CREATIONS CAUSE for a

It may be hard to believe that I am “in my zone” when I am inside a vortex of 104 decibels, with wood chips flying fast at my thick protective eyeglasses and sharp metal whirring dangerously close to my fingertips – but I am. As Michelangelo once noted about stone, “Every block has a statue inside of it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” It is my task, then, to discover what a piece of wood will reveal.

My journey for each woodturning project begins with a tree trunk chunk foraged from a field, an odd-sized leftover scrap from a home project, or timber gifted from someone eager to see what I can make of it. As the wood spins dizzyingly on the lathe, I gently but firmly press my tool into the fleshy pulp and, after a few hundred rotations, a shape begins to emerge. A dusty block of purple heart gives way to a softly curved bowl that will age into a deep violet hue. Or, I turn a zebrawood pen with swirls and contours that rival its striped woodgrain. Other times, I create simple-but-elegant flat discs to affix to bookmarks, magnifying glasses and mirrored compacts. On the latter, I use my laser engraver to mark the compacts with the words, “Here’s looking at you, kid…”

At the end of every month, I gather my wood creations to deliver to WRARE, a Fort Worth retail store that sells my wares. It is a pilgrimage I have made since I was age 12, when I started my woodturning business, Avery Meyer Handcrafted. I created the venture as a way to raise money for the organization Food Allergy Research & Education (F.A.R.E.), as I am impacted by a severe nut allergy. To date, I have raised nearly $5,000 for the organization through my woodworking sales. I also turn wooden bowls to donate to Tarrant Area Food Bank’s Empty Bowls event, and turn wig stands for cancer patients.

Woodworking is a skill I learned in my father’s hobby workshop as a boy. I spent many years too young to touch any tools myself, so I simply observed him as he honed his craft. When I finally reached the age when I could safely turn wood under his supervision, creations easily came. My first work, as a sixth grader, was an intarsia (a form of wood inlaying to create a mosaic-like picture) of a sun which won first place in my School’s art competition. Encouraged, I began to turn holiday presents for my teachers. Their positive response convinced me that I could sell my products, and I have, both at WRARE and at craft fairs for five years.

As I have developed my woodworking skill, it has become a significant and fulfilling part of my identity. I am now one of the youngest members of the Wood Turners of North Texas group. Four years ago, I was selected as Camp Bowie Fall Festival’s “Young Maker” and awarded a booth to sell my products. I have been commissioned to make special objects for award ceremonies and noteworthy occasions. A special highlight was when I created an intarsia piece reflecting a Station of the Cross and it was displayed prominently at All Saints' during Lent.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to develop my woodworking skill in the past five years. To be able to use my woodworking to raise money for causes I care about and to create products that spark happiness in others has opened a new world to me, and has become an integral part of who I am, and who I will become. Although I will move away from home and my workshop to attend Texas A&M University next year, I will be taking with me my love for creating with my hands and machines as I major in mechanical engineering.