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Malcolm Young began to get serious about his artistic craft, wood turning, around 1985; roughly the same time he retired as a pathologist doing tissue diagnoses and the like for local hospitals. But Malcolm’s first woodworking project was building a soapbox derby car when he was 11 or 12 years old. The foundation of Malcolm’s passion for woodworking grew out of his formative years. Malcolm’s dad had been a pattern maker for the automobile industry and had taught him the basics of wood and planted the seeds of a deep appreciation of woodworking that he nurtured throughout his life. It wasn't until 1989 that Malcolm sold his first handcrafted bowl, and another four years before he began to show his work at festivals.
When Malcolm got serious about wood turning, he read lots of magazines and books, and talked to a lot of wood turners to get tips and ideas. He studied intermittently with several expert wood turners for a day or two here and there, and an intensive week with another one once. In reality, the bulk of Malcolm’s techniques and ideas came from the school of hard knocks and impassioned inspiration.
Malcolm started building his woodworking tool shop slowly and today has some 20 to 30 thousand dollars invested in tools and equipment. He gets most of his wood free from friends or from walks in Michigan’s diverse hardwood forests. Occasionally he buys wood – especially burls – that allow him to create beautiful bowls with unique character. Most of Malcolm’s creations come from hardwood, but occasionally he uses a piece of Eastern Red Cedar.
 Malcolm sells his bowls for 30 to 140 dollars each, and averages about 15 hours on each of his masterpieces. But don’t be mistaken, from the time he acquires a piece of wood until he has a completed piece ready for sale, a full 18 months must pass. This gives the wood the proper amount of time to dry and cure. Unfortunately, Malcolm has to scrap roughly 20% of the bowls, platters, and vases he creates due to cracking during the drying process. “Just the cost of doing business” he muses.
A favorite wood of this masterful wood turner is Ambrosia Maple. A very small insect makes this wood so appealing to Malcolm and his customers. Ambrosia Beetles invade a maple tree and create tiny chambers for their larvae to develop. The larvae feed on yeast fungus or bacteria that are “planted” in the chambers by the male beetles. These organisms produce a marvelous colorful stain in the wood that extends above and below the chambers. Malcolm’s magic turns these chambers into artistic masterpieces.
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While Malcolm won’t call himself an artist, his peers, his customers, and his fellow artists not only call him an artist, they call him exceptional. Join us at CraneFest IX and be the judge. And if you arrive on Saturday, October 11th, be sure to wish Malcolm happy birthday.
Woodhollow Ware
Natural Wood Creations
Malcolm Young
Augusta, Michigan
269-731-4940
myoung73360@aol.com
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