He has devoted most of his spare time to turning wood, making woodturning tools and jigs or training others interested in woodturning.

Don attended the Arrowmont School of Art and Crafts and studied woodturning under master turner David Ellsworth in June 2001. He attended the David Ellsworth School of Woodturning, in Quakertown, PA in April 2002. He later assisted Ellsworth, at Arrowmont, with a class on "Turning a Hollow Form" in June 2002. Don assisted John Jordan with a class, at Arrowmont, in October 2002 titled "Inspirations & Surface Design for Intermediate to Advanced Woodturners" that focused on sources of inspiration and ideas, form and design, and hands-on exploration of carving, texture, and surface decoration. Don has also attended three national and two regional symposiums of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW).

Don usually turns wood that is obtained locally and doesn't have to pay for it. He and fellow woodturning buddies help each other harvest wood from trees that are already down and would otherwise be burned or put into a land fill. He and his buddies are frequently asked: "What type of wood did you turn that piece out of?" The reply is usually, "Free!" He has turned numerous natural edge bowls, smooth edge bowls, lidded vessels, hollow forms, and Ikebana vases. Take a look in the gallery for some examples.

Don is an active member of:

  •  Hands-On Woodturners, Beverly Hills, Florida
  •  The American Association of Woodturners, USA