Neil Wilner
After 47 years of dentistry, I traded in my dental hand piece for a lathe and began creating handmade works of art. Upon leaving the Air Force in 1969, I opened my own dentistry practice in Chicago, and later moved my office to Park Ridge. I have always enjoyed working with tools and especially woodworking. When I retired in 2015, I naturally gravitated towards spending more of my time in the woodshop.
Today, I have transformed my hobby into a craft business, making primarily hand-turned bowls, vases, and spice grinders. I search for unique woods including sassafras, blacklimba, teak, walnut, box elder, maple, walnut and other species to create functional art with a flair. Each piece is hand-turned and finished to be food safe.
When I am not turning my creations, I spend time with my wife of 55 years, my two children, and 4 grandchildren. I am also an avid bicycle enthusiast and a more recent pickle ball competitor.