Dave Carlson

Dave Carlson has been a Bend resident since 2011 where he retired after 40 years living on an island in Southeast Alaska. He began wood-turning in the mid-90s and gradually migrated to the ‘wood art’ of Segmented Wood-turning that is his primary focus.

The Segmented Wood-turning Process

Segmented Wood-turning is a form of wood-turning where pieces of wood are precisely cut and glued back together to form rings which are then stacked to form both the desired shape of the vessel and to create a specific pattern and art form. It requires exacting precision as well as patience. Individual segments are often measured to the thousandth of an inch and miter angles must be exact to avoid gaps between the segments.

‘Feature Rings’ are often incorporated into a piece and are the focal point in many of Dave’s segmented pieces that  incorporates exotic woods from all over the world. All the colors in the woods are natural except for some thin layers of dyed veneers which are used for accent. Designs are limited only by the imagination.

Dave has lived in and around mountains for most of his life and often incorporates his signature ‘Mountain’ feature ring into a piece. The mountains are usually composed of exotic wood segments and provide interesting shapes, colors and contrasts.
A variation of segmented wood-turning is Open Segmented. This is different from conventional segmented wood-turnings in that there is a precision ‘open space’ left between the segments. This allows for the development of some very interesting patterns. Again, exacting precision and patience is a requirement, but the end-product can be well worth the effort.