As the Wood Turns: Palisadian Unearths His Craft

Raising three athletic sons in the Palisades, Huntington resident Dennis Richardson and his wife Evette spent countless hours in the bleachers and on the field. But after their youngest son left home, Richardson was left with an empty nest and finally the time to explore a new hobby.

While he initially pursued rock sculpting, Richardson changed elements and found himself interested in a type of woodwork called woodturning, crafting his art on a lathe; a device that spins the wood allowing him to shape it with steel tools, similar to a potter’s wheel.

Growing up in Washington State, Richardson’s father was a carpenter who had big dreams for his son.

“I remember my dad joking with me that if I ever thought about a career with a hammer and a saw, he’d cut off my fingers. He wanted me to go to college – and I did – but I think he would love my interest in working with tools and wood,” said Richardson, who works in corporate real estate.

“It’s my white-collar job that allows me to do my blue-collar hobby,” he added.

From natural-edge (with bark) and clean-edge bowls and vases, to hollow forms, boxes and pens, Richardson has crafted wooden pieces in a rainbow of colors and tones in Walnut, Star Pine, Olive and more.

Whether he is lugging logs from Temescal Canyon or taking tips from arborists and tree trimmers, Richardson is constantly on the lookout for useable wood.

“One person’s firewood is another person’s art,” Richardson said.

While a majority of Richardson’s wood comes from the Palisades and surrounding areas, patrons worldwide have both gifted him wood from abroad and called for his art to be sent overseas.

“I love using Google Analytics to see where in the world people are looking at my work online,” Richardson said.

He has been able to track his art across the U.S., to Brazil, Finland, Vietnam and even Russia. But many stay on display in Richardson’s home and office or – to the lucky ones – given away as wedding gifts.

Setting up shop in his garage, Richardson works with a 550-pound Laguna lathe and a variety of electrical saws, drills and sanders amid hundreds of wood pieces in various stages of finish.

Turning comes in four stages; beginning with finding desired size logs in certain species, then sealing the ends of the logs with a waxy solution to reduce the risk of cracking wood. Once the wood has been dried and sealed, Richardson begins rough turning to create the desired shape – and then he waits. And waits.

The rough form is covered in wet shavings and dried in a paper bag over a month before it is removed and dried for several more months. Richardson said he has had to wait more than a year for some pieces to be ready for the final turning. Once the risk of cracking and warping has been eliminated, the piece goes back on the lathe to be turned into the finished form. The piece is sanded and finished.

“It’s wonderful to work with, and I’ve found a fun passion in creating something artistic with wood,” he said. “I’ve come to really appreciate the smell and the grain, the feel and colors that come from the different kinds of wood. It sure beats watching TV.”

To view Richardson’s finished works, visit dennisrichardson.net.