Doug Peake of Waldheim has had a love for wood his entire life, stemming back to his childhood as he reminisces about working at his dad's sawmill in Leask. Peake relocated to the West Coast and began a 30-year career as a logger. After retirement, due to the downfall of the logging and forest mining, he decided to continue to explore his passion for wood by creating decorative and versatile wood products through the art of woodturning. Thus the growth of Evergreen Woodturning began.
Woodturning is a form of woodworking whereby a lathe is used to create wooden objects. Peake has two different sized lathes, a 1224 oneway and a 2036 oneway that permits him to make pieces of varying sizes and shapes. The block of wood is fixed in place on the stationary lathe and turned while Peake uses a selection of tools to shape and texture the preferred piece.
Peake uses four types of wood to complete his projects. Pacific yew is the hardest of the soft woods found on the West Coast. He uses this exotic wood to create bowls and small items such as bells, ornaments and the handles on a rolling pin. When cut from the main trunk of the tree at a certain angle, these pieces can make exquisite natural edged bowls.
He rough cuts a bowl from a block or burl, which is a bark covered growth on a tree branch or trunk caused by injury, virus or fungus. The rough-cut item is allowed to dry for one year before final work can be completed. After a year Peake will examine the piece for any cracks, warps or imperfections that would hinder it from being finished and put up for sale. A low gloss oil is applied to enhance the natural grain of the wood, creating a focal point for any style decor.
Hard maple is the wood of choice for Peake's rolling pin creations. He purchases baseball bat blanks from a popular store in Saskatoon, cuts them to size and works with them to create a working kitchen utensil. The handles are created from the Pacific yew and the edges and inlays are made from a special imported dense hardwood. There is no staining of the wood; all wood is left in its natural state.
The bat blank is hollowed out to form a shaft and a half-inch wooden dowel is placed in the shaft to which the maple handles are fastened. Peake has a unique way of constructing the rolling pin so that it operates in a smooth, rhythmic motion. The rolling pin stock averages 12 inches in length - 19 inches including the handles. The solid plugs are put in place for design, "to add something extra" according to Peake. He will also create lefse rolling pins and salt and pepper shakers from maple.
"These are heirloom rolling pins, created and designed to be passed down from generation to generation," commented Peake.
Bird's eye yellow cedar is also native to the West Coast and is used for more decorative style wood pieces.
"The wood has a strong smell making it a preferred wood for decorative pieces," commented Peake, explaining the wood has such a beautiful colour that he just had to use it. The yellow colour, as the name implies, makes any completed piece a unique specimen.
Peake 's fourth preferred wood is also found on the West Coast and called the Sitka spruce. These giant evergreens can grow up to 80 metres tall and have a six to seven metre diameter. The size complements Peake's work by allowing him to create larger items from a single piece of wood.
Sometimes Peake will use local birch wood to make small items such as tops and mini decorative birdhouse replicas.
You can witness Peake at work during the Parkland Art Tour June 2 and 3 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. He is set up at Honeywood Heritage Nursery near Parkside and will be offering woodturning demonstrations throughout the weekend as well as having items for sale. More information can be viewed by visiting www.shellbrooktour.com
