A visit to Dave Stephenson and Richard Henley’s handcrafted woodwork is one of the essential items during a stopover at Scarab Village.

Dave started turning beautiful wooden objects when he inherited from his dad a lathe that he had taught Dave to turn on when he was about 5 years old.

After losing interest in fixing computers for a living, and after discovering his joy of wood turning again, him and his partner Marti "dropped out" of the city rat race and moved to the Knysna area.

Here he started using his skills at wood-turning to earn a living. Now, when Dave is not in the gallery at Scarab Village, you

can find him travelling around to shows and seminars or visiting the kids and grandkids.

Dave is passionate about the woods as well as the results - not just how they look and feel, but also what they are and where they came from. That is why each piece from his gallery comes with a card with its botanical name, as well as a brief description and history of its origin.

But all good pieces start with a good piece of wood, and that is what is special about being based in this unique part of the world. Dave says he would rather do a few very unique and special pieces in a rare piece of wood, than run a production line using common woods.

Richard has worked wood professionally since 1978. Serving an apprenticeship as a joiner and qualifying in 1982 while working in the boatbuilding industry, fitting yacht interiors. During this time he also worked in cabinet making workshops producing traditional Cape furniture in the Knysna/Tsitsikamma area.

Furniture making became a passion and he left South Africa in 1982 for Rycotewood college in Thames, England. Here he completed the City and Guilds of London Advanced Course in Fine Craftmanship and Design of Furniture.

After working abroad he returned to Knysna to set up his own workshop, working between yacht interiors and furniture.

Richard no longer works on yachts but does incorporate the techniques learnt into the furniture and bowls he now makes.