Max fashions decorative and functional wooden items.

A woodturner and retired schoolteacher, Max has worked with wood for most of his life. He started to turn wood on his lathe 15 years ago as a hobby. Now turning is his passion.

Max’s fascination with turning begins with each unique piece of wood and finding what lies within. Bark inclusions, knots, and voids within a piece of wood are all ingredients that add to the mystery. Be it a bowl or lidded box, the wood dictates the form’s shape and function. Woodturning lends itself to producing many different things, some functional, others decorative, and all artistic.

​The manifestations of Max’s passion are found in his pieces. Max finds particular joy in creating art from wood with personal sentimental value. If your family has a tree or piece of wood that has a special meaning to you, Max looks forward to commission work and will be glad to turn one of his creations from that timber as a keepsake.

​Lathe work is different than other types of woodworking in that in turning, the wood moves rapidly, and the cutting tool is presented slowly to the wood. Turners produce lots of shavings as opposed to sawdust. Making curlicue streamers is at the heart of a wood turner’s joy. Whether the wood comes from the firewood pile or purchased from an exotic wood dealer, the fun and mystery in woodturning begin in making the piece round.

Interested in learning how to turn? Max teaches the craft of woodturning at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking in Franklin, IN, and Blue Heron Woodworking School in Bloomington, IN. Sign up for classes online or contact Max directly to participate in one of his classes!