Sharif Adams

Hi and welcome. I handcraft simple wooden spoons, bowls and pots for everyday use using age-old traditional tools and techniques. I sell my wooden ware at artisan crafts markets and I teach to small groups or on a one to one basis. I also work on a commission basis so there's always plenty to do. My interest in working with wood started in 1998 when I studied violin making at London Guildhall University for three years. I later went on to work with an antique furniture restorer near High Wycombe. While I learned a lot from both these experiences, it was not until I discovered the joy and creative freedom of working with green wood that a little voice in my head quietly said, ‘this is it!’. The bowls I sell are turned on a treadle lathe/pole lathe; an archaic machine, simple to make and maintain, using human energy to keep the work piece revolving. In the middle of winter the best way to keep warm is to turn a few bowls. I cut all of the wood for my bowls and spoons with either a chainsaw, bow saws or large one man cross cut saws. The tools I use for bowl turning are hand forged. I enjoy forging almost as much as I enjoy working with wood. Sometimes I carve bowls using the same tools I use for carving spoons; axes and knives, with the addition of a small adze for hollowing. These are very different in form to the turned bowls and usually I will only make these for sale on request. I do all my work in an old Devon barn, on beautiful Dartmoor where I live. I love to cook good, simple, healthy meals and enjoy foraging for wild foods. I’m always well entertained; watching the wildlife in the woods is so much better than watching the TV. In the evenings I enjoy playing my battered acoustic guitar or the fiddle; the former less badly than the latter.