Wood Turning

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 a stationary tool is used to cut and shape it. Many intricate shapes and designs can be made by turning wood. Invented by the egyptians!

There are two distinct methods of turning wood: spindle turning and bowl or faceplate turning. Their key difference is in the orientation of the wood grain, relative to the axis of the lathe. This variation in orientation changes the tools and techniques used. In spindle turning, the grain runs lengthways along the lathe bed, as if a log was mounted in the lathe. Grain is thus always perpendicular to the direction of rotation under the tool. In bowl turning, the grain runs at right angles to the axis, as if a plank were mounted across the chuck. When a bowl blank rotates, the angle that the grain makes with the cutting tool continually changes between the easy cuts of lengthways and downwards across the grain to two places per rotation where the tool is cutting across the grain and even upwards across it. This varying grain angle limits some of the tools that may be used and requires additional skill in order to cope with it.

Notes from Rob’s Class

• Hard wood better for precise result. Such as Mahogany or Sycamore.
• Avoid knots in wood. Tool can grab.
• Fresher (wet) wood makes for better result.
• Wood has a moisture content meaning it will dry differently so there will be varying shrinkage for each piece produced.
• Wood is sealed with wax to keep in moisture. When buying from a shop.
• Avoid wood with ‘rays’. These are splits from the centre of the wood and only get bigger as the wood dries out and ages.
• Hazards of dusts – HSE.gov.uk/woodworking/wooddust

Tools

• roughing gouge – a wide fluted gouge used to initially round a wooden spindle, and to roughly shape it. Generally not intended for cutting end grain due to the large cut it takes and the relatively weak tang connecting the blade to the handle. Unsafe for making bowls or any faceplate work.
• spindle gouge or detail gouge – a shallow fluted gouge used to create details on spindles, including beads (raised portions of the turning typically semi-circular in cross section) and coves (relieved portions of the turning).
• bowl gouge – a deep fluted gouge used to turn the outside and inside of bowls and vessels. Often has a thicker shaft and longer handle than a spindle gouge because it has to cut farther away from the hand rest and deal with the forces of turning a large bowl.
• skew chisel – a wide, steeply pointed chisel with the edge running at an angle to the length of the tool. Used to smooth flat spindles, cut beads, and add details. Skew chisels are only used on spindle work (never on faceplate work) and are honed after sharpening to create a razor edge.
• parting tool – a pointed tool used to separate (part off) work from the lathe, and to create a straight edge separating large and small diameter sections – wide parting tools also called bedans are used to create evenly sized spindle sections.
• hollowing tool – many different types of tools used to cut out the deep sections of steep bowls, vases and hollow vessels. Often with very long handles, to maintain enough leverage when working in a deep vessel, far away from the hand rest.
• scraper – a tool that scrapes the wood fibres instead of cutting – these are used to smooth off wooden items cut with other tools, and to shape items that are not possible or difficult to shape with gouges. A sharp scraper has a burr at the edge which cuts the wood, only a dull scraper actually scrapes.
• bowl saver – a tool used to core out the inside part of a bowl, allowing the waste piece to be used to create a smaller bowl, and to limit the amount of wood chips created when hollowing out a bowl.
• auger – a drill bit used to drill a hole partway or all the way through a wooden item. For cutting the hole for a lamp cord, or as the first step when hollowing out a bowl or vessel
• chatter tool – a flexible scraper used to add decorative chatter marks to turned items
• wire – a simple wire, sometimes with handles attached at either side, for the purpose of burning lines into the piece with friction.
• there are also several tool types for special purposes, as well as tools that are a combination design of the above tools, i.e. skew/chisel combinations, threadcutting tools, ring cutting tools, medium fluted gouges, etc.

Process of Making an Oil Candle Holder

Location: DT Lab

PPE: Full face shield. If allergic to dust/wood chips wear face mask and possibly barrier cream.