In the early 80’s Rene purchased a used metal lathe from a scrap yard for scrap price. The lathe was made by Willard Machine and Tool in Cincinnati OH. After doing some research , they discovered the company was in existence from 1910 to 1917 at which time it was sold and relocated to Lexington KY and the “and Tool” was dropped from the name. Rene’s lathe has the “and tool” on the name plate, so we assume it was made before 1917.
While not a trained machinist by trade, he was a handyman, able to figure out how to do just about anything. He used the lathe in his home workshop for a number of years, until he retired and moved to Bancroft in 1991 from Mount Hope ON
The first two years after retirement, Rene & Elaine built their new home, so carpentry work was the main interest. After the house was finished, Rene thought he might like wood turning. Being a handy man, he made a small wood lathe and tried turning. However he decided that he liked turning burls and his lathe wasn’t heavy enough for the task. Why not use the metal lathe that was stored in their barn near Maynooth?
The lathe is large- 8 ft long and weighs about 1000 lbs. He proceeded to set it up in what is now his studio and after some modifications (he raised the head stock 3 inches so he could swing a 28 inch burl), he was ready to turn burls.
He turned some and finished them himself, but they didn’t meet Elaine’s quality control, so she took over the sanding and finishing. Rene mainly uses wood that has grown in the Bancroft area, although he has used some other wood, (but it was grown in Ontario). He continued to make bowls, given away as gifts, until they decided they had to do something else with them. Eventually, they became members of A Place for The Arts.
While not a trained machinist by trade, he was a handyman, able to figure out how to do just about anything. He used the lathe in his home workshop for a number of years, until he retired and moved to Bancroft in 1991 from Mount Hope ON
The first two years after retirement, Rene & Elaine built their new home, so carpentry work was the main interest. After the house was finished, Rene thought he might like wood turning. Being a handy man, he made a small wood lathe and tried turning. However he decided that he liked turning burls and his lathe wasn’t heavy enough for the task. Why not use the metal lathe that was stored in their barn near Maynooth?
The lathe is large- 8 ft long and weighs about 1000 lbs. He proceeded to set it up in what is now his studio and after some modifications (he raised the head stock 3 inches so he could swing a 28 inch burl), he was ready to turn burls.
He turned some and finished them himself, but they didn’t meet Elaine’s quality control, so she took over the sanding and finishing. Rene mainly uses wood that has grown in the Bancroft area, although he has used some other wood, (but it was grown in Ontario). He continued to make bowls, given away as gifts, until they decided they had to do something else with them. Eventually, they became members of A Place for The Arts.
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