Artistic Woodturning - Creating Beautiful and Original Masterpieces From Natural Wood

Some of the most magnificent works, truly artistic in every sense, are created by turning woods of various colors and types. This work is commonly known as artistic woodturning. Woodturning is a process of making, building, or carving something out of wood by the use of a lathe. Artistic woodturning is likened to the evolution of man in a sense that a plain simple wood can be transformed into an amazing, breath-taking sight of beauty. Woodturning artists commonly create bowls, vases and sculptures as their art work, adding intricate details showing off their personal touch which enhances the beauty and uniqueness of the product.

Woodturning as a Hobby

Woodturning has become more and more popular nowadays because this hobby is great fun - it can even become an addiction. While most woodturners have a passion for working with timber of various kinds, this hobby also gives them the opportunity to create things they can use in their everyday lives. And another great advantage of knowing the art of woodturning is being able to create personalized gifts for our loved ones during special occasions. This is a much more effective way of showing love and sincerity than purchasing ready-made gifts at the local store.

Where to Search for Wood?

As mentioned earlier, most woodturners simply have this undeniable love for wood and they have this tendency to search for the most unusual piece of wood, exotic or home grown. They examine every piece critically before using it.

Recognizing and exposing the hidden features that will amplify the beauty of the final piece is simply a source of happiness for them, but damaging a hidden feature during preliminaries, or while turning, can absolutely be disappointing and even heartbreaking. However, many woodturners just want extremely plain, well-seasoned timber, which contains no obvious features or imperfections.

They find this particular type of material very predictable, and it allows them to create and produce flawless and stable products. Generally, no matter what type of material they use, they still find turning really enjoyable whether it be for forming quite simple yet wonderfully flowing artistic shapes or for extra challenging works.

This gives their work more versatility and a wider license to delve into new techniques and ideas. The conception of new ideas, designs, as well as other techniques oftentimes end up being developed from timber that first caused disappointment due to imperfections and flaws. Obtaining perfection in the finished wooded product is quite possible once you have developed the necessary skills. Those who truly have a passion for this art continually strive for perfection, while still enjoying each step along the way.

Respecting the Trees

The respect artistic woodturners have for the beauty, power and contribution trees make to our planet, drive their dedication to bringing the importance and beauty of wood alive in an artistic way. Usually, different themes influence their artwork. Most of them are inspired by the designs of great cultures of the past; Egyptian, Pueblo and oriental, and by the complexity of the human race which produced these cultures.

They support the conservation and the preservation of all nature's materials which led most of them in recycling materials, like trees downed by hurricanes, termite damage and etc., to build products that will last a lifetime. A lot of their art works combine the incredibly varied shapes of nature and mathematical curves which result in the creation of a timeless beauty.

Wood Turners Club

With the seemingly unstoppable boom of woodturning, there are a lot of clubs and organizations which unite all wood turners around the globe. These clubs and organizations allow them to share their works and ideas with one another and often encourage other people to join them in this enjoyable hobby.

Displaying Wood Works of Art in Galleries

Professional woodturners often have their own galleries or websites which showcase all their art works and thus the dedication they have for their passion. Each piece on display is unique, a statement of their commitment to simplicity of design, good craftsmanship and respect for this extraordinary material which is timber.

Man and Wood

The variety, warmth and beauty of timber are unparalleled. Man is often in conflict with nature, but when man and nature collaborate wonderful and amazing things can be achieved. The work of artistic woodturning experts extends from simple forms, where the wood speaks for itself, to complex creations, combining various types of timber and other materials in simple harmonies.

Segmented Woodturning Allows the Artist To Put Together Many Designs to Create One Great Piece

Methods Used for Woodturning:

In woodturning, lot of methods were used to provide a very unique outcome. Segmented woodturning is one of those methods. Segmented woodturning allows the artist to use texture and color as design elements in making lathe turned vessels, wood bowls and other pretty wood piece sculptures. In other words, a segmented wood turner has the prerogative on what he or she wants to make.

Segmented woodturning is where an initial work piece composed of number of parts glued together is turned on a wood lathe. This also involves having to glue up a few slabs of wood. This process allows the creation of patterns as well as beautiful visual effects in the turned objects. Polychromatic turning is the other name for the segmented style.

What Makes Segmented Woodturning Different?

Unlike with the conventional methods of woodturning wherein the template used is actually a single piece of wood and the size, orientation of the grain, as well as the bright colors of the wood frame how it can actually be turned into the products such as platters and bowls. This woodturning provides limitation on the size and patterns with your skill, patience and imagination. Though the majority of the segmented turned objects are shaped into vessels of one sort or another, any turned items made up of multiple pieces of glued wood can already be categorized as something that has undergone turning that is segmented.

Product Samples:

Pepper mills, salt shakers, pens and rolling pins are some of the examples. After items are being turned, by merely cutting them and then re-assembling them, can create unique and really beautiful forms, resulting in an artistic piece. You can also see the example of the work accomplished by Malcolm Tibbetts, who is an expert woodturner.

In addition to the design-related skills, it actually needs a lot more precision when it comes to woodworking skills as well as in the turning skills. The design as well as the general make up of a bowl blank, which is the piece of wood that can be usually seen mounted on top of the lathe for turning a vessel, needs to be angled, especially in miter joints cuts to as little as a tenth of just one degree, or a bit more.

Qualities of a Good Segmented Woodturner:

A segmented woodturner also has to possess some of the qualities needed in order for them to be more successful. Primarily, you have to be patient. In everything that we do, there are many quick and instant results. If you want to fulfill yourself and feel real satisfaction, take it easy and slow. Next is that you have to enjoy meticulous work. If you are a kind of person who is easily irritated by complex things, this is definitely an activity not suited for you. In segmented turning, you have to enjoy precise detailed work. Lastly, you need to be a little nutty!

Segmented Woodturners of the Past:

Segmented wood turning has been used a very long time ago, but only a few individuals have used this technique. But since today segmented turning has become more popular, here are some tips and ideas as well as some advantages that can be useful especially to the beginners. First is that a typical segmented project will cost a lot less to make because you make your blank in the shape of the project. This means less materials will be needed. Next is that there is less mess to clean up after turning a segmented object because you don't start with a solid chunk of wood, there will be 65-75% fewer shavings to clean up.

Controlling Grain in Segmented Wood Pieces:

Another thing is that, you can control the grain direction in segmented projects so the turning is easier with fewer opportunities for 'catches' and other unfortunate mishaps. Next is that you will end up with creations that Mother Nature could only dream of because with segmented projects, you can mix different wood types and take advantage of different orientations of the joints between pieces of wood. Another thing also is that you can figure out what your segmented project will look like before you start. There are several design tools you can use to do this.

Managing Leftover Wood:

Also, segmented projects are a way for you make good use of those little, leftover pieces of wood; even pen blanks are sometimes useful. Next important thing is that there is a bunch of people ready and eager to help you. And last but definitely not the least is that you do not have to wait forever for the wood to dry. Dried materials ready for use are easily available in the market.

Woodturning Tips - Dealing With Cracks in Wood

When a piece of green wood dries it can often be prone to warping and checking. Cracks are the last thing a wood turner wants to see on a wood blank. This can happen even if suitable precautions have been taken such as sealing the end grain with wax. When cracks do appear it is not the end of the world. There are still things you can do to salvage the piece and make the best of a bad situation.

When it comes to dealing with cracks in wood there are several options available to us. Some turners like to take advantage of the crevice by filling it with a substance that gives an attractive visual effect. This is called inlay and people commonly use gold and silver coloured material. For practical and cost reasons it does not have to be the genuine article. Brass and aluminium powder can make a perfectly good substitute for authentic gold and silver.

Before you start filling any cracks, you should be sure that the wood is stable with no further movement likely and seasoning has run its full course. The best way to tell if wood has finished seasoning is to weigh the item over the course of a number of days. If it still contains moisture, it will be slightly lighter every day. As soon as the weight stops falling then the wood is stable and ready to use.

If you do not wish to use decorative effects there are still ways of rescuing a wood turning blank. The crack can be filled with CA glue which does a great job of preventing the crack spreading. You can also use this adhesive mixed in with a little sawdust which can disguise the crack once the area is dry. Of course, care should be taken to use sawdust from the original piece for colour matching purposes.

In some cases, you may not want a crack on your turned item at all. In this scenario, the only way to remove it is to take some stock off the piece. This can be done either by cutting or sanding depending on how deep the crack is. For shallow cracks this technique does not represent a problem. However, you should proceed with caution as there is sometimes a risk that a crack can spread further into the wood.

The best way of dealing with cracks in wood is to take stock of the situation. Instead of discarding the item, you should seek an alternative solution. You could rescue the piece or use it on an entirely different project. There is always something you can do whether it is to remove the crack completely or to use it to your advantage. Sometimes a crack turned into a decorative feature can add tremendous value to a wood turning.

Woodturning Techniques

Woodturning is a way to make wooden projects using a lathe. The wood is generally turned by a motorized lathe while a tool us used to shave, gouge, and shape it into different objects. Woodturning is commonly used to make bowls, furniture, bats, instruments, wooden toys, game pieces, spindles, chair or table legs, and plates. Of course, as with any woodworking hobby, woodturning can be used in a lot of different ways. The project is only limited by the imagination and skill of the woodturner.

Projects usually start with a blank piece of wood. For spindles, toys, tool handles, doll house parts, and other small projects, you may be able to start with wooden dowels. This can simplify the process for you. If you don't start with a dowel, you will need to use a woodturning tool designed to get the blank into the basic shape that you want to work with.

Most projects start with a roughing gouge to round the wood blank into a spindle. The spindle can be smoothed using the razor sharp edge of the skew chisel. However, if you are making a bowl, which is the most popular woodturning project, you will need a special bowl gouge that is designed to turn the inside and outside of the bowl. You may also need a hollowing tool to cut out the deep sections of the bowl, especially if the bowl is narrow, or you're turning something like a vase. A tool called a bowl saver is popular because it allows you to cut a smaller bowl out of a larger one, saving your wood pieces for later projects.

You can work with a blank while the wood is still wet or green to more easily get it into the basic shape that you want without having to wait for the entire block to dry out. Turning on wet wood is actually easier and creates less sawdust than dry wood. However, you may not want to turn your whole project while the wood is wet. This technique of cutting on wet wood is usually used only to get the wood into the basic desired shape so that it will dry out faster. Wet wood that is turned will distort a little as it dries and shrinks. You want to make sure that you have enough wood thickness left to work with so that you can remove the rough exterior and any distortions once the wood is dry. Drying out large pieces of green wood can result in cracks, so many woodturners prefer to rough turn their pieces while the wood is newly felled.

There are many different styles of woodturning that can help you to create artistic and functional pieces. Pool cues, wooden eggs, candle holders, and platters are some other commonly turned items. You can use dowel rods of varying thickness to get you quickly started on a lot of different projects. Research which type of wood is better for your project before you order or make your dowels. You can purchase birch dowels, maple dowels, red or white oak dowels, cherry dowels, poplar dowels, ash dowels, or walnut dowels, giving you a large selection of woods to choose from for your woodturning project. Some companies will even turn wood that you provide into custom diameter dowels so that you have complete creative control over your project.

Cheap Woodturning

What would you rather have; a nice big shiny lathe, with new shiny tools? Or handing someone your turned object - as a gift say, and watch their jaw drop?

I strongly believe that superb woodturning can be done without all those expensive tools.

I have been woodturning for years and have produced many turned items using cheap alternatives.

Tip 1 - Source a second hand lathe.

My lathe cost me £50 several years ago. It had hardly been used and the chap I bought it from was already buying a more expensive one - can you believe it! There are many people like him around.

Second hand lathes are easy to source - eBay being the easiest. If you have seen a lathe you want in a magazine then, you have read the specifications on it.

Always contact the buyer beforehand - ideally ask if you can see it working.

Tip 2 - Make a bench for it from recycled wood.

The bench my lathe is on came from wood out of a skip. Had I bought it new it would have cost £40 easily.

Tip 3 - Make your own woodturning hand tools.

Wood turning hand tools can cost a fortune. Almost all my tools are chisels - I do not bother with skew chisels etc. as I can do just about anything I want, using an ordinary chisel and a parting tool.

Go to a boot sale and look for old rusty chisels covered in paint - ideally with a broken handle.

What you are really looking for is a "sheffield " steel ideally with a makers stamp as well (eg sorby and sons). Chances are this will be a "high carbon content" steel blade that you have bought cheap. Buying new (if you can find them) will cost a fortune.

Remove the handle - if its broken it comes off easier - and turn a new handle to fit your hand.

Sand off all the rust and debris from the blade and glue it with a 2 part epoxy to the hole you have made in your new handle. Now you have a custom made woodturning tool that would have cost a fortune to buy

If you do not have a sanding machine place some coarse wet and dry paper on a hard flat surface and rub it back and forth until clean - this is what I did before I could afford an electric sander.

Tip 4 - Keep your tools razor sharp.

A sharp edge means that the wood is cut and not torn. Torn wood is almost impossible to finish to a superb standard as all the fibres are broken in effect.

A sharp tool enables you to turn for longer and if you only cut fine, your end result will look superb and be very easy to finish. Big thick deep cuts will blunt the blade quickly. You also run the risk of " dig - in "

To sharpen tools you will need a grinder. These can be sourced easily on eBay. You must wear protective goggles, as a small hot piece of steel in your eye will mean a visit to hospital. You only have one pair of eyes so look after them.

Tip 5 - Keep your woodturning shavings.

Once your object is ready for a finish i.e. there are no sanding marks and you have used fine wire wool you can easily burnish using a handful of wood shavings.

Pick up a handful of shavings. Start the lathe. Press the shavings onto the work until you can feel it getting warm and then repeat with a new handful.

This heats up the wood so that some of its natural oil starts to come out and the friction polishes it.

On many occasions, this is all I have done for the finish - you get the natural look plus the feeling of the wood.

Beginning Woodturning - Mounting the Wood

While it is obvious that wood is spun on the wood lathe and then shaped with various hand tools, it is less obvious how to mount the wood on to the lathe in the first place. A bit of observation and common sense can turn this into an easy and safe operation.

Wood is mounted to the lathe in either spindle or faceplate orientation. Spindle turning means the grain of the wood will run parallel to the ground while faceplate implies the grain runs perpendicular to the ground. While there can be variations on this theme, the beginner is advised to follow the scheme until sufficient practise is obtained to change it with safety.

Chair legs and rungs are almost always turned in spindle orientation for reasons of strength. The pieces that join the legs together are often called spindles, hence the use of the term in woodturning.

Most wood lathes come with a spur center for the headstock and a tail center for the tailstock. Each of these has a center point. Many tail centers have ball bearings and turn freely. Spur centers are surrounded by two, three or more spurs that engage the wood. Spindle stock is mounted between these centers. Be sure to place the centers into the appropriate head and tail stocks. Ensure they are seated so that the spurs engage the wood and make it turn. From time to time while turning, tighten the tailstock to keep the spurs working. They will try to bore their way into the wood somewhat like a drill bit.

Again, most wood lathes will come with a faceplate. Like spur and tail centers they are also readily available from a variety of after market suppliers. Just get one that fits the threads on your lathe. The larger the piece of wood that is to be turned, the larger the faceplate that may be required, however, it is rare for most home wood lathes to require a faceplate larger than six inches.

Faceplates are used to turn objects such as bowls, platters, vases and hollow forms. They are mounted to the wood with screws and number fourteen, self tapping, sheet metal screws are advised. These have deep threads that hold the work well and are extremely strong. Usually screws that allow the threads to go three quarter inches deep are sufficient for most turning but longer ones give more security if needed. Be sure that the wood surface to which the faceplate attaches is flat. This gives a great deal of the holding power of the faceplate.

While there are other means of mounting the wood such as dedicated chucks, glue blocks, and four jaw chucks, centers and faceplates will allow the beginning turner to mount wood to the lathe for a great many projects. The old time wood turners used just these to outfit homes and businesses with wood turned essentials and art work.

Choosing a Woodturning Lathe Chuck

Before you start turning items on a lathe, you need to be able to securely hold the piece of wood in place. You can do this in one of several ways but the most common technique is by using a specialist woodturning chuck. This is also the safest method of holding your work while you concentrate on turning. A good quality chuck is made from high grade steel and will last you a lifetime.

Choosing a woodturning lathe chuck can be a problem because there are so many to choose from. These items are not cheap so if you were to buy several of them the costs would quickly add up. The best course of action is to decide what items you will be turning on the lathe. You can then choose the chuck that will best meet your needs. If necessary, you can purchase additional chucks at a later date when the need arises.

Instead of blowing your budget on several different chucks, you could do a lot worse than purchase a good all-rounder. The four jaw self centering scroll chuck featuring the dovetail jaw is a popular example. This chuck is extremely versatile, makes life easier and allows you to embark on a wide range of projects. The chuck is made of four steel jaws which open and close at the turn of a key. These come with interchangeable inserts which means they are compatible with all lathe spindles.

The screw chuck is ideal for turning bowls or rough turning stock. This chuck comes in numerous sizes and caters for specific project requirements. The bigger the piece of wood, the bigger the screw required to hold it securely. If you are turning a high volume of bowls, you may wish to consider investing in some specialist bowl chuck jaws. This is a good way of holding your work and eliminates the risk of damage or unsightly holes caused by a screw chuck.

The pin jaw chuck is designed for mounting bowls. This is done by expanding into a recess inside the bottom of the work piece. A dovetailed lip grips the wood securely allowing for safe and confident turning. On this chuck, the jaws work both ways by holding your work with inward or outward force. This means the pin jaw chuck comes in handy for turning small, intricate objects.

You can also make your own chuck from scrap wood mounted onto a faceplate. This is known as a jam chuck but does have some disadvantages. It is used mainly for finish turning as opposed to roughing out. Compared to the aforementioned examples it is inexpensive and quick to construct. Hopefully, after reading this article choosing a woodturning lathe chuck should be a relatively straightforward process.

Woodturning Kits Give You Everything To Get Started In This Woodworking Hobby

Woodturning is a process of making, building, or carving something out of wood by the use of a machine called lathe. Unlike other types of woodworking, woodturning uses an immobile tool which cuts and shapes a moving wood.

The Tools Used in Woodturning Kits

The tools used in this art work are mainly made up of three variable forms of carbon steel, steel, high-speed steel, as well as powdered forms of metal. Among the three kinds of steel, the high speed steel tool upholds its efficacy longer and requires less frequent sharpening.

Listed below are some tools suggested for a woodturning kit:

• Roughing gouge - This is a broad fluted gouge which primarily rounds a spindle that is usually made up of wood, and to approximately form it. Due to the somewhat frail connection of the tang which connects the blade to its handle and the large cut it takes, it is not commonly used for cutting end grain. It is also dangerous for creating bowls or any other design or style of faceplate work.

• Spindle gouge or also known as the Detail gouge - This is a shallowly fluted gouge that places details on the different spindles, as well as beads (elevated sections of the turning usually in half circles within a particular cross section) as well as some coves (relieved sections of the turning).

• Bowl gouge - This is a deeply fluted gouge which is for rotating the outside as well as the inside parts of the vessels and bowls. Compared to a spindle gouge, it commonly has a thicker pipe as a shaft, plus a longer handle because it is created for cutting farther away from the hand rest and be able to deal with the forces required in turning a huge bowl.

• Skew chisel - This is a broad, sharply pointed chisel that has its rim running at a certain angle that covers the entire length of this particular tool. It is used to smooth out plane spindles, cut different types of beads, and put in a lot more details. Today, skew chisels are never used on faceplate work but only used on spindle work and are polished after sharpening to generate a razor edge.

• Parting tool - This is a pointed device that is used to divide (part off) work from this particular lathe, and to build a straight edge by means of dividing large as well as small diameter sections. Broad parting tools, which are also referred to as bedans, are utilized in order to make uniformly sized spindle sections.

• Hollowing tool - This tool has many different kinds and they are primarily used to cut out the deep portions of vases, hollow vessels, and steep bowls. They commonly appear as long-handled and this is for the purpose of keeping adequate leverage when you are working with a deep vessel, beyond the hand rest.

• Scraper - This is a device used to smooth out wooden items that were cut using other tools by scraping the fibers that are contained in the wood instead of cutting it. It also gives shape to materials that are impossible to do using other devices. A sharp scraper, especially the ones made today, has some sort of a burr that can be located at the edge that cuts the wood, but only a scraper that is not sharp actually scrapes.

• Bowl saver - This is a device used for coring out the inner part of a certain bowl. It saves the wasted wood material and allows it to be used to make a bowl of a smaller size and limits the quantity of wood chips made when making a certain bowl fairly hollow.

• Auger - This is a drill bit used to drill a hole half-way or all the way through a wooden item. It is used for creating a hole for a lamp cord which is the first step in shaping out a vessel or bowl.

• Chatter tool - a kind of scraper that is bendable and used to add beautiful and highly decorative designs to turned items.

• Wire - a plain wire that occasionally comes with handles at both or either sides used for burning lines into the piece with the use of friction.

• There are also different types of tools used for special purposes, and some are a combination of the tools mention above, like, thread cutting tools, skew/chisel combination, medium fluted gouges, ring cutting tools, etc.

Most of the tools mentioned above require more sharpening compared to tools used in other woodworking activities for the reason that these woods undergo a great speed.

Success Through Woodturning Kits

However, success in woodturning does not merely depend on the tools used but it also greatly depends on other important factors, like understanding the science of revolving bodies and points of tangency, harmony of mental and motor activities, development of technique and accuracy, and etc.

This may sound a little bit complicated to some but most people find woodturning pleasurable because it combines art, design, and science to create objects of beauty.

Woodturning Tips - Woodturning Tool Selection For Beginners

Overview

One of the first things you need to do when you are getting started in woodturning, is to purchase your tools. There are two basic ways to acquire a starter set of tools: 1.) Purchase a basic set of tools from a manufacturer or 2.) Purchase individual tools and build your own set. For most new woodturners, I recommend that you choose option two, build your own set. While it may be tempting to just buy a basic set of tools from your favorite manufacturer, it may not be the best choice for you in the long run. Tool sets typically require you to settle for a general purpose collection, which usually contain tools that you may not need, or want initially.

Woodturning tools are basically divided between spindle tools and faceplate turning tools. Spindle tools are typically used to turn spindle projects like pens and table legs, where the grain of the wood is parallel to the bed of the lathe. Faceplate tools are typically used to turn bowls, platters and other projects, where the grain turns perpendicular to the bed of the lathe. Specialty tools are also available including tools designed for deep hollowing, center saving, threading, texturing and more.

Alloy Choices

Numerous tool alloys are available in modern woodturning tools however, two main alloys are commonly used, M2 High Speed Steel (HSS) and Powder Metal technology steel, including the ASP 2030 and ASP 2060 alloys. If you're just getting started, choose M2 HSS for most of your woodturning tools. It's the least expensive alloy available in the high speed steel range and it offers very good edge life for the money. Although more exotic steels are available that offer increased edge life, they can cost several times more than a basic M2 HSS tool of the same size. Once you are more established and your interests are more clearly defined, you can look to the expensive exotic tool steels to meet specific requirements.

M2 HSS

M2 HSS is the industry standard alloy in woodturning, with an edge than can last approximately 5 - 6 times as long as traditional high carbon steel. M2 HSS can maintain its edge even if "blued" during the grinding/sharpening process. M2 HSS tools are economical and offer excellent value. M2 HSS is now available from some manufacturers in cryogenically treated versions. These tools are specially treated at temperatures of -300 degrees below zero. This treatment increases the durability and edge holding capability of the base tool steel approximately 250% or more.

ASP Powder Metal

Powder metal steel is a special type of tool steel that can hold its edge up to 4.5 times longer than traditional M2 HSS, depending on the particular alloy used. ASP powder metal tool steels offer exceptional edge life and are more expensive than M2 HSS. If you're working very abrasive timbers, or prefer longer edge life on your tools, a few powder metal tools in your workshop will be a welcome addition to your chisel inventory.

How Are Turning Tools Measured?

Most spindle tools are measured by the diameter of the round tool shaft. Most bowl gouges are measured by the width of the flute, with the diameter of the shaft being approximately 1/8" larger than the width of the flute. When selecting turning tools, bear in mind that many woodturning tools have multiple applications. This means that one turning tool may in effect, have many different uses.

Determining What Woodturning Tools You Need To Get Started

The first step in selecting which woodturning tools you need to get started, is to decide if you want to turn spindle projects, faceplate projects, or maybe a little of both. Next, you need to determine what size lathe you will be using, mini, intermediate, or large. Obviously, larger projects on big lathes require larger tools than what you would need with small and medium sized lathes.

Tools To Consider Purchasing

The following basic tool list is suitable for a beginner woodturner, organized by the type of tool. This list assumes you want to do a variety of spindle and faceplate projects and you're turning on a lathe that swings 12", or less. Lathe swing is defined as twice the distance from the bedway to the center of the spindle. Looked at another way, the swing is the maximum diameter round blank that a lathe can turn without hitting the bedway. If your lathe is larger or smaller than the example above, you will need to adjust the sizes of tools listed to meet your specific requirements.

Spindle Gouges

1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" spindle gouges. These will be your mainstay for spindle work and fine detail work. They can also be used on the outside of bowls for detail work, but never on the inside. Spindle gouges are unsuitable for bowl hollowing work.

Bowl Gouges

1/2" deep fluted bowl gouge for rough-out work and bulk wood removal. A 3/8" deep fluted bowl gouge would also be very useful for finishing cuts.

Detail Gouges

If your budget allows it, a 3/8" or 7/16" detail gouge would be useful for reaching long distances off the tool rest. Detail gouges feature a shallow flute, which adds rigidity to the shaft and reduces vibrations.

Parting Tools

Two main styles are needed a 3/16" diamond parting tool for general work and deep parting cuts and an ultra-thin kerf 1/16" tool for minimal waste when grain matching, working on boxes, pens etc.

Scrapers

A thick scraper is a great tool to use occasionally during bowl turning. The best scrapers are thick and wide with the 3/8" x 1.5" half round nose being a good overall choice. In addition, if your budget allows it, add a 3/8" x 1.5" dual angle scraper. This tool is an excellent choice for shear scraping of many faceplate projects.

Skew Chisels

If you're doing a lot of spindle work, a Skew Chisel is a must have to produce glass smooth surfaces right off the tool. A 3/4" or a 1" skew chisel would be a good choice. There are several styles including a straight skew, rounded skew, oval skew and full round skew. Most of my students prefer the straight skew, or rounded skew when learning this tool.

Micro Turning Tools

If you anticipate doing lots of bowl and platter detail work, or smaller spindle type projects such as pens, small inlays, vases etc, a few micro turning tools are nice to have on hand. Among the more useful are 1/4" and 3/16" micro spindle gouges, a 1/4" micro round nose scraper and a 1/4" micro skew chisel. You will use these regularly for various types of detail work on your projects.

Woodturning Blanks - Spalted Wood and Where to Find It

When a piece of wood starts to rot and decay the fungi and mould combines to produce a strange reaction. This phenomenon causes a wonderful array of lines, colours and patterns that stain the wood. This process creates stunning visual effects and is known as spalting. The best examples of spalting usually occur in lighter coloured woods such as Beech, Maple, Birch and sometimes Oak.

When it comes to woodturning blanks, spalted wood is highly prized by all wood turners. Because it is sought after timber, some craftsmen actually try artificially inducing the spalting process to replicate the fantastic patterns. This usually involves placing a piece of wood inside a plastic bin liner along with a small amount of water, beer and Oak leaves. A small piece of rotting or spalted wood will also speed up the process.

Spalted wood is commonly found on the forest floor. If a tree branch has been brought down by strong winds and left on the ground, you can guarantee that spalting will follow fairly quickly. Spalting only occurs in certain conditions for example, where some moisture is present and in certain temperatures. When the wood dries the fungi is killed but the amazing patterns remain.

The only downside with spalted wood is the reduced strength in some cases. This means sometimes it is difficult to work with. If a piece of timber has been decaying for too long, it can be particularly weak. This problem is not an insurmountable one but decayed wood will require treatment with a specialist wood hardener. This will make the piece stable and suitable for most wood turning or carving projects.

Some of the most impressive turned objects you will see are made out of spalted wood. If you do not fancy purchasing spalted woodturning blanks, you can always ask Mother Nature to help you out by collecting some dead wood from the forest floor. This is a readily available source of spalted wood as long as you have permission and don't mind getting your hands dirty.

Woodturning Projects - Why a File Handle is a Good Place to Start

Most of us who turn wood come from a woodworking background in flat work. The wood lathe opens up a new world of woodworking with new tools that have their own learning curve and the preferred way to learn is to turn simple projects. A file handle meets the basic criteria of a woodturning project for learning purposes in being inexpensive, entertaining, and useful as a finished item as well as teaching important skills in basic woodturning.

All that is needed for a file handle is a square of wood and, if desired, a scrap piece of copper pipe for a ferrule. The tools that are used are the roughing gouge to reduce the wood square to round; a parting tool to determine the finished diameters, reduce the ferrule section and part off the handle; and a spindle gouge to leave a finger groove for comfort.

A trip to the woodpile should give a suitable piece of wood for the handle. In fact, since a square of about 1 1/4" will be sufficient, a piece of ash or maple will likely supply three or four appropriate blocks. Just a few minutes at the band saw or other cutting station and the wood should be ready to go.

Mark the centres on each end mount the wood between spur center at the head stock of the wood lathe and the tail stock at the other end. Make sure the wood will clear the tool rest before turning on the lathe. There will be some discussion among wood turners as to what the appropriate speed should be, but basically the speed with which you are comfortable is a good one to use. For things this size 1200 rpm is likely good to start.

The roughing gouge is used to turn the wood to a rough cylinder. In conjunction with a measuring gauge, the parting tool is used to determine the final diameters of the butt end, hand grip, finger grip, and ferrule. Either the roughing gouge or the spindle gouge can be used to cut to the final surface but the spindle gouges will generally give a smoother texture and can be used for all the shaping or for the final cut before sanding.

The finger section gives a comfortable feel to the tool and is coved with the spindle gouge. This is the section that really emphasizes cutting with the grain and is a valuable learning place for new wood turners. Similarly the ferrule section needs precise cutting with the parting tool to precisely fit the pipe section. After a quick sanding and finish on the lathe with a bit of shellac, if desired, it can then be parted off and another one mounted.

One of the delights of a woodturning project like this is giving it away to a woodworking friend. Most commercial file handles are miserable to use and a poor fit to most hands so this is a welcome addition to any woodworker's tool kit. Also, the gratitude is usually more than sufficient to inspire the next one and the one after that. After all, in woodturning as in most other things, practise makes perfect, or at least close.

This Woodturning Project Information Gets You On the Right Track Toward A Rewarding Hobby

Woodturning project ideas, or the craft of making objects from different wood materials, is an inseparable part of the technological progress and the life of many people. There are some crafts that are more specific than others. Woodturning is a type of woodworking, but it uses crafting methods that are fundamentally from the classic ones. You should definitely learn about this unique craft, at it is an exciting venture.

This type of woodworking involves the spinning movement of the wood which is shaped with special tools and the use of a stationary tool called a lathe. This equipment resembles a table with legs. A number of tools which perform different functions, are applied to the wood. In this way the piece is cut, shaped, drilled, sanded or knurled. Generally, you can make any sort of object with the use of a lathe.

The early craftsmen used lathes and woodturning techniques to create objects for home use such as bowls. It is interesting to note that the first tool of this type was invented in the 14th century BC by the Ancient Egyptians. Improved versions of the lathe came into use in the Middle Ages.

During the industrial revolution the tool was motorized, which made it even more functional and easy to use. With the growing of mass production woodturning became the main manufacturing process in a lot of industries. The techniques were used for the production of part for wooden furniture from legs and stretchers to fine ornaments. Wooden pencils and pens were also made with the use of motorized lathes. Various other objects such as chess pieces and musical instruments were produced in this way as well.

In fact, these wooden objects are still manufactured with lathes. The only difference is that the tools used for mass production today are totally automated and are operated with the use of computers. The human involvement in the actual woodturning has become completely obsolete. However, this craft has turned into an intriguing hobby. You can use a motorized lathe to make all sort of functional and decorative objects by hand. You can turn your hobby into a business since the original, unique and personalized items crafted in this way are highly valued.

As a start, you have to pick a reliable woodturning lathe. These are readily available on the market. You should opt for one with woodturning tools made from the strongest steel. In this way they will work efficiently for longer. These require less frequent sharpening. This makes the work process more effective, convenient and even more cost-efficient. You are highly recommended to choose tools from high-speed steel.

There are all types of woodturning tools that you need to equip yourself with. You will need a roughing gouge for the initial rounding of the wood. A spindle gouge will allow you to create all sorts of details. You will need a bowl gouge, a bowl saver and a hollowing tool as well. The hollowing tool is used for the making of deeper cuts. You will have to use a skew chisel and a specific scraper to smooth the wood. The auger is used for the drilling of holes. You will have to use a parting tool to separate the wood piece from the lathe.

There are a number of woodturning techniques that you can use to produce a variety of beautiful objects. Spindle turning is the simplest and most common method used for the making of furniture parts, spindles and pens. The spur center digs into the wood. The other center supports the work piece. In faceplate woodturning, the object is secured with screws to a faceplate and then a tool is used for its crafting. This technique is used for the making of hollow objects such as bowls and platters.

More elaborate techniques involve eccentric and elliptical turning. The former is characterized by the turning of a wood piece a number of times with the axes of rotation being changed each time. Elliptical turning involves the alteration of the actual center of rotation of the piece. In this way the cuts become oval rather than round. Therming and segment turning are other popular techniques. The latter is used for the creation of particularly artistic pieces.

Woodturning is interesting, rewarding and fun. It requires a lot of work, but your efforts will pay off in the end. The important thing is to take all safety measures when working. Let Woodworking Project Ideas help you with this rewarding craft.