Southborough woodturner returns to his childhood passion

By Janice Elizabeth Berte, Contributing Writer

Marlborough – Marlborough resident and master woodturner Louis Noborini’s love for woodworking began when he was in his seventh-grade woodworking class at the Woodward School in Southborough. After making a bowl, his fascination turned into a passion. Years later, his son came home with a handmade wooden pen that stirred his emotions to get back into this craft. Shortly after, his wife Marcia bought him his first lathe for Christmas. These machines help create and mold beautiful wood and acrylic pieces.

“I have a tremendous love affair with wood, and I want it to be fun,” Noborini said. “But I also want to have instant gratification as well. The grains of wood intrigue me and I can make stunning objects, which creates fascinating finishes.”Two of the things he loves about this hobby are that there is instant gratification and that it is inexpensive unless you make high-end pieces.“I can usually make a pen in less than an hour,” he explained. For finishing, he uses super glue to give the pens some texture.

The tools that Noborini uses are various skews, chisels and detailers, some made out of carbide steel. Coco bolo wood which is only grown in Hawaii can be used for wood turning. In addition to that, he uses olive wood from Bethlehem, Israel and snake wood which comes from a small tree in the forests of Central and South America. It is also known as one of the most expensive woods in the world. A 1×9 inch piece of snake wood can cost from $30 to $40.

Noborini has created flatware, pepper mills, cheese slicers, pens, bowls, toothbrush handles, oil lamps, wine glasses and many other items. He enjoys giving these items to family and friends as gifts.