It is a little known fact that one cannot simply go to the local lumberyard to purchase wood of turning quality. The desired wood must come from the log, be mostly blemish free, have impeccable color quality, and be large enough to compensate for the size of the finished product. It could be anywhere from four to twelve inches thick and even larger around. Therefore, the wood must come from a large log and be processed by hand.
Estes Park, Colorado produces mostly evergreens and aspens that are slender at best, which makes finding adequate wood species a challenge. Consequently, John makes many trips to the Midwest for hardwoods and to the West Coast for burl woods, such as big leaf maple. He also relies on the valley tree surgeons, whose quest to remove damaged, dead or unwanted trees often results in his procurement of unique and exceptional woods. With the raw materials in hand, John heads home to Estes Park to begin the process of turning a full-size log into an artful piece of fine craftsmanship.