ABOUT THE MAKER

Robert Chapman 
Designer Woodturner

BIOGRAPHY 

Born and raised in the garden of England Roberts first encounter with woodturning was a brief lesson at school. This left me him with a desire that some day he should like to work with wood, but it was to be several years later before his ambition was realised. 

Upon leaving school he entered the engineering industry as an apprentice, so much for wanting to work with wood. Following the hurricane of 1987 which brought devastation to much of the landscape, Robert felt the time was right to make use of the abundance of windblown timber. Not wishing to see it rot away he took up woodturning as a hobby. 

Beginning with mostly functional items he had soon moved on to more decorative pieces. As his interest grew, so did his desire to work with more figured pieces of timber such as burrs and rippled wood.

The demand for his work soon outstretched the time available to create the pieces, and so in 1992 he left the tool making industry behind to pursue his vocation as a professional woodturner. Within the year Robert was selected for the register of the Worshipful Company of turners

Although he still makes some of the smaller items Robert now concentrates on more contemporary pieces, including his hollow vessels for which he has become known.   

email me at info@robchapman.com