Mary Ashton » Find a Turner

In the mid 1980’s I discovered the pleasure of creating with wood when I attended an evening course at the Bristol Women’s Workshop. My tutor encouraged me to show others in the group the skills I had advanced further forward with, and persuaded me that I should pursue a career involving working with wood, and/or teaching.

Consequently I was encouraged to study Fine Furniture  and Woodmachining both to Advanced City & Guilds levels. Whilst learning I taught on the Women’s Workshop course I had started with myself, and also provided courses for a charity that specialised in provision of craft courses for vulnerable adults.

During my  furniture studies I enjoyed producing woodturned components for items I created, such as drawer handles and table legs. I quickly gained confidence with copy turning and making items that reflected my drawn designs.

In 2002 I discovered Max Carey’s workshop in Portishead, where my skills were honed by those who were more expert than myself. My skills along with my passion for turning advanced quickly here, and my own course provision evolved to become more about woodturning rather than furniture making. When Max’s workshop became the Max  Carey Woodturning Trust I became a trustee of this, now well established teaching facility.

I have now retired from my own teaching workshop where I provided woodturning tuition to groups of adults for more than 20 years.

My future plans are to further advance my own woodturning skills, with I hope to continue to  supply occasional woodturning demonstrations, once I have created a workshop in my new home.