David Copestake

David has been interested in woodwork since the age of seven or eight and when at school was pleased to be able to give up Latin and do woodwork for an 'O' Level instead.

He has had woodwork as a hobby all his life, but some twenty years ago had to give up work because of a health problem. He began to do some cabinet making as 'therapeutic earnings' and then got a woodturning lathe.

He moved to Cumbria with his wife nine years ago and did more woodturning, receiving expert tuition with the Cumbria Woodturners' Association, of which he is a member. He brought with him to Cumbria a huge stock of English hardwoods he was seasoning.

David has bought most of his wood as tree trunks and had it sawn and dried carefully. His wife, Margaret, has been very tolerant of wood all over the place! He has cut down his work output in the last couple of years, and now sells only through Thornthwaite

Galleries. David’s other main interests are nature study and photography, and watercolour painting.