Watching Andy Cole hollow out a piece of Waimanalo mango wood spinning on a lathe, Joan Purchert was reminded of a potter molding a bowl on a spinning wheel.

"I’m just amazed," said Purchert, 67, of Pearl City. "Just watching something raw come into something beautiful."

Purchert, who was at Ward Warehouse Saturday for lunch, stumbled upon the woodturning exhibition and watched as curly strands of wood sprayed in an arc away from Cole’s gouge.

The 12th annual event was organized by Nohea Gallery and showcased members of the Honolulu Woodturners club crafting bowls and other objects in front of the gallery.

"It’s kind of nice to actually get a look at how things are actually made before they arrive on our shelves," said Sam Stewart, Nohea Gallery manager, who added that wood art has an appeal from its origin in nature.

"It grew here," he said. "It was a living thing, and it was crafted from a tree that was no longer useful in somebody’s yard. And they made something useful out of it."

The event also kicked off a Nohea Gallery exhibition through Sept. 4 that includes about 150 pieces by 14 artists created out of koa, kou, milo, kolohala, Norfolk pine, skunk and other woods. The pieces include Craig Mason’s foot-tall koa kendama toy with a price of $350, Sandy Rhines’ oil lamps in a variety of woods, and decorative and usable bowls.

Honolulu Woodturners member Tim Freeman began working with wood as a boy in Texas about five decades ago and found woodworking has a long history in the islands, evidenced by wooden bowls made by ancient Native Hawaiians on display in museums.

"It’s just a fun hobby to have," said Freeman, a retired Army colonel. "No matter where I went, there’s always a place to go and do woodturning. All you have to have is a lathe. There’s plenty of wood."

Unlike orchid growers, who keep cultivating techniques secret to protect their breeds, woodturners enjoy sharing their techniques and mentoring others interested in the craft, said Freeman, who previously dabbled in orchid growing.

Tom Young, 71, helped start Honolulu Woodturners about 14 years ago and had several bowls on display at the gallery.

"I just want something that’s not plain," said Young, whose bowls have been enhanced by the natural elements of the wood, such as darkened colors created by beetles, feather patterns and knots, and contrasts in the grain between sap wood and hard wood.

He said the best part of the club, which has about 100 members, is the network members have created to spread the word when a tree comes down to collect wood. He said the club reduces the amount of wood that tree trimmers have to pay to dispose of.

Some visiting the exhibit Saturday were still learning woodturning, like Mike Nahoopii of Kaimuki, who bought his lathe in February.

"Once you start turning, you forget everything else," he said.

ON THE NET:
» honoluluwoodturners.org