a school teacher and a tradesman always tinkering with some Rube Goldberg device) never discouraged my curiosity.

Computers and digital logic captured my imagination as a teenager. The idea of a computer as a universal machine that I could program to solve problems intrigued me. I spent the next 25 years writing computer software for various applications.

In 2002, a good friend gave me an old Delta Milwaukee lathe. It languished in my shop until the winter of 2004 when I finally started to teach myself how to turn wood. I turned 26 tops for Christmas presents that year. The following spring, a neighbor cut down a large maple tree that was riddled with ants and gave me the wood for turning. It was my first experience turning green wood into bowl blanks, and I soon filled my shop with shavings!

I was hooked. There are so many aspects of turning that I enjoy. I love the pure sensual experience of ribbons of green shavings piling on my arms and around my feet while I shape a bowl, and the sweet or pungent smell of green wood, depending on the species. It is very meditative to watch a smooth flowing curve emerge from under the sharp edge of the gouge as I translate an idea in my head into a physical object.

Wood turning allows me to express my creativity without words in a way that is immediately accessible to others. I enjoy watching another person pick up a piece that I’ve created and simply appreciate it.

Found wood is central to my aesthetic. My raw materials for turning are always found and free for the taking. I use junk wood that is headed to a landfill or too much trouble to cut and split into firewood. A good storm, arborists trimming trees, or neighbors tidying up woodlots all provide sources of wood to turn.

Since changing careers from computer work to turning and working wood, I have rediscovered the joy of being a student. Every day is a learning experience. I hope you enjoy my creations.

David Belser