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Dave Landers

I’ve been a hobbyist woodturner for over three decades. My passion lies in crafting both functional and aesthetically pleasing pieces. Each visit to my workshop is dedicated to both creating and advancing my skills.

Wood is more than just a material to me; it’s a canvas of nature’s artistry. I strive to enhance the inherent beauty of wood by working in harmony with Mother Nature. Sometimes, my creations even involve collaboration with natural elements like insects or fungi, resulting in layered and captivating works of art.

A significant portion of my work starts with rescued wood, salvaged from trees removed from yards to prevent them from ending up in landfills.

I have the privilege of being able to turn wood in my shop and studio in the beautiful town of Estes Park, Colorado.

My signature piece is something I call simply “Sliced Hollow Forms”. These are hollow vessels that I’ve sliced apart and reassembled with Pewa (butterfly patches).

Pewa (pronounced peh-vah, meaning fish tail) is the Hawaiian term for butterfly patches. I use this term because I learned the process of patching cracks from a couple of wood turners from Hawaii.


I do demonstrations and classes for woodturning clubs and symposiums, and also offer Interactive Remote Demonstration (IRD) via Zoom.

Amid the challenges of lockdowns in 2020, drawing upon my background as a software engineer, I seized the opportunity to adapt. Utilizing makeshift equipment, I conducted my first Interactive Remote Demo, and have subsequently delivered numerous sessions to clubs around the world..

Teaching and demonstrating are not just acts of sharing knowledge—they’re avenues for personal growth. Teaching is a reciprocal process, where I learn as much as I impart. Through contributions to the woodturning community, I find fulfillment in giving back to a community that has enriched my own journey.

Making Shavings

For 21 years, I turned on a lathe I built myself. A wooden wood lathe. That’s me, in 1989, building it.

Gallery

These are examples of some of my work. It is not a “product catalog”, and sometimes not very up to date. Many of these pieces are sold or unavailable. If there’s something that interests you, contact me at dave@dlwoodturning.com and we can see if the piece is available or if I have something similar that you’d like.

Cherry Burl Goblet

Goblet of cherry burl with some bug or worm tracks. Stem is African blackwood. About 7-1/4″ tall, and the bowl is 3″ diameter.

Maple Burl Box

Having fun making these boxes. This one is maple burl, about 4.5″ tall, 2.75″ diameter, and the interior is about 2″ diameter. Lid is sliced off in an arc, and held on with 4 little magnets. The magnet get the grain and figure aligned just right between the body and the lid.

Dragon Box

Box of Spalted Tamarind. The exterior is colored with red dye, while the interior is left natural. About 4.5″ tall, 3″ diameter (interior is 2″ diameter). The red color and the figure of the spalting makes me think “dragon”. The lid is sliced off in an arc, and held on with 4 small magnets. The … Continue reading Dragon Box

Spalted Tamarind Box

Box of Spalted Tamarind. About 5″ tall, 3″ diameter (interior is 2″ diameter). Lid sliced off in an arc, and held on with 4 small magnets. The magnets ensure the lid attaches with the grain and figure perfectly aligned. Lacquer finish.

Hollow Form

Maple burl hollow form with big voids. African blackwood finial. About 6″ tall, 3-1/4″ diameter.

Small Box

About 3” tall. Magnetic lid.Maple burl with some worm holes filled with colored epoxy.

Wood Turning by Dave Landers