What is Woodturning?
Simply put woodturning is a mechanized form of carving and is the oldest form of powered woodworking known to man. It is accomplished by placing a piece of wood on to a machine called a lathe. The lathe then spins the wood while hand held gouges are applied to cut the wood to shape. I divide woodturnings themselves into three categories. Utilitarian woodturnings are those items created for a specific use. Salad and fruit bowls and furniture parts are examples of items from this category. Craft items are similar to utilitarian items in that they can serve a purpose but they tend to be smaller and inexpensive. Pens, bottle stoppers and ring caddies are craft items. The last category is art objects. These are items specifically created for strictly decorative purposes and have no use. The hollow form is the most common type of art woodturning but many bowls also end up in this category.
With most woodcutting power tools, the cutting blade turns and the woodworker either moves the wood against the blade, as in a table saw or band saw, or moves the moving blade across the wood, as with a radial arm saw or skillsaw. The lathe is unique in that the wood is mounted on the lathe and then caused to spin around by the motor, turning the mounted wood toward the front of the machine. A metal bar called a tool rest is positioned in front of the turning wood and special woodturning tools with exotic names like bowl gouge, skew, parting tool, and scraper are laid with the cutting end of the tool across the tool rest with the sharp end toward the wood. By carefully moving the cutting tool in toward the spinning piece of wood and along the top edge of the tool rest, the piece of wood may be rounded and shaped. As with any power tool, there are dangers involved in woodturning, but the prudent use of normal safety measures will reduce the danger and enhance the enjoyment of woodturnin
Woodturning is a form of woodworking that is used to create wooden objects on a lathe. Woodturning differs from most other forms of woodworking in that the wood is moving while different tools, (chisels, gouges, scrapers,) are used to cut and shape it. Beads, coves, texturing, and other embellishments are then be added to create a functional or decorative piece of work.
Woodturning is the art or craft of cutting shapes in wood while it revolves on a lathe. The cutting tool is held by the operator against the revolving work, and the wood removed in the form of fine shavings. Because the work is spinning, the shapes produced are generally circular in cross-section in at least one plane.
Woodturning is one form of the art form known as woodworking. Essentially, woodturning involves using a lathe to create objects from some type of wood. As the lathe turns, the wood remains in the same position and slowly is shaped by the operation of the lathe. Using this basic process, it is possible to create many different objects from wood, including some designs that are intricate in detail. The actual process of woodturning can be classified into two distinct methods. Spindle turning is a process that involves using wood where the grain runs in the same direction as the lathe bed. Items such as table legs, spindles for beds, and legs for chairs are examples of woodturning objects that are created using spindle turning. A second approach to woodturning is known as faceplate turning. In this application, the wood grain runs vertical to the rotation of the lathe. Faceplate turning is the woodturning strategy of choice for such items as wooden platters, bowls, and charger plates. Woo
