A.Z.'s Bio
Turnings by A.Z.
Mehrdad "A.Z." Azarpay

I have always loved working with wood. I was given
the nick name A.Z." by one of my friends a long
time ago and it stuck. I started my woodworking
hobby  with making small gift boxes and furniture
using an inexpensive Jig saw and a drill and just
like the most of us soon realized I just had to have
more tools to sustain my appetite for more
projects and of course better quality. Over the
course of many years, I restored a few pieces of
furniture and made gifts for family and friends.
Then one day while working on building a router
table at a local woodworking shop, I noticed a
wood turning class that was going on which
immediately caught my interest, since I owned a
very basic and small bench top lathe. One lesson,
and I should be set, but we all know better.

Well, a few years have gone by, and I now turn on
a "VB36 Master bowl turner" lathe and wood
turning has become my second passion. The first
one is my family. I had the great fortune of getting
to know and learn from some of great turners in
the world such as Bonnie Klein, Richard Raffan,
Martin Pidgen, Galen Carpenter, Lyle Jameison,
Yohannes Michelsen and Vernon Leibrant just to
name a few.
I particularly enjoy the gratification I receive when
others appreciate the inherent beauty in the wood
brought out to the surface by use of shapes and
finishes as much as I do. I especially enjoy the
artistic impressions allowed by turning highly
figured domestic or exotic hard woods. I also use
some softwoods and reclaimed or salvaged
woods. I try to incorporate an artistic element in
my turnings to set them apart from the ordinary
everyday pieces and also base my turnings on my
client's special requests. All of my salad bowls
have a food safe finished which could be
maintained by the owners easily. A sampling of
some of my more recent creations can be viewed
in the Gallery on this web site. Please take a few
moments and browse.
Thank you for letting me share a few things about
my life with you, and please keep in touch.
New Creations
by A.Z.
Putters!