Matthew Hatala

The earliest known existence of
woodturning comes from early Egyptian
hieroglyphs. From ancient times t modern,
from the recreational turning of the
Renaissance man, to the turning of the early
American, the lathe serves as a necessary
machine of commerce and creativity
The main thrust of my work if form and not
function. The materials that I use are mostly
wood, rare and domestic woods from all over
the world, but you can also find stone,
grass,nuts,seed pods, and plastics used in my
work. The rough material is mounted on the
lathe, a machine that spins the work in a circle on a horizontal plane. Then the process of truing the form begins. I then use hand tools to shape the outside as it spins, and then excavate the insides. If the wood is green it is roughed out to a thickness of 3⁄4 and left to dry for 3 to 9 months. Then remounted and finished turned to desired thickness of 3/16 of an inch. The piece is sanded to a scratch less surface and then a finished is applied. The finishes I use are varied and many, oil, deft, wipe on varnish, c.a., wax, an waterlox, always looking for the most complimentary finish for each piece.
I am a one-person studio, doing all aspect s of the design, execution and marketing of my work. My shop is always open to the public…….. just bring a broom!