Keeping his world turning: How Alan Palmer taught himself to make beautiful things out of wood
Walking into what used to be a bedroom in Alan Palmer's dormer bungalow is like stepping into an art gallery. On display is an array of beautiful wooden objects - from a white-painted model windmill to a collection of exquisite hand-turned lidded pots. All have been made by Alan, a retired engineer who's lived in Bryncrug for 50 years. Also on show are the many certificates he's won for his craftwork over several years at Bryncrug Country Fair and Abergynolwyn Show. Alan taught himself wood turning - the art of shaping a spinning piece of wood with hand-held tools on a lathe to create symmetrical forms such as pots, bowls and pens - after his wife Ann died 13 years ago. While she was ill, Alan took up origami , as it was "something I could do while I was sitting with Ann - it's actually very complicated - but after she passed away I needed something else to play about with. I had a woodturning book, and I taught myself to make lidded pots, which are very difficul...
