I'd seen a couple of pictures of Gareth's work (there's a beautiful goblet in Bill's museum too) so I called him and ordered a wand, well, it has arived and boy is it nice!

It's Cocobolo, African Blackwood and Macassar Ebony, 2 piece with a leather case. It spins beautifully and looks (at least to my eye) very elegant.

There are pictures here: http://tinyurl.com/2w75bq7

I also have a very nice chop cup which I'll be reviewing in a couple of weeks which Gareth has generously donated as a competition prize...

I'll announce the competition to members of the my mailing list (and to be fair to people who do not want to join the list I will post something here too.)

Enjoy!

Bri

That is one of the best 2 part wands I have ever seen.

Impressive

I have to agree with you buddy. It's a joy to use.

Bri

Hello Bri -

I agree with Lee 100%! What an Impressive wand.

The joint is nearly invisible.

Thanks for sharing the review.

Best,

Doug

Hey Doug,

It handles like a 1 piece too, it's really well balanced. I'll be reviewing the cup soon too then it will be given away in a competition

Bri

Very cool!

Nice craftsmanship!

MMc

Bri… thanks for posting all you do on your website… fantastic job!

As Mickey wrote… nice craftsmanship!

Bruce

You're welcome, if it helps then I am happy to donate my little corner of the web.

Bri

That really is a nice wand.

Nice!

Thanks guys, Gareth takes a huge amount of pride in his work, it really shows.

Nice looking wand Bri, and reasonably priced it seems.

Yeah, I thought so. Prices obviously vary depending on many factors but the reality of it is that I paid £25 for a MM wand that broke the fiest time it dropped (on carpet!)

I have spoken to Gareth at length about the construction of these and to be honest the amount of work involved in these is far more than the price he charges.

Bri

Do yo know when his website will be up and running?

Thanks for kind comments,it's good to know when so much work goes into something it is appreciated.
On the web-site front,hopefully it should be up and running in the next couple of months.I'm fully booked up making furniture this year,but I hope to find some time somewhere to make some more stock for the site and also some specials. I've been lucky enough to have gotten hold of some beautiful African Blackwood (This is the best quality I've ever seen),enough for a very small run of chop-cups and some 2 piece wands. These would make a lovely matching set, and I will see about getting a leather case for the cup,as well as the wand.
Best of luck to all for the competition that Brian is going to run! Someone is going to get a Fantastic Cocobolo Chop Cup.
Cheers Gareth.

There are but a handful of truly impressive wood turners who specialize in magic. I am proud to say that I have known Angelo Iafrate, Colin Rose (both of them face-to-face) and Gareth Gwatkin (by telephone). I can't wait to see his African blackwood products.

Good to see you here Gareth, I'm just writing a review of the cup which I am running the competition for, it should be up later. As for the African Blackwood, I have already asked Gareth to make me a wand with faux ivory tips and bands.

The cup you have in your museum is a work of art Bill.

Bri

I just received a wand made by Gareth and the quality and beauty are staggering. Masterful work. Like nothing I've seen before.