WOODTURNING WITH JACK BASTIN

WOODTURNING WITH JACK BASTIN

Jack Bastin hasn’t always been a woodworker.

“I think I was 72 when I started,” he recalled. “I went to a demonstration with a friend of mine, came home, bought a small lathe and started from there.” Now, at age 95, he continues to turn out works of art from his woodland workshop, crafting everything from ballpoint pens to serving bowls. One of Jack’s bowls is the culmination of hours of work over the course of days, or even weeks, depending on the wood type and other environmental factors.

Starting as a log, the piece gets chopped into a blank of the approximate dimensions for the final product. All of Jack’s lumber is sourced from trees that have already fallen, either on his own property or brought by neighbors and other members of the community.

The blank is attached to a faceplate to keep it steady on the lathe, where Jack uses a variety of gouges, scrapers and chisels to round out the bottom and hollow out the middle.

After measuring the level of moisture in the wood, he leaves the piece to dry. As the wood dries, it can warp and become out-of-round, so the bowl is put back on the lathe to be smoothed and hollowed out again. Jack is careful to keep an eye on the piece’s depth – a bowl can quickly turn into a funnel if taken too far.

He sands everything down for a final time and it’s time to add a finish. Jack uses walnut oil for a rustic finish that lets the features of the wood shine, without any extra glosses or stains.

Whether it’s a bowl, rolling pin or Christmas ornament, every piece is one of a kind. See one of Jack's beautifully crafted bowls 'al fresco' on the opposite page! A selection of Jack Bastin’s woodworks are available for purchase at Seasons: The Museum Store.