Woodturning Artisan – Shane Price

Shane Price stumbled onto woodturning by accident. He was watching fly-tying videos on YouTube and clicked on a bowl-turning video by mistake. He continued to watch it and immediately knew it was something he wanted to try. Shane’s neighbour let him use his workshop and lathe to see if he liked it. Soon he was turning on a regular basis and his wife bought him a lathe for his birthday. For now he sees woodturning as a hobby and something he does for fun, but some of his work can be purchased at Crackle & Teal in Miramichi.

Describe the type of artwork you do.
My favourite type of wood to work with is cedar. Although it can be difficult to work with on the lathe because it is a softer wood, with sharp tools it works quite well. It also sands down well and has a great aroma. I also like to work with American Black Cherry for its aroma, and American Black Walnut because of how beautiful it is once finished.

Describe your process of creating a piece, from inspiration to finish.
If I am working on a piece for a client, I usually find a general shape and size they would like, then go look for the piece of wood to suit it. Once I have found the wood, I mount it to the lathe and begin roughing it down to the shape of the bowl. Once I have the rough shape, I take freshly sharpened tools and make the final cuts to achieve a smooth finish. Then I begin the sanding process, which can take anywhere from one to three hours depending on the size of the piece of work, the wood used and how fine the finish needs to be.

If the wood is already dry, I can do a bowl from start to finish without stopping in a day or less, depending on the size. If the wood is not dried I usually rough turn the bowl and then set it aside to dry for anywhere between one month to a year depending on the size of the bowl and how thick the walls are. If I am making a segmented bowl, it can usually be completed within a week or sooner depending on the size.

I have yet to take any classes or courses in woodturning and woodworking. I learned by watching various woodturners on YouTube and contacting local woodturners in NB to talk to them about the craft.

Do you have any advice for other artisans?
My advice would be to not be afraid to let people see your work. You are always your own worst critic. Where you may see a flaw in your work, others may see beauty.

What is the best advise you’ve been given?
I guess the best advice comes from my grandfather. It is not so much words as it is the way he takes great pride and time to create his woodworking projects. He pays great attention to detail and I am very grateful that is something he has passed on to me.

My greatest mentor is my grandfather. He has always had a love for woodworking for as long as I can remember and he is always helping me to become a better woodworker.

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