Pacific Turns started out as a summer whittling hobby, and has since grown into a small business focused on turning quality, functional wood art made from sustainably gathered and salvaged wood. Once the mechanics of turning on a lathe clicked it became difficult to put the tools to rest. This means that each piece of wood I turn has been personally gathered, prepared, and turned by me. Discarded
logs are collected from parks, sustainably gathered from the forest, or gifted to me from friends and neighbors. Whenever possible I salvage wood from firewood piles, or garner logs from homeowners and farmers who have decided to remove trees from their grounds. All of the wood used at Pacific Turns is recycled or reclaimed, I do not purchase wood or harvest trees to support my craft. By doing this I can give new life and purpose to each piece of wood an minimize any negative impact on the forest and my community. It's a constant adventure keeping a keen eye out for branches on the ground and changes to the landscape that may leave a trunk available. It requires attentiveness and patience to find the design within each branch or trunk. There is no metal joinery and most of the crafts that I turn are made out of a single piece of wood. The rings of the baby rattles were once connected to the knobs they now clap against, and the contrasting colors of the bowls are the results of the grains, knots, and spalting, which makes each tree unique. If you have questions or request please don't hesitate to contact me.
-John Flynn
