No one can turn a log into a chair leg quicker than Dave (From Ledbury Reporter)

No one can turn a log into a chair leg quicker than Dave

11:30am Wednesday 24th October 2012 in Ledbury By Neil Watts

A MALVERN craftsman has shown he is no slouch by becoming a world champion in double-quick time.

Dave Jackson, who runs Wildwood Coppice Crafts, beat all comers to clinch the World Log to Leg Pole Lathe Turning Championships at Ragley Hall, in Alcester, Warwickshire.

Pole lathe turning is the traditional method of wood turning and Mr Jackson competed against seven other contestants, turning two identical Windsor chair legs from a piece of ash in the quickest time, clocking in at nine minutes, 35 seconds with 90 seconds as penalty points.

This put him 19 seconds clear of the runner-up and won him a silver rimmed mizer trophy.

Mr Jackson, who manages Park Wood in West Malvern on behalf of the Malvern Hills Conservators, said: “Pole lathes are still widely used by hundreds of people across the country, turning everything from windsor chairs to spinning tops.

“Turning on a pole lathe can be relaxing and absorbing while being fairly physical, keeping me fit. It makes an ideal hobby.

Because it’s leg powered, it’s a completely sustainable craft and I enjoy keeping these old skills alive.”

All the people competing at the UK’s largest showcase for woodland, forestry, arboriculture, fencing, trees and timber were members of the Association of Pole Lathe Turners.

For more information about Mr Jackson’s work and coppice craft courses, go to wildwoodcrafts.com.