Woodturning is the craft of using the wood lathe with hand-held tools to cut a shape that is symmetrical around the axis of rotation. Between 500 and 1500 A.D., turned wooden vessels served as the everyday bowls and cups of most of the population of Europe. The wood turner works sitting, using both his feet as his hands. The dexterity and speed of the wood turner, the skill of his foot to hold the tool, leave the viewer amazed with astonishment and admiration. The best beautiful example of turned wood is the famous moucharabich. Cedar is the most commonly used wood spices, but ebony, lemon, cedar, or walnut can also be used.
One of the specific Wood Turner techniques is to make a "ring" in a "chess" out of a wood stick. Craftsman Mohammed in Marrakech has practiced over 20 years to master it, and he's always passionate and proud of his skill. There are very few woodturner craftsmen inherit this technique nowadays.
RANADU Re-Design Idea
However, when he commercialized it, he simply put a long thread as a necklace - It has potential to be a proper jewelry. In order to modernize this product (shows in picture), and let more people understand wood turner. Ranadu team plans to re-design this original woodturner product. For taking the advantage for it's small size, light weight, and pleasant smell, we make them into colourful earrings and necklace. We name it as "RING Collection".
Wood Turner
Q & A
What is the history of wood turner?
The archaeological record of woodturning is limited to illustrations because wood is a fiber prone to rot.
Egyptian monuments illustrate a strap used by a helper to rotate the lathe while another worker cut the wood. Early bow lathes and strap lathes were developed and used in Egypt and Rome. Between 500 and 1500 A.D., turned wooden vessels served as the everyday bowls and cups of most of the population of Europe.
What it is generally used for nowadays?
21st-century turners restore furniture, continue folk-art traditions, produce custom architectural work, and create fine craft for galleries.
What does the wood turning craftsman make Marrakesh?
Like honey spoon, chess, handles. But the problem is that non of them is very useful nowadays. The skill is even only for showing off to attract customers come to his store. But the skillset is getting so rare, especially how he made the “ring” out of a whole piece of wood in a few seconds. So we need to find a way to make these unique skills come to life again.
What wood type they use?
Cedar is the most commonly used wood spices, but ebony, lemon, cedar, or walnut can also be used.
Any famous wood turner?
Canadian woodworker Stephen Hogbin, one of Canada’s most accomplished, skilled and celebrated woodworkers. He use wood turning tools on architech and interrior design. Also he make art pieces by using wood turning, for example, his “walking bowl” was collected by various museums such as Yale University art gallery.Thuya wood is from the Thuya tree. This biblical tree is a conifer from the cedar family, and is exclusively native to Morocco. This highly praised conifer grows only in the forests of the Atlas mountains east of Essaouira. The wood has fresh natural fragrance
Package - Thuya Wood Box
Thuya wood is from the Thuya tree. This biblical tree is a conifer from the cedar family, and is exclusively native to Morocco. This highly praised conifer grows only in the forests of the Atlas mountains east of Essaouira. The wood has fresh natural fragrance Thuya wood production is a long-held tradition in Morocco. Local artisans who take extreme pride in their work do the entire process by hand. The artisans design the pattern, shape and sophisticated mechanism, which features the boxes practical and unique.
Ranadu team redesigned the box as our RING Collection package into a sleek and contemporary style. The artisan used modern wood caving technique to made Ranadu logo. Please watch the following video for the production process.
