To Everything, Turn, Turn, Turn...

How Bishop Frank Allan’s wood turning classes left a lasting impact

Left to right: Trebreh Turner, Josie Lawhorn, and Leon Gates demonstrate the wood turning technique they learned at Emmaus House.

Wood turning, as described by those who love it, sounds a bit like cloud gazing made tangible: both endeavors require an imagination powerful enough to transform a seemingly shapeless mass into something significant and recognizable.

This is certainly how former students of the late Bishop Frank Allan describe the joy of the craft they learned at Emmaus House through Work of Our Hands, an initiative founded almost two decades ago by Allan and his wife, Elizabeth.

Under Allan’s tutelage, a humble block of wood contained limitless possibilities, all of which could be coaxed out with a steady hand, a graceful technique, and some handy tools like lathes and band saws. These simple tree fibers were a blank canvas just awaiting inspiration.

Next month, along with the re-dedication of Ford Hall, Emmaus House will dedicate the Bishop Frank Allan Woodturning Studio, honoring Allan’s impact and legacy in the community.

Allan, who died on May 24 last year after a battle with illness, is remembered in the woodworking room as a thoughtful, straight-talking, steady presence who led many students to realize they could be true artists even when that notion may never have crossed their minds before.

One such student, Josie Lawhorn, picked up wood turning as one of Emmaus House’s “Senior Strollers,” after retiring from a career that included factory work where creativity wasn’t exactly a part of the daily routine. Lawhorn can vividly recall what it felt like to behold her first finished piece from the wood turning class; to realize how polished it was. “That was just exhilarating,” she said, her eyes growing soft, a smile tiptoeing across her face.

Lawhorn remembers how calm and approachable Allan was as a teacher, and how ardently he valued the craft. “So many beautiful things can come from that little piece of wood,” she said. “Just to hear him speak on it, you know, it just opened up a whole world.”

In 2001, having retired as eighth Bishop of the Diocese of Atlanta, Frank created Work of Our Hands with Elizabeth as a way to both support local folk artists and raise money for Emmaus House and The Friendship Center at Holy Comforter. The non-profit also offered arts and woodworking programs at Emmaus House for children, youth, and seniors.

Allan’s students created bowls, pens, and crosses, though this was presented as only the starting point. Should students want to keep going, Allan’s own history of craftwork suggested, they could produce all sorts of things.

In fact, in a 2013 interview, Allan amusingly described how he once crafted a wooden sailboat in his basement, only to realize that there was no way to get it out of the basement (to test its sea-worthiness, say) without knocking some walls down first.

For Leon Gates, wood turning at Emmaus House served a deeply therapeutic role. As taught by Allan, Gates said, this craft became a way of temporarily alleviating the troubles of the world. A Vietnam veteran and recipient of the Purple Heart, Gates found that working at the lathe allowed him to calmly and methodically focus on what was happening in the present, temporarily pushing aside the insistent worry and anguish of war’s trauma that threatened to flood his mind at any moment.

Longing to sustain this opportunity for mental quiet, Gates found himself returning to the Emmaus House woodworking studio “every chance I could get.”

About his friend Allan, with whom he became close over the years, Gates remembers instances of tremendous generosity. 

“If he could do anything for you, he would do it. If there was anything you wanted, you’d just tell him, and he would get it for you. No questions asked, he would just give,” Gates said.

Now, as an arts program volunteer, Gates said he tries to apply the same patience – and strict adherence to safety rules (particularly the use of goggles and a face mask, as wood chips have a tendency to fly in all directions) — that Allan embodied.

The process of learning and mastering something, of truly owning it and being able to show it to others, is where the deepest reward lies for Gates. He hopes that the kids he teaches feel a similar sense of pride and accomplishment in their work.

One of Gates’ students is 21-year-old Trebreh Turner, part of a new generation here poised to witness interest in wood turning reignite through the new studio. Turner started coming by Emmaus House back when she was just six years old and said she can remember being captivated right away while watching the wood spin and shapeshift.

When she finally turned 11, the required minimum age to start participating in the wood turning classes, she dove right in.

“You do have to be patient,” she said, echoing Gates. “At first, you’re just like, well, I just want to make it right and you're rushing and then you wind up messing up and then you do it again and you're like, ‘Okay, I'm going be a little bit more patient.'”

Thankfully, Turner said, the encouraging and supportive atmosphere of the class lends itself well to the old adage, “try, try again,” a requirement for anyone looking to get good. Looking ahead, Turner is excited to help others pursue artistic outlets that they may not have considered before.

Lawhorn is also eager to carry the Frank Allan legacy forward. “Education is no good if you keep it within yourself,” she said.

The dedication event will take place on February 16 from 3-5 p.m.