Mike Parker

It all started when…

Mike was raised in a family sawmill in Stoney Creek, he always enjoyed sawing logs to view the treasured grain hidden inside. His interest in woodturning started when he was only 12 years old.  As he was walking past the firewood pile in his family backyard garage, his curiosity got the best of him… he just had to mount a piece of firewood on dad's Rockwell Beaver Lathe.

After many years of working in the sawmill and around the wood lot, he moved on to building custom furniture and staircases, manufacturing video lottery terminals, a machinist and welder, then owner operator of a snow removal company.

Having entered semi-retirement, Mike is spending long days and nights making spindles, bowls, vases and segmented turnings for clients, art galleries and symposiums. Mike has recently won awards competing and exhibiting in Moncton, Dartmouth, Boston, Derry, and Raleigh just to name a few! His appreciation for Quality and detail goes into every piece of work.

The Process

From hand picking the wood to the finished product, the process involved to create the perfect piece is not only time consuming, but involves a very specific and intricate process, ensuring quality along the way.

Understanding and mitigating moisture content in the wood is a science and requires great skill to ensure the moisture content is consistent with the type of project. As water is gained or lost, the wood with expand or contract. When dealing with precise measurement of multiple cut pieces, a difference in moisture content can make a big difference in the final quality of the piece. Wood is dried using a kiln to the ideal humidity.

The wood is then positioned to get the most beauty through orientation of grain and colour.

Stress in wood can cause warping in the drying process. These distortions can happen at specific areas in the process (places where the wood has been cut for example) or near naturally weaker areas in the wood.

There appears to be a growing appreciation for imperfections, especially natural edge and bark inclusion pieces. Every piece of wood is a pending work of art, imperfections and all! That said, intricate works with many cut piece require minimal amounts of stress or moisture to ensure a smooth finish of the final work.

It is on the lathe where the magic truly happens. Once all of the drying, the measuring, and the cutting have been done, a piece of art begins to appear with every touch of the chisel.

Some turnings are made of one piece of wood while others can consist of several thousand pieces! Once the turning process is complete, the piece sanded to as smooth as glass, it is time for the finish.

Finishes are selected according to the purpose of the piece. The finishes can be food grade, hand rubbed oil, lacquer, or  urethane. 

Message from the Maker

I am sure you will enjoy owning and displaying these exquisite pieces of work as much as i did making them. Special thanks to my wife Renee for her support in my hobby! Please contact me to commission a piece, purchase an existing piece, arrange a time to look at my showroom or for more information.

I enjoying sharing my passion for woodturning and am more than happy to offer demonstrations in store. For those who wish to Learn to Turn, please consider taking one of my classes.

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