Love HeartWood

Make a few beads, bring them to the AWGB Festival in Stratford, and join the Turned Connections bead exchange!

Wear your beads on your lanyard, a cord or a wristband so fellow woodturners know you’re taking part. Then swap them with other turners you meet throughout the festival.

They don’t need to be perfect or complicated—just make a few from your favourite scraps and bring them along.

Everyone’s welcome! If you see me wearing mine, come and say hello—and swap me a bead!

Yes, I really am smelling my wood finish…

This is Natasha Craig’s Wood Oil, a natural blend of linseed, h**p and orange oils — and it smells absolutely gorgeous.

Here I’m using it to finish an ash platter. I love watching the oil bring the grain to life, adding warmth and depth while still leaving the wood looking and feeling beautifully natural.

My usual process is three thin coats over three days, allowing each coat time to soak in before applying the next. Then comes the bit that’s easy to forget: giving the oil time to fully cure.

After a couple of weeks, you’re left with a lovely natural, fully cured, water-resistant finish that still looks and feels like wood rather than a coating sitting on top.

It’s a really satisfying finish to use — and the orange oil makes applying it smell rather wonderful too.

I’m very happy to be a brand ambassador for Natasha Craig and to be using finishes that fit so naturally with the way I work.

https://www.loveheartwood.co.uk/product/100-natural-wood-oil-uk/