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
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
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
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
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
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
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
