Popular Woodworking Magazine » Turning

Easy Wood Tools and Sorby TurnMaster Compared

Steve Shanesy — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 18:13:20 +0000

I learned to turn a number of years before Easy Wood Tools introduced its line of turning tools in 2010. These tools were different from more traditional turning tools – they were designed to make turning easier to learn for the beginner by greatly simplifying the techniques of how turning tools cut wood. Easy Wood … Read more »

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Turning a Large Tabletop, Part 2

Steve Shanesy — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:18:31 +0000

Over the weekend I managed to finish turning a new 24″-diameter walnut tabletop. Although I’ve been turning for a number of years now, I’d never undertaken a large-diameter disc like this. At first, I was bit intimidated by the prospect of turning this big blank, but frankly, now that it’s all done except for some … Read more »

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Turning a Large Tabletop

Steve Shanesy — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 18:05:34 +0000

I’ve been turning for about seven years now and have completed hundreds of objects ranging from table legs to large bowls to tiny bottle stoppers. Yet I’d never undertaken a large-diameter (in this case 24″) turning, and frankly, I was a bit anxious about it. Turns out it wasn’t nearly as tough as turning a … Read more »

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Lighting the Lathe

Steve Shanesy — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 22:17:56 +0000

Good lighting is essential for lathe work. I really don’t think you can have too much. But general overhead lighting doesn’t cut it because you constantly need to train full, bright light on small details. I also use light to see the shape of my turnings not looking at the object itself, but using a … Read more »

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Turner, or Woodworker? Both!

David Thiel — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:43:13 +0000

I’ve been a woodworker for over 30 years. I’ve built commercial and residential furniture and cabinetry. But I’m not a turner. Turners are different folk, and I mean that in a good way. Turners are able to create (and that is the correct word) a finished project in a day. Often times quicker than that. … Read more »

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Modern Master Reproduces a Period Master

Matthew Teague — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 03:31:41 +0000

Readers in the New York area shouldn’t miss the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibit “Duncan Phyfe: Master Cabinetmaker in New York,” which is slated to run through May 6, 2012. Whether you make it to the exhibit or not, take a look at the museum’s video of Maine woodworker Allan Breed turning and carving water … Read more »

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Weeping (for the) Willow

Steve Shanesy — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 20:31:49 +0000

I’ve always admired the graceful beauty of a willow tree with its long thin branches dancing in the slightest breeze. Maybe it’s because I lived in Los Angeles for a number of years where most of the trees (palm) looked like a telephone pole sporting a spike hairdo. About 10 years ago, I found a … Read more »

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Finding Balance

Ajax Alexandre — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:01:18 +0000

Years ago, I turned a series of tall bottle/vases on the lathe. The idea behind the pieces was to use them as tools to help me slow down and keep my life in balance. If I built these objects that were balancing on a small foot, I surmised, and would topple over with too much … Read more »

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Video: The Lindow-White Rose Engine

Christopher Schwarz — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 12:35:01 +0000

Ornamental turning is one of the fascinating corners of the woodworking craft. Once it was a craft reserved for kings, dukes and the obscenely wealthy. I’ve seen photos of turnings that required more than 18 months to complete (so don’t feel bad about being slow in your shop). The machine at the center of the … Read more »

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