Greg Stephens: turning waste into art

Growing up on the land is an education. Out of necessity you learn to fix, make and recycle, and that can you make you resourceful and inventive. As a woodworker, Greg Stephens is a great example of that kind of maker.

Greg has entered two pieces in Maker of the Year, presented by Hare & Forbes. In 2026, Woodturning has a dedicated category which is sponsored by the bequest of the late Jan Pennell, herself an expert turner who wanted to foster in others a love of this artform. This is an AU$1500 cash award for the best turned piece. Both of Greg Stephen's entries are made from repurposed materials, so Greg has also entered one of his entries into the Recycled & Rescued category which carries an AU$1000 cash award.

We asked Greg Stephens to tell us about his background and in particular about his laminated turnings.

Creating segmented turning is labour intensive, what drives your interest in this form of turning?
Building furniture and turning objects from solid wood creates a lot of offcuts that in time can become waste because of their size or sheer volume. When cutting a bowl blank from a solid piece of wood so much has to be cut away due to cracks or other imperfections of some kind just to get a sound block of wood. To me this is all still beautiful timber, so there had to be another way to utilise this resource in a creative way.

The solution therefore was segmented or laminated turnings where something useful could be created from what would have been normally discarded.  The challenge of designing an object from the offcuts and the satisfaction of mixing different colours of wood to create something beautiful and unique was extremely appealing.

What are your preferences as far as wood species go?
I mainly prefer Australian timbers such as red cedar (Toona ciliata), rosewood mahogany (Didymocheton faraserianus), white beech (Gmelina leichhardtii) and Crows ash (Flindersia australis) for their colour, texture and stability. American timbers cannot be overlooked for similar qualities.

Where do you get your wood from?
I was fortunate enough to grow up on a small dairy farm nestled in the rainforest of S.E. Queensland where there was access to dead wood from storm damaged trees, natural tree falls, a neighbouring sawmiller and properties where the occasional tree was removed along with unused timber from timber cutting.

Still having some of that timber I now collect offcuts and scrap from the local Men’s Shed, where I am a member, along with donations received from people who know about my hobby in woodworking. In return for offcuts and scrap I donate excess timber given to me back to the Men’s Shed.

What’s your background in woodworking? Where/how did you learn your skills?
Growing up on a rural property very little was wasted, instead as much as possible was recycled. Working as young man with my father gave me basic skills in building farm sheds, post and rail fences and other infrastructure. He was a dairy farmer, timber-cutter and sawmiller. This allowed me go out with him when cutting timber where I became fascinated with the colour, grain and smell of the trees, being cut, particularly red cedar. Disillusioned with the amount of wood remaining on the ground, which was not commercially viable, I began collecting what was left behind and tinkering with it to construct toys and other objects. This fueled my interest in woodworking as a whole.

Around age 25 I became interested in woodturning. I purchased a small lathe, bought books written by well known woodturners and started teaching myself. As time went on that lathe became inadequate, but my fascination never waned. Eventually I built a lathe fit for purpose and 40 years later the lathe is still in service.

I realised my creative limitations on that home made lathe, so 8 years ago I purchased a variable speed electronic lathe, transitioned into segmented turning, utilising large quantities of offcuts due to declining stock of large solid wood collected over the years.

Greg Stephens, Dizzy bowl, see Maker of the Year entry

What are some of the pitfalls of laminated turning?
There can be numerous pitfalls in laminating or segmented turnings.

• Glue line visibility from poor joinery;
• Tear out from grain direction changes;
• Delamination from tool vibration, excessive speed and poor joinery;
• Variations in wood species density;
• Varying wood species can hold different moisture content, becoming unbalanced, causing difficulty in turning and uneven sanding;
• Different expansion and contraction rate can cause cracking, delamination and distortion.

There are other pitfalls most only come to light when you get it wrong. None are an issue if you get it right.

Do you draw your designs first or do you let the wood guide you?
Turning a bowl from solid wood: I let the wood guide the design. This method takes into account the grain, any defects, whether they are a feature or an obstacle, the shape, whether being natural edge or clean straight lines, the wood species, if it’s easy or difficult to turn or has any natural features which would create a piece of unique beauty.

Laminating: I generally have a pre-designed shape in my mind as well as colour variations If using different coloured species, I therefore have everything in my head without putting pen to paper.

Greg Stephens, Cockspur bowl, see Maker of the Year entry

Segmented turning: I always draw a detailed plan. This serves several purposes. Although I generally have a pre-determined shape in my head, drawing a plan provides me with a cutting list of all the pieces and avoids unnecessary wastage. There are usually numerous pieces cut at different angles and sizes from several pieces of wood. A plan helps keep track of the quantity of each species required layer by layer as the number of segments in some turnings can be in the hundreds.

Do you have some tips for others who would like to attempt these laminated turnings?

• Select wood species of similar density to help maintain stability and permit more even turning and sanding;
• Ensure all joints are perfectly flat;
• Use good quality wood glue and glue on both surfaces to be bonded. Apply plenty of even clamping pressure;
• Safety comes first, wear face shield and fine dust protection;
• Use of good quality, sharp tools. If cutting angles for segmented turnings accuracy is very important;

 Lathe speeds must be kept within safe limits according to the piece being turned. In my experience a slow start-up speed on the lathe is important to contain centrifugal forces especially if the piece being turned is unbalanced. To help overcome centrifugal forces on my turnings regardless of whether the turning is segmented or laminated, I only glue 3 or 4 layers together at a time, then turn the inside and true the top edge to accommodate the next several layers.

I repeat this sequence until the glue up is complete. I then finish turning on the outside while supporting the opening of the bowl with the tailstock. This method eliminates much of the vibration and grain tear out. Sanding inside and outside is completed at the same time to maintain even support preventing distortion and possible delamination.

What’s the next piece on the drawing board for Greg Stephens?
Generally I try to construct two turnings alternatively at the same time. This process eliminates too much down time waiting for glue to dry on each piece. At present I have a laminated vase half constructed using recycled laminate lumber veneer offcuts, which is an engineered laminated beam used in the construction industry. These beams are lighter and stronger than traditionally sawn timber.

I am also in the process of creating another dizzy bowl from recycled marine ply offcuts, rescued from the scrap bin at my local Men’s Shed. Beyond this I have future plans to explore other possibilities in three dimensional and different techniques of turning using mixed mediums. Also maintaining my teaching and mentoring role at the local Men’s Shed.

Learn more about Maker of the Year, presented by Hare & Forbes