Welcome

Welcome to H F Bowern Designs.  My name is Harold Bowern.

Please note we are temporarily closed to address some issues. We hope to up and running in a few months

This website is dedicated to my passion for designing and making handcrafted items through woodworking and woodturning techniques and processes.

Take time to explore my Portfolio menu to view past work I have designed and made. 

Items that are shown on the website are to give you a look at what I have made in the past. Every item I make is unique in design, shape and wood chosen. I do not mass produce items and I am always working on my next design.

I do not duplicate items exactly and are they subject to change without notice.

If you wish to contact me or inquire about my work, please send an email to info@hfbowern.com

About

My interest in woodworking came about while growing up. Working alongside my dad, I was involved in building small woodworking and home renovation projects for the home, his business, and our farm. My education includes high school Science Technology and Trade curriculum, majoring in architectural drafting and woodworking and graduating with honours in 2005 from Humber College with an Industrial Woodworking Technician diploma.

After graduating from Humber College, I started up H F Bowern Designs, a small business with a focus on making custom furniture and cabinetry. I have designed and made cabinetry, combining solid wood, plywood, and veneers, to make custom kitchens and other custom cabinets and furniture pieces for the home. I have designed and crafted various kitchen utility items and cutting boards from wood and veneers.

Working with a wood lathe started back in the 1980’s working with my father in-law on his projects.  He had been creating furniture, household wooden items, and grandfather clocks all of which incorporated elements of wood turned components. I began working with a lathe to see what I could create, and I was hooked.

In recent years I have moved away from cabinetry and furniture making to focus more on woodturning. I enjoy turning bowls, vessels, and boxes. and crafting wood art forms. I have been exploring the addition of creative effects and texturing on my turnings with specialized texturing tools and techniques, wood carving and woodburning. I am also incorporating other medias such as acrylic paints, coloured stains, resins, metals, and glass.

My philosophy through my career has been governed by two principles.

  • Never stop learning
  • You do not make mistakes, you make learning opportunities

What’s New

Here you will find pictures of the latest projects I have been working on.  Every item is unique in design, shape and wood chosen. I do not mass produce items.  Items that are shown here may have already been sold.

Drop by often to see what is happening in the workshop/studio

 

Why buy Handcrafted


Handmade items reflect the ideas, creativity, artistic skills, moods, vision and emotions of its craftsman maker. No two items are exactly alike. Variations in the materials, composition, textures physical appearance all form the essence of the item to make it one of a kind. Handmade items, because of their nature, can be customized to meet the individual needs of the consumer, whether that be material, style or makeup of the item itself.

Handcrafted items are made by artisans who support their local economy. They tend to source things as local as they can and thus support other local craftspeople or local companies.

So, go out and explore your local artisan talent and support them as well as your local economy, by buying their one of a kind unique handcrafted items, that meet your needs.

Mass produced items generally are made very similar to tight specifications, due in large part to economies of scale in the mass production process. When you buy a mass-produced item, it is the same as the Jones have, you may have a different colour or shape, but there are a lot of those same items of colour and shape out there.

Contact

If you wish to contact me or inquire about my work, please send an email to info@hfbowern.com