Mike & Gill Hayduk

We have been working with wood on a full-time basis since 1987.  Initially, I made house signs, but following a request from my children for a jigsaw puzzle, I became intrigued by the ability of wood to take on a different form when cut into small pieces. At the same time I was growing increasingly interested in woodturning and the idea of producing puzzles set in turned wooden bowls occurred to me. The initial designs I produced proved very popular locally and by 1989 I was producing puzzles exclusively. It was at this time that Gill became involved by taking over all the finishing, a job which she has been doing ever since.

Most of my designs combine the two disciplines of wood turning and fretwork, with occasional use of routing and abrasive techniques to produce the required shapes.  I have a choice of over forty varieties of wood, much of which comes as offcuts from timber merchants.  I use only hardwoods, with the exception of yew, and in my work I try to emphasize the natural colour and beauty of the wood. All the puzzles are oiled using Danish Oil and polished by hand.  In addition, the bowls and trays are given a beeswax polish, resulting in a finish that is soft and smooth to the touch.