Love HeartWood

Last Friday I travelled down to Sussex for the private view of Tooth & Chisel: An Exploration in Wood by woodturner Jubal Prevatte.

Although we’d never met in person before, Jubal is someone I’ve chatted with for years through Instagram. We’ve attempted to meet up twice before, but life got in the way, so it was wonderful to finally meet him face to face, along with his wife Wendy, who runs Chintz & Wood in Worthing. Having once lived not far from there myself, we discovered we share a bit of Sussex geography too.

Jubal is one of those people with boundless energy, a huge capacity for hard work and an endlessly creative mind. The exhibition reflects all of that. I loved the imagination, ambition and sheer scope of the work on display. I wouldn’t have expected anything less than Jubal commissioning a blacksmith to forge a carving tool shaped like a beaver’s tooth in order to explore how beavers shape wood.

The exhibition is being held at Knepp, where the colony of beavers lives that inspired the work. One of the best things about it? You’re allowed to touch the pieces, which adds a whole extra dimension to the experience.

If you’re in the area, I can highly recommend both Knepp and this exhibition. It’s well worth a visit.

Tooth & Chisel: An Exploration in Wood
Jubal Prevatte
20 June – 20 July
Daily, 10am–4pm
Knepp Wilding Shop

https://knepp.co.uk/art-exhibitions/tooth-and-chisel-an-xploration-in-wood-jubal-prevatte/

HELD OPEN

One of the questions behind this collection was whether a simple form could communicate something beyond function.

As this vessel dried, its shape softened slightly and its symmetry relaxed. Rather than correcting those changes, I chose to embrace them. The result feels less like an object imposed upon the wood and more like a collaboration with it.

Held Open was selected for exhibition at INSIGHT 2026 at and remains one of my favourite pieces from the collection.

The full story behind Held Forms is now on the blog. https://www.loveheartwood.co.uk/held-forms/

Have you ever wanted to find the exact centre of a bowl blank once it’s already on the lathe?

When turning a wooden bowl, finding the exact centre after mounting the blank can be surprisingly simple. By spinning the blank at a slow speed, the true centre reveals itself, making it easy to mark with a pencil before continuing.

Knowing the centre can be useful for several reasons. It helps when setting your tool rest to the correct height and marking out a tenon or recess accurately.

It’s one of those small workshop tricks that can save a lot of time later on and help achieve a more accurate result.

Do you have a favourite woodturning tip that made life easier once someone showed it to you?

This 13-inch ash platter was inspired by a beautiful design from Mark Baker that I spotted in an old edition of Woodturning Magazine.

The elegant curve and fine rim make it a joy to look at, but turning a platter this thin comes with its challenges. As the wood gets thinner it becomes more flexible, which can lead to chatter marks from the tool, particularly towards the rim.

To help combat that, I supported the platter from behind while working on the second side and spent extra time refining the surface. After sanding, I wet sanded using Natasha Craig’s wood oil. The oil creates a slurry with the sanding dust that helps fill the grain, reduces airborne dust, prevents the abrasive from clogging and makes it much easier to spot any remaining scratches before applying the final finish.

Sometimes the difference between a good piece and a great piece isn’t another tool cut—it’s taking the time to perfect the finish.

This is the short video version! If you’d like to see the full process, including the turning, wet sanding and finishing, the complete video is available on my YouTube channel:

https://youtube.com/shorts/eOH2A5k2Dro?is=VWT_ItoNgXcBaYjB

Please let me know what you think of Mark Baker’s beautiful design.

Father’s Day is just 4 days away…

If you’re struggling to think of a gift for the dad who already has everything, why not give him an experience instead?

A woodturning course is the chance to step away from screens, learn a new skill and create something with his own hands. Whether he’s completely new to woodworking or has always fancied having a go, my beginner-friendly courses are designed to be welcoming, practical and fun.

Choose from a 2-hour Taster Session or a full Beginner Woodturning Day, with all tools, materials and refreshments provided.

Gift vouchers are available as:
🎁 Beautiful printed vouchers by post
📧 Instant e-vouchers for last-minute gifts

Who knows? You might just be introducing him to a hobby he’ll enjoy for years to come.

Visit https://www.loveheartwood.co.uk/product-category/gift-vouchers/ or send me a message to arrange a voucher.

UNFOLDING

This vessel became one of the defining pieces in the Held Forms collection. Indeed it was one of three pieces selected for the INSIGHT exhibition at The Base, Greenham as part of West Berkshire & North Hampshire Open Studios.

Made from Bay with a Rosewood base, it was hollowed using a ring tool as I explored a new approach to end-grain hollowing. Many thanks to for his very helpful videos on the use of the ring tool and how to sharpen it.

Like many of the pieces in the collection, it began as a carefully controlled form before the drying process introduced its own subtle changes.

The title Unfolding reflects both the physical movement of the wood and the creative journey behind the collection itself. What began as an exploration of distortion became an exploration of letting the material take the lead.

I’ve written about the inspiration, techniques and lessons behind the collection on my blog.

https://www.loveheartwood.co.uk/held-forms/

A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by my stall at GAP Festival Market Day. It was a wonderful day filled with great conversations, familiar faces, new connections and a shared appreciation of craft and making.

One of the highlights was introducing visitors to pieces from my new Held Forms collection. I’m delighted to say that Becoming has now found a new home, making it the first piece from the collection to sell.

The real highlight of the day, though, was the people. It was especially lovely to catch up with Ginny Avery and her husband Keith, who brought their family along for a workshop day last year. Keith very kindly brought along the mushroom and bowl that Ginny made on the Beginner Bowl Turning Course so they could sit on the stall and help tell the story of what people can achieve when they have a go at woodturning.

Ginny was a wonderful ambassador for the course and we had such a fun day reminiscing and chatting.

Events like this remind me how much I enjoy sharing craft, meeting people and seeing the enthusiasm that handmade objects can inspire.

Thank you to the GAP Festival organisers, volunteers, fellow exhibitors and everyone who came along to support independent makers. It was a pleasure to be part of such a lovely community event.

If you’d like to learn more about the Held Forms collection, including the inspiration behind it and what I learnt while creating it, click this link: https://www.loveheartwood.co.uk/held-forms/

What a wonderful day yesterday in my workshop.

It was the first ever women’s beginner day. We talked so much I’m afraid the day did become quite long but everyone eventually went home with a mushroom and a bowl.
Well done to Heather, Kelly, Sharon and Katy. 👏👏👏

This was a very popular training day and there was actually a wait list, so I hope there’s many more women’s turning events to come.