Rodney Band
Woodturner
Kommetjie, Cape Town, South Africa
Where the wood leads, he follows
- Rodney works with hardwoods sourced from across the Western Cape
- Each piece is shaped by the piece of wood itself as much as by the maker
- His polishing process moves through 15 grits, creating a marble-like surface
Rodney Band has been turning and sculpting wood since the 1990s, working from a studio in Cape Town. He specialises in working with hardwoods including wild olive, African blackwood and stinkwood. Born in South Africa and raised in Israel, he returned to Cape Town after his military service and spent years as a wilderness guide before discovering the lathe in his mid-forties. Rodney is entirely self-taught in his craft. Each piece begins as a log, often sourced close to the root where character and irregularity are greatest. The log is mounted on the lathe, shaped on the outside, then hollowed before returning to the lathe for finishing. Sanding moves through grits from a harsh to ultra fine, followed by steel wool and antique wax treatment. "Each piece takes weeks to make," asserts Rodney.
INTERVIEW
This work has taught me discipline above everything else. The tools are dangerous and unforgiving. To keep creating, I have to look after myself completely through exercise, healthy eating, and focus.
None that I impose. I attach the log to the lathe in a way that gives it direction, and from there I follow where the log wants me to go. My technique is uniquely mine but the wood also plays a key role in defining the end result.
They are my best friends. My friends think I am crazy, and my girlfriend will tell you the logs come before her. I love wood, I love logs, and my hands were made for this craft.
Sometimes I look at a finished piece and think ‘This log would be rotting somewhere right now and nobody would ever have looked at it if I had not worked on it. Instead, look at what it has become!' Each tree has a history, and by landing in my hands, it will continue to tell its story.
