Name: Caitlan Davis
Current Location: West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Day Job: Full Time Student – at school
Makerspace: Local Wood Turning Club / Outside her playhouse
How did you get started making?
Having seen some wood turners at a summer fair 2 years ago her grandfather took her older brother to the local club. At 11 years old she was interested in the things her brother was bringing home and asked if she could go as well. She started to go once a week from September 2016 following which her older brother stopped going but Caitlan has not looked back since – even convincing her Grandfather to learn also. She now attends twice a week and has her own lathe at home for extra practice.
What type of maker would you classify yourself as?
Caitlan is a Wood Turner, however she is also very creative and interested in trying different techniques and has no fear of getting things wrong. She has begun to come up with her own designs for things to make and come up with solutions on how to make them.
What’s your favorite thing you’ve made?
One of her most recent projects is her favorite as she designed it first and it was not copied from other people. She has called it ‘The Project without a name’ as at the time of writing she is not sure what name it should have. It was a tricky make and the first attempt went wrong, however this did not deter her and she just started with another piece of wood and tried again.
What’s something you’d like to make next?
She has a number of ideas of things that she would like to make however is practicing her spindle turning to make multiple pieces that look the same so she can make all the pieces for a small chair hand turning each piece.
Any advice for people reading this?
Always be safe when wood turning, make sure you wear appropriate safety gear such as a face shield, no baggy clothes and tie up your hair. However enjoy the experience and let your creativity come out.
She would really like to inspire other young people her age to learn skills like wood turning. To understand that there is more to life than games consoles, television, tablets and phones. This is why she has created a YouTube Channel so she can share her love of Wood Turning.
Some of her favorite projects as well as the one above are:
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