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woodezine - Volume
II - Issue VI- June 2004
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Turner of the Month
John McCarthy
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Irish turner John McCarthy has been turning professionally for eight years. What caught our eye about John is the size of the pieces he produces - platters and bowls in the neighborhood of two feet in diameter. We also were delighted to see him using several species which are not commonly available here in the States - among them, beech, yew, Irish oak, sweet chestnut and sycamore. John says... "All of the timber I use is sourced locally and mainly comes from trees that die of old age, or that are felled by storms. I mill the timber with chain saws and rough-turn each piece before drying. I use a VB36 lathe which I've owned for five years, and I find it stands up very well to all the abuse I give it." The main tools John uses are 1/2" bowl gouges, and he has a Stuart slicer to save small bowls from larger ones. The photo above shows John in his shop with a large spalted beech bowl blank mounted on the lathe, and rough turning is almost completed. |
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John's home and workshop are located in the townland of Dunbogue, about a mile from Nohoval. Nohoval (pronounced No-val) is a small village on the south coast of Ireland, situated 15 miles southwest of Cork City and 7miles east of Kinsale. The area is steeped in history and names such as Man of War Cove, Newfoundland Bay, and the Sovereigns - all evoking images of the rich maritime history of the region. |
| This spalted beech bowl is a full 16" in diameter and 7" tall. The wood came from Hoddersfield in Fountainstown, Co. Cork. (Spalting, which produces the black lines and yellow colors, is caused by fungi that attack the tree, usually after it has died.) |
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Here is a yew hollow form which stands 10-1/2" tall and is 10" in diameter. "The Yew tree that I turned this piece from was cut down 40 years ago in the grounds of Blarney Castle, Co. Cork. It was recently uncovered by the forestry manager when staff were clearing an overgrown area. The tree is over 3-1/2 feet in diameter at the base and is probably 400 to 500 years old. Imagine the sights it has witnessed!" Blarney Castle is the site of the famous Blarney Stone which, when kissed, is reputed to bestow upon the kisser that inimitable Irish characteristic, the ability to tell stories - the "gift of the gab". |
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This natural edged beech burl bowl is 14-1/2" in diameter! From top to bottom, it stands 8" tall and the tree grew in Ballinadee, near Bandon in west Cork. "I rarely come accross beech trees with such spectacular burrs," says John. Very few of us do, John. |
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This Irish oak platter measures 15" in diameter, an astounding feat when one considers the huge variations in humidity in Ireland - a country which sees some precipitation almost 300 days every year. The platter has some very attractive figuring and the tree came from Kinsale, Co. Cork. |
| John McCarthy is self-taught and his main influences have been other Irish turners such as Ciaran Forbes, Liam O Neill and David Cumerford. To see more of his work, you can visit John online (http://www.woodturning-ireland.com). All of the images above are the copyright of the artist, so please contact him if you'd like permission to reproduce them. |
