Wood Turning Demonstrations

Rolf Buwert - Created Woodcrafts


Rolf has been working with wood for over 45 years, making models, toys, and practical items for friends and family in his spare time. After 30 years serving Queen and Country as a police officer in Dumfries and Galloway, latterly as village policeman in Thornhill, he is now a professional wood turner, toy maker, and story teller. Rolf works from one of the Craft Workshops in the Stable Yard of Drumlanrig Castle, Thornhill.

Rolf's love of the environment drives him to source wood from the nearby forests, friends estates, and recycled materials. His favourite woods to work are oak, ash. Beech, sycamore, yew, laburnum and cherry. Although he mainly uses power lathes, he will occasionally use a pole lathe, therefore enjoying the outdoors when the weather is good, and working in his small workshop when the Scottish weather makes indoor work more comfortable.

Nature and the environment are always at the centre of his work, and therefore all finishes are non-toxic, natural waxes and polishes. The majority of items are simply polished with, up to 20, layers of beeswax or carnauba wax.

Rolf's range of products is constantly evolving, ranging from basic children's toys, to large dolls houses, practical items such as bowls, plates, cooking implements, and purely decorative items such as his non-Magic Wands, non-Magic Mushrooms, Haggis Hunting horns, and Grow-Your-Own Dragon Kits.

Each item is unique and is often dictated by the natural qualities of the wood itself, therefore the piece of wood mounted on the lathe with the intention of being one thing, may come off as something completely different.

Rolf was born in Dumfries, and has lived all his life in Scotland, being inspired by Scottish art and culture, but also by influences of his German ancestry. Having worked in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and the USA he has picked up contemporary and traditional inspirations.

Rolf's story telling originates from his own childhood, where his mother instilled a love of books, language, and traditional folk tales. He has developed this with his own stories, inspired by the ancient trees at Drumlanrig, by re-telling traditional fairy tales, and fairytales with a new twist, and by tales he heard when travelling in Nepal and Bangladesh as part of his voluntary charity work for the international Christian relief agency Tearfund.

The Drumlanrig Castle's woodlands are a major influence in his work, due to the wonderful woodland walks, and wide variety of trees on the estate.