Roddy Moyes...

has been the Head Gardener at Tulchan Sporting Estate in the Scottish Highlands for the past twenty years. Born in 1955 in Stornaway on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides and having a strong affinity with the sea he spent many of his former years in the Merchant Navy and with the deep sea Trawling Fleet. His nautical career ended while he was serving as a Lighthouse Keeper on one of the last Lighthouses to be converted to automatic operation. It was on that Lighthouse that he first developed his passion for woodturning when he discovered a very old treadle lathe in the workshop. Since then his skill has developed, not only in woodturning but also in web development as this site demonstrates. As a result, his work has been added to collections as far away as Hong Kong.

A hollow vessel of classic design, an area of decay near the base has been inlayed with brass, as has the union between the shoulder and rim Oil finish.

Alder : Bubinga 5.1/2” tall. x 3”

A fun bowl turned from Tuart, a little known timber from Australia that displays a subtle mix of light and shadow within the grain and is delicately suffused with occasional threads of red. The wide rim has been carved with a fluted design and the base of the bowl in Cocobolo carries through to the underside. Wax finish.

Tuart : Cocobolo 7.1/2”dia. x 1.1/4”

One of the much prized Australian "Goldfield Burrs". The underside of this York Gum Burr has been pressure washed, which strips away the bark to reveal the tactile and visually appealing, cream coloured coral like structure. The underside has not been touched other than the addition of a simple turned foot in Horse Chestnut which supports the piece just above the surface on which it rests. The gloriously burred upper surface, the outline of which is not unlike an elongated map of Australia has been wax finished, the underside has been sealed with a clear Lacquer to preserve the colour.

York Gum Burr 14.3/4” x 9” x 3.1/4" bowl section 6" dia.

Another of the much prized Australian "Goldfield Burrs". The underside of this York Gum Burr has also been pressure washed, which strips away the bark to reveal the tactile and visually appealing coral like structure, which, unlike the previous sister piece, has been ebonised with black lacquer. The underside has not been touched other than the turning of a flat surface for it to rest on. The gloriously burred upper surface has been wax finished. While turning the bowl section I uncovered the small tunnel of some unknown Australian boring insect which I have left unfilled as a testament to nature.

York Gum Burr 12.1/2" x 9" x 3.1/4" : bowl section 6" dia. x 1.1/2" deep.

This large natural edge bowl is turned from Grass Tree Root, also known as Blackboy in Australia, this is not a tree as it's name may suggest but is in fact a member of the Lily family. Only six varieties of Grass Tree produce a type of wood and they are only found in Western Australia. The usable part of the root system only grows at a rate of 3mm in diameter per year, making this specimen extremely old indeed. The wood is light brown with a green hue when first cut, changing to a reddish brown on exposure and speckled throughout with black dots. Wax finish, the natural edge has been sealed with clear lacquer.

Grass Tree Root 14.1/2" x 12.1/2" x 6" tall.

A bowl to keep your nuts clean and looking their best!!!, arrange your nuts around the outside of the bowl and dispose of the shells in the inner bowl. Turned from a magnificent example of brown ash displaying wonderful figuring throughout and just to add a little sparkle, a void within a knot has been inlayed with brass, adding to it's uniqueness. Wax finish.

Brown Ash 11.1/4” dia. x 1.1/2”

A sturdy bowl turned from Alder, the timber has some nice figure and glows with a honey hew, the top and side of the rim have been decorated with a carved pattern using the Sorby Texturing Tool, lifting the visual presence of the piece. Voids on the underside of the piece have been inlayed with copper.

Alder 9.1/4" dia. x 2.1/4".

A sturdy bowl in Lacewood displaying the characteristic grain pattern of this quarter sawn Poplar. A carved pattern has been added to the overhanging rim as well as around the top of the bowl wall using the Sorby Texturing Tool, adding to the visual presence of the piece. Wax finish.

Lacewood 9.1/2" dia. x 2.1/2".

A sturdy bowl in Scottish Elm displaying a lovely grain pattern. The top of the slightly overhanging rim has been decorated with a carved pattern which adds a textural element to the piece, likewise, a broader band of linear embossing around the bowl wall further enhances the visual appeal. Wax finish.

Elm 8.1/4”dia. x 2.1/2”

A closed bowl form featuring a slightly raised inner rim encompassed by three concentric rings inlayed with copper which are mirrored by three V grooves around the mid line of the bowl wall. Wax finish.

Lacewood : 9.1/4" dia. x 2.1/2".

A large shallow fruit bowl, turned from an unusually large piece of Scottish Birch. Birch trees are generally quite short lived and it is rare for a tree to gain sufficient proportions to produce a piece of this size. It sits proudly atop a sturdy column displaying some nice figuring and a small amount of spalting, the rim is decorated with a carved pattern which lifts the visual presence of the piece.Wax finish.

Scottish Birch 15” dia. x 5.1/2”.