Dennis Wake, Yeoman of the Turners’ Company
Dennis started woodturning in 2002 when he moved to his current home. He is predominantly self-taught, and joined Teesside woodturners in 2010 where he has honed his skills.
In 2013 he started demonstrating to woodturning clubs in the local area and has since branched out throughout the UK.
In 2017 he qualified as a tutor with the AWGB and in 2020 was accepted onto the Register of Professional Turners (RPT).
In 2019 Dennis opened his own workshop in order to provide a safe and tranquil environment to make pupils feel safe. He volunteered at the Help for Heroes recovery centre, Phoenix House, and is himself a Falklands War Veteran. He has received grants to continue to help others with mental health issues learn woodturning.
Dennis can be seen over the Summer 2023 at the craft fairs on the Tall Ships Hartlepool and Brancepeth Castle in Durham.
In 2022, Dennis was awarded a bursary from the Worshipful Company of Turners, and has used this to benefit from training with Joey Richardson, specifically to learn the technique of piercing and airbrushing.
Dennis’s main objective is to pass on his knowledge of woodturning in his safe and tranquil workshop.
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