Biography of a Woodturner

Brad Stave

Those who know Brad Stave will tell you that Brad has always worked with wood in some form or another.  And those who don’t know Brad, but meet him, soon experience the intense love he has for wood.  If names are omens in a person’s life, then Brad Stave‘s name was sure to destine him to a life of woodworking.

Brad began working with wood at the age of 5 when he received his first toolbox. “There hasn’t been a time that I can remember, where wood has not been a significant part of my life,” recalls Brad. 

After graduating from college, Brad remained true to his heart.  He realized that working with wood was not enough.  He wanted to share his love for wood through teaching; and it has rewarded him with many enriching experiences.  Brad taught Graphic Arts in Mukilteo, WA and   then moved to Wyoming,  where he taught woodworking to Arapaho and Shoshone Native American Children (grades 3-8).  

Then in 1985, Brad moved to California.  There he started a new job, and became a father of a newly born daughter.  Sensing her husbands need to find some avenue to work with wood, Brad’s wife Silvia bought him a wood lathe. And from that point on, Brad knew he had found his niche. Brad says, “Of all the creative endeavors I have pursued, wood turning has been the most rewarding, it is the pursuit of my heart.”

By 2006 Brad was ready to get back home , the Pacific Northwest , so Gig Harbor is now home and let the chips fly !!