Ray Franklin was born in Oxfordshire in England. He grew up during the war and enjoyed the woodworking classes at school. He did his National Service in the Coldstream Guards, serving ten months of his term in Egypt.
Ray and his wife, Ann were married in 1956 and emigrated to Canada in June of that year. After working on a farm for 4 years he changed to construction and subsequently became a crane operator. 
He never lost his interest in woodworking and made much of their furniture. After retiring in 1989, he developed his skills in woodturning.
Ray loves unlocking the secrets in a piece of wood and combining different coloured woods to make unusual designs. He has won several awards for his work.
Some of these these vases have 448 pieces of wood in each one. 
They are made up of Black Walnut, Yew and Ebony, and required approximately 350 hours to build them. They are mounted on turntables. Please turn them slowly. You can see more of Ray’s outstanding wood turning at Side Street Studio.
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