Chris Stiles

I enjoy spending time at the lathe, exploring the different possibilities of what can be made and discovering the beauty that lies within a piece of wood. I am mostly drawn toward making functional items that also look good and are a pleasure to use. Some of those items include bowls, wedding goblets, travel mugs, pens, pepper mills, shaving gear, jewellery, toys, various kitchen items, lidded boxes and more.

As I have progressed in the craft I find myself using more reclaimed wood from local trees that have been cut down for different reasons. It takes a bit of work but the reward is interesting pieces of wood that are not normally available otherwise. Being able to recall the location and circumstances behind a piece of wood adds to the story behind the finished piece. Lately I have begun experimenting with using resins. Using them to stabilize wood that would otherwise be unusable and casting small pieces of interesting wood with resin and other natural materials to make a piece large enough t