Charles Farrar

[Michael Nathal]

I was pleasantly surprised to see Steve Forrest's article on Charles Farrar in the latest issue of American Woodturner. Charles came to demonstrate to our club in Cleveland 7-8 years ago. He was a big influence on me as I was in the beginning stages of my hollow form journey. I fell in love with his use of natural finials and frequently look for opportunities to include one in my pieces. I hadn't heard any mention of Charles for several years, and wondered what happened, until finally getting some explanation in Steve's article. Here is the first hollow form with a natural finial that I did back in 2017, compared to the piece that inspired me, which also was on the cover of the magazine. (Looks like my photography setup has also improved compared to 7 years ago, too).

 

[Steve Tiedman]

Interesting, Michael, I like it. As I read your words "natural finials", the first thing to pop into my head was small polished stones, like river stones that have gone through a rock tumbler polishing process. (Probably because we have a small ceramic bowl full of them in our home. Hobby stores, and other places, sell rock tumblers.) I suppose with a keen eye, many different natural items could fit the purpose. Nice work.

 

[Steven Forrest]

I was pleasantly surprised to see Steve Forrest's article on Charles Farrar in the latest issue of American Woodturner. Charles came to demonstrate to our club in Cleveland 7-8 years ago. He was a big influence on me as I was in the beginning stages of my hollow form journey. I fell in love with his use of natural finials and frequently look for opportunities to include one in my pieces. I hadn't heard any mention of Charles for several years, and wondered what happened, until finally getting some explanation in Steve's article. Here is the first hollow form with a natural finial that I did back in 2017, compared to the piece that inspired me, which also was on the cover of the magazine. (Looks like my photography setup has also improved compared to 7 years ago, too).

Great minds think alike.