Exuberant hobbyist Ken Waller

Jan 08, 2009

Ken Waller has been turning wood for 25 years and does not mind the label he was given by his insurance company as an exuberant hobbyist. What began as a hobby has in recent years become his full-time work and he is as enthusiastic about it now as he was when he first came across it in his grade seven shop class.

“That was when the initial seed was firmly planted,” he said.

Ken retired from a career as an aerospace engineer with the Canadian Air Force in 2005 after 33 years of service, and quickly set himself up in his new role as a full-time wood turner. It was with pride that Ken gave me a tour of his shop and showroom last week, both of which are located at his now permanent home in Sharbot Lake.

He uses various species of wood in his turnings: local maple, cherry, walnut, oak, white ash and apple (when he can get it), much of which is given to him by neighbours who harvest it for firewood but who pass along nicer pieces that they know Ken will turn into functional objects of beauty.

Ken’s work includes a wide a variety of smaller turned objects from exotic woods like cocobola and tulip wood, both species from Central America. He turns these into pens, small mirrors, candle and ring holders, bottle stoppers, key chains, and miniature vessels.

He also uses exotic woods for their unique colours and patterns, like red mallee from Australia, and big leaf maple and yellow birch, both from British Columbia.

Turned bowls are the larger objects that he makes and he often uses locally sourced tree burls as his starting point. He begins with green wood and cuts the log circles vertically in two. He then uses the band saw to cut discs.

As soon as he can he turns them on the lathe into a rough bowl shape and seals the outside so that the wood does not crack.

Ken is incredibly enthusiastic about turning burls, the large wart-like growths that occur on many trees and which have a wealth of unusual patterns and designs hidden inside. He likens them to Christmas presents. “You know there is something good inside but not until you open it up.”

He does not limit his turning to wood products only. He also makes small vases from the banksia seed pod of Australia and uses the tangua nut (a.k.a. vegetable ivory) to produce small miniature vessels and pen parts.

His latest products, which are gaining in popularity, are pens made from shell casings and deer antlers. He met one buyer, a local deer hunter, at MC Meats in Sharbot Lake, who commissioned him to make a few pens from a deer he was having butchered there.

Waller teaches as well as turns. In 1995 he set up a wood turning course and taught it for 10 years at the Valley Wood Turners in Ottawa, where he saw 250 students pass through his class. He acted as president there from 2000-2005. He also co-founded the Kingston Wood Turners, which started up in November 2006.

Waller usually spends 3-5 hours a day turning most days of the year and sells his work both at his home and at local shows. He is also a member of the Inroads Studio Tour, the Land O’Lakes Artisans Guild, the Ottawa Artisans Guild and the Cumberland Arts and Crafts Guild. His wife Joyce acts as his bookkeeper and handles all of his displays.

After years and years of saying to himself, “one day, one day…” Ken is finally living his dream as a full-time wood turner.

Waller’s products can be viewed at his website: www.kenwallerwoodcrafts.ca and his studio is open all year by appointment. He can be reached at 613-279-3035