Pieterjan Heyse (he/him)
Pieterjan Heyse is a green woodworker, mobile sawmiller and playground builder based in Wetteren, Flanders, Belgium. He started his greenwood journey during a 4 day spooncarving workshop in 2022 and transitioned into solely pole lathe turning as soon as he found out about the existence of the pole lathe. While building a lathe, forging his own hook tools and trying to get a good understanding of the device, he applied for a grant with the Flemish government to do a Master-Apprentice programme with Martijn Van Gerwen in The Netherlands. This really gave a boost to the amount of time available to him turning and together they took on complex projects, travelled to international pole lathe turners to learn and dove deep into forging steel into turning tools.
During the years he was on the apprenticeship the rhythm was very high, and so were the experience gains. Visiting turners in the UK kept on pushing him further into the realms of the pole lathe, exploring stop turning, locking lided boxes and end grain turning. He built lathes to teach, built his home workshop and got into a rhythm of being a part time maker spreading the craft around Flanders, giving workshops and making treen. This continuous cycle of trying to do better keeps on going and is one of the driving forces behind his craft journey. Nowadays he’s exploring the best wood finishes, the nicest sharpening setups and the toughest turning tools. This knowledge and experience is what’s being shared in conversations, collaborative making or on one of his workshops.
Pieterjan speakss Dutch and English
Website: houtbewaarder.be
Instagram: @houtbewaarder