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.

Darrell Feltmate is a juried wood turner whose web site, Around the Woods, contains detailed information about wood turning for the novice or experienced turner as well as a collection of turnings for your viewing pleasure. You too can learn to turn wood, here is the place to start. Wondering what it looks like? There are many free videos on the site dealing with everything from sharpening to making a bowl.

There are several wood turning projects fully explained on the web site. In particular, a selection of beginner's projects may be found on the Beginner's Projects page complete with explanation and step by step photos.

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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.

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Lathe Techniques To Give Your Woodturning Project the Right Design Touch

The same as any craft, woodturning demands a strong foundation in the basics, knowing the wood properties, tools, techniques and most especially design techniques or considerations. Improving this knowledge gives the woodturner the ability to express unique creativity in challenging ways, from the traditional to the modern style.

Spindle Turning Technique:

There are two basic tasks performed on the wood lathe, and spindle turning is the most popular. The process of spindle turning includes mounting a wood blank between the lathe's headstock and tailstock. Many different spindle types can be created, from furniture legs to pens. Several turning tools are used to shape the project. When turning small projects like wooden pens, wood turners use a small lathe size.

Decorative Spindle Technique:

Decorative spindle techniques, unlike the spindle turning technique, focus primarily on roughing, smoothing and sizing a cylindrical or tapered stock of wood. The technique includes elaborate cutting of grooves, notches, curves and unique shapes. But despite the fact this seems a complicated technique, all decorative spindle turning is based on two basic cuts of beads and coves. Beads are raised convex surfaces whereas coves are cut-in concave hollows. Though beads and coves can stand alone, usually, they are part of a combination of elements in the overall design.

Faceplate Turning Technique:

Faceplate turning technique is one of the most pleasing turning techniques, since the wood turner watches a rough block of wood change into a symmetrical, smooth, hollow timber item before his eyes. The whole process happens on the lathe. There is no assembly or fabrication of other wood pieces. The process is one fluid woodturning task. Faceplate turning provides the wood turner a good deal of design freedom.

Bowl Turning Technique:

Bowl turning is considered a little more difficult than spindle turning, but as the wood turner becomes more experienced in faceplate turning, he will improve his skills to the point that bowl turning will become second nature. The bowl gouge is the integral tool used in turning bowl. The wood turner holds the gouge's bevel on the wood blank that turns into a roughly shaped bowl. Scraping tools are also used in bowl turning.

Conclusion:

Wood turning is not only fun but when practiced it can be a very great and relaxing experience. Start with the simple design using the simple technique. As time goes by, you will learn strategies to make things easy and start practicing the next design technique. No single technique can make you an expert. You need to master these basic techniques and start making your own afterwards.

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The Woodturning Lathe - Your Main Tool In Every Woodturning Project

What exactly is Woodturning?

Woodturning is an experience you can totally enjoy. It can definitely be a rewarding and an addictive experience as well. It is fulfilling in a sense that you have a finished product afterwards, or you can even do this for repairing your damaged furniture parts. The pleasure of making or repairing your own wood turned products is definitely yours to have. You did not just save a lot of money; you also gained experience and a new learning as well.

The Importance of the Woodturning Lathe:

One important thing you have to provide so that woodturning becomes possible is a woodturning lathe. Lathes have become more trendy as years passed by. Many people have discovered woodturning lathes that are more convenient and can absolutely provide high quality of finished product.

However, in trying to search for a woodturning lathe, you have to be very careful in selecting one and always choose the best lathe. Some of them might be overlooked and can give you frustration later. If the price might be too expensive for you, take it easy because you can still sell it later as a second hand.

There are Different Sizes:

Lathes, especially the ones manufactured today, come in various different sizes, from small pen lathes up to huge machines that turn bowls. They have been purposely designated in accordance to the greatest diameter of the material that is allowed to be swung over the top part of the bed. A lathe that is very much capable of turning a disk that has a diameter of eleven inches, is referred to as an 11-inch lathe.

The other dimensions that must be taken in to account are those with a center measurement. This determines the number that showcases the maximum length of the material needed, which, in turn, can be mounted in between the headstock and tailstock. Parts of a lathe may or may not include a leg or a stand. It functions as an elevator of the lathe bed to your desired working height.

Parts of the Woodturning Lathe:

Almost all types of lathes have a bed. One end of the bed is called the headstock. It contains high-precision spinning bearings. Further, headstock often contains parts to enable conversion of the motor speed into variety of spindle speeds. Another part is called the tailstock. It can be positioned at any part of the bed and therefore, it is usually referred to as the loose head. It has a barrel that slides in and out parallel to the axis of the bed, and directly in line with the headstock spindle.

In a metalworking lathe, a carriage with a saddle and apron is topped with a cross-slide. A cross-slide is a flat piece that is situated crosswise on the bed. Unlike a metalworking lathe, woodturning lathes do not have a cross-slide, but banjos. Same as cross-slide, banjos are placed crosswise on the bed. However, its position can be adjusted manually.

Types of Woodturning Lathes

Beginners Lathe (Mini Lathe): This type of lathe is actually one of the world's most famous choices for most beginners. It can be fitted in a limited space and can also be extended later if you desired to. One consideration you have to think before selecting your first wood turning lathe is the cast iron bed and cast iron headstock and tailstock. It should have a minimum of four speeds with the lowest being 500rpm or lower, and the highest being 2000rpm or higher. Lathes are better without those light sheet metal construction and those with spindle bearing at one end only.

Floor Lathe: This is a heavy duty lathe, floor mounted, bed is more rigid than any lighter models, and this is a machine for serious and advanced wood turners.

CNC Lathe: This type of lathe is usually used by industrial user rather than the beginners or for the hobbyist. Though it has the disadvantage of programming it really hard, this lathe is able to produce complicated designs.

Pen Lathe: Small specialized lathe, usually limited to maximum 2" swing, ideal for pen turning, or turning dollhouse objects, just like cups, pots, columns, plates, and vases. It can also be used for prototypes for railroad pieces (including power or sign posts) and doll or marionette limbs. Thousands of classical model building items may be turned with ease. Note that you will also need specialist accessory tools to match.

Additional Equipment:

Some of the additional pieces of equipment you have to prepare are sharpening equipment, set of tools such as skew chisel, spear chisel, round nose chisel, parting chisel and gouge, abrasives and safety equipment.

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Sharpening Woodturning Tools - Seeking the Edge

Woodturners all agree that wood lathe tools need to be sharp, the question however is "how sharp is sharp enough?" A few simple considerations will get us quickly back to the lathe and to turning wood.

First we need to question what is a good edge for woodturning. The razor edge sought after by wood carvers and aficionados of wood planes quickly disappears under the rapid movement of turning wood as well as the bark and knots that often meets the edges of our tools. As opposed to the very fine angle used to achieve a knife edge, woodturning tools require a hefty amount of steel behind the cutting edge so as to resist the impact of the wood itself.

For bowl turners in particular, a forty five degree sharpening angle will give an edge that removes clean shavings while retaining a clean cut for a reasonable length of time before sharpening is again necessary. The nature of spindle turning which generally calls for higher speeds and more knot free wood allows for a tighter angle of about thirty degrees.

The need for an edge that hold up under the stress of high speeds and less than perfect wood allows a turner to use a grinder as the primary sharpening tool. A honed and stropped edge on a gouge tends to be quickly dulled by the spinning material. However, the grinder with an aluminum oxide stone of eighty to a hundred grit will leave an edge that cuts well and holds up reasonably well under most turning circumstances. A quick trip to the grinder allows the turner to get back to work with minimum time spent on the sharpening process.

Skew chisels may require a slightly different approach. They are used for spindle turning and thus can have a sharper angle than most gouges, especially those used for faceplate work. In addition they are sharpened on both sides similar to a knife blade while most other woodturning tools are sharpened on only one side. For most cuts the edge off the grinder will be quite sufficient, however, the skew rests in the woodturner's arsenal in much the same place as a plane to a flat woodworker. Finishing cuts in particular for a skew may call for a honing before the cut. In skilled hands a skew may leave a surface that requires little or no sanding before the finish is applied.

Scrapers are used by most if not all woodturners and require an even heavier edge. Many times they are ground to only eighty or seventy degrees. However, fine cuts and very fine shavings can be achieved using the burr raised from the grinder in a trailing motion.

Surprisingly, the simple grinder becomes a very efficient sharpening tool for the experienced woodturner. What is needed is an understanding of the tool that is held and the wood that is to be cut so as to understand the cutting edge one is after. Putting these together before the grinder allows for an enjoyable and productive time in making shavings at the wood lathe.

Darrell Feltmate is a juried wood turner whose web site, Around the Woods, contains detailed information about wood turning for the novice or experienced turner as well as a collection of turnings for your viewing pleasure. You too can learn to turn wood, here is the place to start. Wondering what it looks like? There are many free videos on the site dealing with everything from sharpening to making a bowl.

While sharpening wood turning tools is a mystery to many wood turners you can easily and cheaply make a jig to solve your sharpening problems. To see how and solve those problems in a hurry, check out the sharpening pages at http://aroundthewoods.com/sharpening01.html. There are lots of explanations, pictures and videos, all free, to get you underway.

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Woodturning Skills - Sharpening Free Hand Or With A Jig

The most basic of all woodturning skills is cutting wood with a hand held tool while the wood spins on a wood lathe. This requires the second most basic skill, sharpening the tools themselves. There are two major ways to accomplish this, free hand sharpening and sharpening with a jig.

Free hand sharpening mimics the movements of woodturning itself. Virtually the same movements are needed at the grinder as at the wood lathe. A grinder is after all is said and done, a round stone moving in the direction of the turner, or in this case the sharpener. Tools are presented to the stone in the same fashion and at the same angles as they are presented to the wood. It would seem that this should be a simple task to master but experience will quickly establish otherwise.

First of all, when a woodturner is beginning to learn to turn wood the motions that will later become second nature must first be learnt and practised over and over. While this is accomplished at the wood lathe with inexpensive or even free wood, sharpening is practised on the tools themselves. If it is done badly, expensive steel is wasted and even more is ground away in further attempts to rectify the mistake. At the same time, dull or badly sharpened tools make learning those woodturning skills difficult, impossible or dangerous.

Jigs can help. It is an interesting occurrence in woodworking that the same people who will use jigs with router, table saw or other woodworking tool, frown on the idea of using jigs to aid in sharpening woodturning tools. There is certainly a measure of elitism involved.

However, jigs, either commercial or home made, will enable even the newest turner to quickly and effectively sharpen their tools and return to work with sharp instruments for a great cut. Just follow the directions and good results come easily. More and more professional woodturners are also using jigs for sharpening their tools because the results are so predictable and good.

While the choice of learning to turn free hand or use a jig is certainly up to the individual turner, it is a good thing to learn both ways. Use of a jig will gradually get a person used to the movements fro free hand sharpening for that day when he or she is away from a jig. Also one skill complements the other as was pointed out before. Elitism should not prevent one from the enjoyment of sharp tools and whispering shavings nor should reliance on jigs prevent one from the satisfaction of learning valuable skills.

Darrell Feltmate is a juried wood turner whose web site, Around the Woods, contains detailed information about wood turning for the novice or experienced turner as well as a collection of turnings for your viewing pleasure. You too can learn to turn wood, here is the place to start. Wondering what it looks like? There are many free videos on the site dealing with everything from sharpening to making a bowl.

While sharpening wood turning tools is a mystery to many wood turners you can easily and cheaply make a jig to solve your sharpening problems. To see how and solve those problems in a hurry, check out the sharpening pages at http://aroundthewoods.com/sharpening01.html. There are lots of explanations, pictures and videos, all free, to get you underway.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darrell_Feltmate

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Article Submitted On: October 18, 2010

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