David Goosman

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As an experimental physicist I have always liked to create things. My wood turning started when my wife wanted me to buy her a small woodturning. I thought I could make something similar. I read a book and started to turn a few pieces.

When a storm blew down our Sweet Thorn Acacia tree I tried to preserve some of it as much as I could by woodturning. Whenever l look at a tree I think of the objects that can be made from it. Only later did I realize that God’s hand was in this. It is both a challenge and a joy to discover what beauty lies within each piece. 

I entered my first hollowed out turned piece in Fine Art at the Alameda County Fair in 1996. I had to convince the coordinator that it was for Fine Art and not for the Hobby department; I won a Silver Award. It inspired me and I kept entering art shows whenever we could find shows we could both enter. Since then I have been fortunate to get several more awards.

Woodturning is a time consuming process involving initial turning, up to nine months of drying out in a special environment, while partially turning it in between. Final turning takes several more hours and five to ten hours of finishing with 10 grades of abrasives and a coat of carnuba wax. 

Turning wood is a good way to forget the stresses of life. Total concentration is absolutely necessary to avoid destroying my creation or myself. What a pity that much good wood gets burned as firewood polluting our air.

BETTER TO TURN IT THAN TO BURN IT 

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