It all started with an old dollhouse. And possibly a back injury.

Bill Helmer, a former warehouse worker, had an injury necessitating six major back surgeries and early retirement. His woodworking skills came to the forefront. Helmer is a turner, a miniature artist who uses a lathe to create amazing miniatures in wood as well as manmade materials.

"I began my hobby in woodworking about 22 years ago, building various items for the house and gifts for family and friends like jewelry such as rings, bracelets and pendants that the ladies of the family and friends request. I started lathe working about 17 years ago - what started as one table saw has become a large shop with more pieces of machinery and tools than I can count!"

He and his wife Carla found the old dollhouse in an antique shop.

"We thought that some of the pieces would look good in a different medium. At the time I had been turning full-scale items for a number of years and thought I should attempt miniatures. After realizing the challenge to create something so small and keep it to scale and lifelike, the bug bit me to keep working my craft," said miniature lathe artist Helmer of Aloha, Oregon USA.

     
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