Local People - Sharif Adams
A craftsman from North Bovey has become the guiding light for handcrafted everyday items using age-old traditional tools and techniques.
Sharif Adams is leading the way with the once forgotten craft of pole-lathe bowl turning, which is now gaining international recognition.
The pole-lathe is thought to be one of the first machines ever invented and involves using a foot powered treadle attached with cordage to a springy sapling or pole. This makes a piece of wood spin between two centres. The person operating the lathe cuts and shapes the spinning wood using special types of chisels.
Sharif’s interest in wood work was sparked in 1998 when he was at London Guildhall University. Later, he worked with antique furniture but it was not until he found the ‘joy and creative freedom’ of working with green wood that he knew he had found his calling.
‘Green woodwork is what I love,’ he said. Green wood is wood which is freshly cut or has not yet dried. It’s easier to work with hand tools than dry wood. As green wood bowls dry they warp slightly, giving each bowl a unique form so that no two are exactly the same.
This discovery was made while on a spoon carving course run by a teacher called Robin Wood. ‘We were served food in beautiful wooden bowls and plates and I just felt the “aliveness” of them. Robin told me he had made them and my first question was “can you teach me?”’
Robin was unable due to commitments so Sharif set out to find someone to teach him the ancient art — and it turned out this would be the beginning of his eventful green wood working journey.
After finding someone who taught Sharif the fundamentals of the craft 11 years ago, he was able to transform his skill and make it his own — since then Sharif has been across the country to teach others in pole lathe turning and creates his many items from within his rustic workshop set within the Dartmoor National Park.
‘It’s been an interesting journey. When I started learning this craft there were more people alive who had been to the moon than who knew how to turn these items on a pole-lathe. Now there is a festival each year where people come from all around the world to spend five days together doing workshops and learning more about this.
‘Many of the people who I have taught over the years are now running their own courses in pole-lathe bowl turning and earning a full-time living from the craft. The Heritage Crafts Association has a “red list” of endangered crafts which are at risk of being lost. Pole-lathe bowl turning was on that list as “critically endangered” but it has now been reclassified as “currently viable” and is growing in popularity all the time,’ said Sharif.
When talking about his business, it is clear that Sharif is passionate about keeping the ancient craft alive: ‘My business includes selling wooden bowls, plates, boxes and cups via my website and as commissions; running various courses from beginner to advanced at my workshop and around the country at wood turning festivals and events; and increasingly selling the various tools required for pole lathe turning which I post all around the world.
‘Increasing tool sales is an indication of just how rapidly interest in this once forgotten craft is growing internationally. I also offer one hour bowl turning demos from my workshop to individuals and groups by arrangement, during which I talk about the history of pole lathe turning and answer questions while turning a bowl.’
When making items they all start with a block of green wood which is cut from a straight log without knots or branches. It is then roughly shaped with a carving axe before being mounted on the lathe. The back of the bowl is shaped first, then it’s re-mounted in a different position so the inside can be hollowed and shaped to mirror the outside form. The bowl is then carefully dried for a few weeks and finally finished with food grade walnut or flaxseed oil, ready for daily use. Long ago everybody would have eaten all their meals from wooden bowls and plates. Lots of people are now rediscovering the simple pleasure of eating from handcrafted wooden ware.
Sharif is a part of the Dartmoor Artisan Trail which showcases local talent. It links arts, crafts and food and gives visitors to the moor the opportunity to watch makers at work, take part in classes and buy products directly from their creators.
To view more on Sharif, visit www.sharifadams.co.uk