ONLINE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Once Upon a Time David Peebles Isn't a Character from a Fairy Tale, But He Has Created a Simple, Magical Life for Himself
by Bernadette Finnerty

David Peebles at work. Baltic Birch and Curly Maple Vessel with hammered paint and textured finish. 17" by 11". Box Elder Bowl with altered rim. 13 3/4" by 5 3/4". Hollow Oak Vessel. 6 1/2" by 2". Black Aniline dye. Spalted Maple Bowl. 8" by 5". Currently on display at Toledo Museum of Art's Collectors' Corner

David Peebles lives and works in Lyons, a small town in northwest Ohio. He has been involved in a number of interesting enterprises over the years, including playing drums in a rock band, working as a chimney sweep, and trying his hand at pottery before moving on to furniture making and eventually Shaker chair making.

A year or so ago he decided to simplify his life and eliminate some of the "excess." He now lives and works as a woodturner in a small studio that he designed and built himself. He says he enjoys having horses as neighbors, trees all around, rabbits and chipmunks as constant companions, and the quiet scenes outside his windows to watch. Since 1994, he has been dedicated to bringing out the natural beauty of wood in his turnings.

TCR: How did you first become get involved in woodturning?

DP: My father-in-law had worked with wood since he was a young boy, and introduced me to woodworking. The woodturning naturally progressed from my initial interest in woodworking. Since I'd always been attracted to the simplicity of Shaker furniture, I began reading as much as I could about not only the furniture but the Shaker lifestyle itself. I was really interested in the clean lines of the Shaker chairs, and started making and selling these. This was my beginning in woodturning.

TCR: How did you pursue it?

DP: Most of the process of building a Shaker chair involves spindle turning. I discovered this was by far my favorite part of the process. After a couple hundred chairs, I was a little bored with just spindle turning [when]I had the opportunity to take a three-day bowl turning class with John Jordan at his studio in Antioch, Tenn. When I returned home from this class, I began to concentrate solely on bowl and hollow vessel turning. The first thing I did was to build a dedicated lathe for bowl turning. bowl lathe. Much of the information for building it I picked up from either from talking to other woodturners, from reading, or from the Internet. I used this lathe for several years, until recently buying a new OneWay lathe, which allows me to turn very large pieces. Along the way, I have learned to make and modify tools not readily available that enable me to create the type of turnings I find interesting.

TCR: When did you begin selling your work, and through what venues?

DP: I started with local craft shows; now practically everything is sold either through galleries, the Toledo Museum of Art, or my Web site. I do still sell occasionally to individuals who have heard of me through word-of-mouth.

TCR: Who is the market for your work?

DP: I have a surprisingly broad cross-section of people: collectors, people who are interested in one-of-a-kind gifts, and galleries. In general, anyone who loves wood.

TCR: How do you currently reach them?

DP: One of the best ways I've found to make contact with both collectors and galleries is through the American Association of Woodturners (AAW; www.woodturner.org) National Symposium. For example, at this year's convention, I sold two of my pieces that were in the Instant Gallery, and was approached by several people who I directed to my Web site.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

David Peebles 14014 County Road 10-3 Lyons, OH 43515 (419) 923-6601 E-mail: dave@bowlturner.com www.bowlturner.com

TCR: If you sell through galleries, how did this come about? Did you approach them, submit work through the mail, did they see your work at craft shows?

DP: Most of the galleries that I sell through I contacted initially. I then set up a time that they could view my work and jury it if necessary. I have also been approached by some galleries who have seen my work either previously at a show or convention. Occasionally other woodturners have suggested a gallery contact me about exhibiting with them.

TCR: Have there been major turning points in your business?

DP: The first would be my class with John Jordan, and the inspiration I received from his work. The second would be setting up my Web site, which has really given me some excellent exposure. Most of the time it's the little things you learn as you go along.

DETAILS

TCR: Do you have health and/or studio insurance? DP: I have self-pay health insurance and minimal insurance on my building and contents. Certainly not enough to cover the replacement cost of my lathes and tools; so I'm very cautious about keeping my space very clean. I take extreme precautions regarding dust collection; finishing materials are stored in a separate building.. TCR: Where do you get your materials? DP: My material comes from several sources -- tree services, woodcutters, purchasing from vendors, and general scavenging. I also have a large network of people who know that I'm always on the lookout for green wood. TCR: What other resources have been helpful to your career? DP: I read constantly, spend a great deal of time on the Internet both researching and interacting with other turners in various forums. Probably the biggest has been my membership and participation in the AAW, through which I have made invaluable contacts and friendships with some of the best turners in the world.

TCR: Do you see any challenges specific to woodturners?

DP: I think the biggest challenge for a woodturner is learning to understand the material. Most of my work is turned green, so it's critical to know how the wood is going to react. This is an ongoing process since every piece will respond somewhat differently. As a woodturner, I am always striving for the perfect form; to me the shape of the piece is the most important thing. I have many pieces in my "junk" pile that, while technically fine, don't make it for me artistically. I keep them around to remind me to keep searching for the perfect form.

TCR: What has been the most difficult thing you have encountered in your work?

DP: The hardest part for me has been learning that marketing and promoting my work is as important as making the pieces. You can be very good at what you do, but if people are not aware of your work, it's tough to make a living.

TCR: What, in terms of business insight, have you learned over the years?

DP: I think you have to determine just what your market is. When I first began, I did lots of shows. Over the years I found out which ones worked for me and which ones didn't. I still do some shows on occasion, but only those that I have had some success with.

TCR: Has your Web site affected your business?

DP: I think we've only scratched the surface of what having a Web site can mean to an individual's business. In one week, I can conceivably have exposure to a larger and wider audience than I could in several galleries and/or shows. At this point, I use the Web site as a contact medium -- persons interested in buying a turning reach me through my e-mail and we go from there. It's also a wonderful way to network and interact with other turners, forums, and online magazines such as yours. I'm fortunate to have my wife as my "webmaster," so I didn't have to pay an outside source to build and maintain the Web page.

Bernadette Finnerty is a contributing editor for The Crafts Report.

Copyright© 2001

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