The reciprocating motion of a pole lathe makes it possible. My mind reels when trying to imagine what it would be like to be a woodworker in the era when the lathe was being developed. This was well over 3,000 years ago. Historians say the lathe is a direct descendant of the potter’s wheel, which…

Turning a live edge bowl is the perfect way to showcase a special piece of wood, such as this Burr Elm. Project #2414 • Skill Level: Intermediate • Time: 1 Day • Cost: $5-200 Turning a live-edge piece of wood while keeping the natural edge and bark intact can be tricky. But, with careful planning…

Tool: Turbo T-60S Lathe Shop Now Manufacturer: Harvey MSRP: $4999.99 The first time I heard of Harvey International was in 2018, when it was announced they acquired Bridge City Toolworks. Within the year, I started to see an offering of power tools from Harvey that, on the surface, seemed to be priced very reasonably for…

Once you’ve chosen the type of lathe you want, the next big question is figuring out what sort of turning tools you need. Logan walks you through the different tools and features you should look for when assembling a quality set of turning tools for your shop.

My lathe tool rack is based on a fishing rod rack that I made some time ago. Made from 3/4-in.-thick walnut, it measures 3-1/8-in. by 10-in. by 30- in. I made the matching front and back tool supports by ripping a 3-1/8- in.-wide board in half after drilling centered 1-1/2-in.-dia. holes on 1-7/8- in. centers….

Turning a bowl from green wood has unique considerations versus a dried bowl blank. Logan walks you through the process, including the trick to drying a wet-turned bowl quickly when finished — the microwave.

These simple shop storage solutions are quick to build, but will make a big impact in your shop. Project #2408 • Skill Level: Beginner • Time: 1 Day • Cost: $10-40 Sometimes, it’s the simplest things that can make your life better. That holds true in the shop as well. Often times, taking a bit…

Here’s an easy way to cut bowl blanks from half log sections. Cut a round guide disc from 1/4″ thick material the size you want your blank to be, and countersink a hole in the center. First, saw the log in half on your Bandsaw, then screw the guide disc to the flat side of…

Combine spindle turning skills with a special chucking method to make this utilitarian scoop. Project #2304 • Skill Level: Advanced • Time: 3 Hours • Cost: $20 One of the most popular projects of my woodturning classes here in Las Vegas is a turned scoop with a pewter finial. These scoops provide practice for hollowing…

A comfortable seat can make a big difference in your work. For a SketchUp model of the Windsor Shop Stool as illustrated in the article, click here. I designed this stool for a special purpose – making chairs. The stool places a chairmaker above the chair seat. This position is more comfortable when assembling the…

Bringing a router to the lathe is a great way to add a unique look to your turning projects.  Project #2401 • Skill Level: Advanced • Time: 1 Day • Cost: $35 In woodturning, boxes are really great projects to hone any woodturners skills. Shape and designs are infinite. Loose top lids, pop fitting lids, and…

Turn spindle and hollow-globe ornaments using a waste block mount. For woodturners, the nip of autumn in the air usually triggers thoughts of holiday projects. Here are two ornaments you may enjoy making. A simple spindle or “icicle” ornament provides the opportunity to practice technique and design while producing gifts in quantity, should that be…

Even an ordinary kitchen tool can be beautiful. If you’re looking for an easy-to-make gift for someone who loves to cook, here it is: a custom-made rolling pin. There’s something about this humble tool that really appeals to the imagination. Once I got started making rolling pins, I couldn’t stop. I took a dozen different…

For a considerable stretch of time, I’ve championed carbide-turning tools as an accessible and straightforward system, especially for those venturing into woodturning. These tools demand minimal training and yet yield exceptional results. While traditional high-speed steel turning gouges boast ideal geometry for creating flawless surfaces, carbide turning tools present a more robust, blunt geometry. Although…

Dress Up Your Custom Furniture With Custom Knobs Why would you ever make your own when you can buy them for less than a buck? I can think of many reasons. One is wood choice: many knobs are only available in oak, birch/ maple and sometimes pine, cherry and walnut. Perhaps the best reason is…

Friend of PW Char Miller-King (@woodenmaven on Instagram) set a goal for herself to turn every place she travels, and was recently in town to film an episode of the Woodsmith Shop. Logan was more than happy to introduce her to traditional turning tools and show her some of the techniques and how they differ…

Protect your “cheaters” in style. Sooner or later everyone’s eyes need a little help—especially for reading or close work. One popular solution is to buy a pair of “cheaters,” those stylish reading glasses that are available in bookstores and practically everywhere else. How to protect these delicate, inexpensive glasses—especially the compact versions—is always an issue….

While turning wooden pens, students in my woodshop classes kept wearing out the points on the live centers of our mini lathes. The points fit into the hollowed end of the pen mandrel. If the mandrel isn’t clamped tight enough between the lathe’s head and tailstock, it spins on the point and wears it out….

With thirty-five years of experience, Jimmy Clewes knows a thing or two about woodturning. We’ve decided to tap into that knowledge with this exclusive video of Jimmy covering all of the basics of turning. Even experienced turners are sure to find a trick or two they can use as well. Enjoy!

An essential part of your turning tool arsenal. There’s a theory in woodturning—popularized by some British turners—that wood “prefers” to be cut rather than scraped. While I agree with this notion, I’ve also found that scraping tools play an essential role in woodturning. Scraping tools are used primarily for bowl turning, vessels and end-grain hollowing….

Turned drops and legs, arches, and serpentine stretchers typify this ornate 17th-century style. When someone uses the term “period furniture,” we think most often of the Queen Anne, Chippendale and Federal genres. Certainly these have been the most influential styles in Western furniture-making history. But there have been other periods worthy of our attention, among…

Sometimes, unique is exactly what you want to avoid when turning. If you turn, sooner or later you are going to find yourself facing  some project that requires several (or many) duplicate turnings. You may feel a brief rush of mild panic, most likely followed by a powerful urge to check your catalog shelf (or…

Create a beautiful showpiece by power carving on the lathe and adding a splash (or a wave) of colour. Project #2309 • Skill Level: Intermediate • Time: 1 Day • Cost: $100 Looking to create a unique, statement? Look no further—this piece is sure to give you that WOW factor! To get started, I used a…

Trade dangers revealed in 17th-century journals. I thought of Nehemiah Wallington (1598-1658) when I set up my lathe in my nearly finished workshop. A few times a year he pops up in my mind. He was a turner in Puritan-era London, and as unhappy a soul as you might meet. I know of him through…

Taking the time to learn a few basic cuts and moves will help you succeed. Bowl turning was my first love in woodturning. There is something special about a bowl: The wonderful way the shape shows off different aspects of the wood, the roundness and the ability to contain and present nourishment. I still find…

Woodworking is full of smaller subcultures and disciplines that utilize a wide range of tools and techniques. This week we’re looking at one of the most popular: turning. We’ll be sharing our best articles and videos on woodturning from the top modern woodturners. Whether you’re an expert or just getting started, you’re sure to find…

Turn trash into treasure. I love hard cheeses and hard-crust bread. Although my cheese-making skills are limited and my baking talent is only admired in our household and among close friends, I use woodworking to make distinctive boards to serve the foods I like. The secret to my designs is using cast-off lumber, those short…

My lathe came with a lamp, but the lathe’s manual has this weird warning: “Position the work lamp so that wood chips do not accumulate inside the lamp shade and pose a fire hazard.” Now, where in the world could the lamp go? When I turn, chips fly everywhere! It occurred to me that metal…

Regular attention to a few simple procedures will keep you turning smoothly. A lathe, like any other piece of woodworking equipment, is exposed to wood shavings, dust and other substances as well as general wear and tear. The bed, toolrest base and toolrest especially require regular attention for easy functioning. I can’t count how many…

If you spend any time in the turning community, you’ve probably seen this style of ornament before. The hollow urchin shells are available online (and in various species—the smoother ones are thinner and more delicate). The key to a good-looking urchin shell ornament is to make sure the finials are thin and delicate. Otherwise, the…

A little bit of carving and gilding on the rim of this bowl transforms it from a nice piece to an extraordinary one.  A step away from your ordinary bowl, this cherry bowl with a carved rim is subtle yet powerful. The simple ogee curve on the bottom of the bowl makes it lovely to…

Learn how to turn a classic wooden baseball bat. This timeless project is a great opportunity to practice your turning skills.

Get clean cuts and a nice finish from a challenging piece of material. A live edge (or natural-edge) bowl is one of the iconic forms of modern woodturning, and it is still a great way to show off a beautiful piece of wood. It’s also a good test of your developing turning skills. Good tool…

I can’t stand throwing away good wood. When I’m turning a goblet or any other object, I don’t leave the waste areas blank. I pick up a gouge or a skew and use the waste to perfect my turning techniques. –Bob Patros

For turning spindles, there’s nothing like having a  really long tool rest. You never have to move it! I made my own with parts from the hardware store. This rest is just a length of square steel tubing with a steel rod fastened to its top. The rod’s rounded surface makes it easy to slide…

Create a Soda-Shop Classic  In simpler days, soda jerks quickly and efficiently dished perfect servings of ice cream with sturdy wooden-handled scoops. Once you’ve collected the metal parts (see Sources), a small block of wood and a little turning skill, I’ll show you how to create a classic ice cream scoop that will make you…

I’m happy to announce a new, online woodturning symposium that’s going to be taking place March 19th & 20th. Tickets for Meet the Woodturner Live are available here. Here’s a little of the backstory: Working in the woodworking media world, I have the pleasure of meeting some of the most talented people in the industry….

The price of good turning tools can be pretty steep. Since most of the better lathe tools can be purchased without a handle, put your money where it counts—in the steel, not the handle. After all, it’s the steel that does the work, and high-quality steel gives you an edge that lasts a very long…

An Exercise in Mastering the Skew Do you like a challenge? Want to develop your woodturning skills? Can you learn from mistakes? If your answer is “yes”, you’re ready to tackle the rolling cut with a skew chisel. The rolling cut is most often employed to cut beads in spindle work. Without a doubt the…

Master this most basic turning tool. When I introduce someone to woodturning, I choose the spindle roughing gouge. When I work with kids, it’s the first tool I place in their hands. Why? Because, used correctly, the spindle roughing gouge is the safest, most user-friendly turning tool of them all. And don’t be fooled by…

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in American Woodwork #142, June/July 2009. I stumbled onto pen making seven years ago, as I was scouring through my husband Jerry’s woodworking magazines and catalogs, looking for a special Christmas gift for him. I came across a mini-lathe that was advertised as the perfect tool for making custom…

Develop a delicate touch by creating graceful shapes. As an alternative to mass-produced items, Christmas ornaments rank high on the list. They easily become treasured keepsakes and the delicate spindle work and hollow turning involved will certainly test your skills. Each ornament contains three parts. I suggest making the long “icicle” spindle first, then the…

Hone Your Skills Making Functional Storage PROJECT #2102 • Skill Level: Advanced • Time: 1 day • Cost: $50 It’s rare that I afford myself the opportunity to spend time and experiment at the lathe. Much of this could be attributed to the fact that turning (to me) has always had the perception of being…

Customize their fit for comfort and performance. Decades ago, woodturning tools came without handles, and turners would simply fashion their own. This makes perfect sense, because a handle that fits and feels “right” gives a turner confidence. And who better to custom-fit the handle than the person who’ll use the tool? Turning and installing your…

This jig helps you easily reverse your work for base turning. Properly finished bowls never reveal how the turner mounted them. However, traditional methods for reversing a bowl to turn the base involve a lot of fuss and bother. Cole Jaws, for example, require cranking at least 48 hex screws for each use (not to…

I like to use purpleheart pen blanks because they’re less expensive than other exotic hardwoods. Recently, I stumbled on a cool trick. I discovered that I could cause the wood to overheat and turn dark by using the back side of the sandpaper while the wood is turning. Light overheating makes purpleheart look like rosewood;…

Heirloom Awl Metal and wood are the basic ingredients in most woodworking tools. As woodworkers, we’re familiar with working wood, but what about metal? Actually, the level of metalworking required to make some woodworking tools is pretty basic. If you’ve never made your own tools, give this project a try. There’s something enormously satisfying about…

Tool: Beginner Set of Tools Shop Now  Manufacturer: Jimmy Clewes MSRP: $743 A recent weekend of turning with Jimmy Clewes in Las Vegas led me to a new, favorite set of turning tools—Jimmy’s signature set of turning tools. Made for Jimmy by Doug Thompson, the tools are some of the nicest I’ve used. I mainly turn bowls,…

Turning the body is half the fun. When I picked up Silvio Calabi’s book Antique Fishing Tackle, my interests in fishing, antiques, and wood turning met head on: Now I’m hooked on making wooden fishing lures. I know this passion is somewhat irrational, because plastic lures are abundant and economical—and they catch fish. I make…

Period woodworking trades in London were strictly regulated. I’ve temporarily put down my 5⁄16” joiner’s mortising chisel in favor of a 2″ chisel for chopping carpenter’s mortises. I’m timber framing a workshop, and while whomping away on 2″-wide mortises, I have time to think. My principal work has always been as a “joiner” in the…

Tool: PRO-Tek Chuck Buy Now Manufacturer: Nova MSRP: $140-$220 Nova’s new PRO-TEK line of chucks build on the company’s long history with the lathe. This new series of chucks feature rust-resistant nickel plating, stronger and more versatile 50mm/2″ PRO-TEK jaws with an improved dovetail and serrated profile, upgraded six-point star fasteners, and a captured pinion and…

Tool: Axe Carbide Lathe Tools Buy Now Manufacturer: Carter MSRP: $119.95 If you feel like wasting an entire afternoon, just type “carbide vs. high speed steel turning tools” into your favorite internet search engine. If you would rather spend that time making something beautiful and functional on a lathe, then picking up a set of “The…

Modify a skew chisel to bend a curl; then leave the shavings attached. These trees come all the way from the Erzgebirge (‘erts-gə-bir-gə). Actually, I made them in Wisconsin, but the unique curl-turning technique I used evolved in that mountainous region of Germany, which borders the Czech Republic*. With an understanding of this technique and…

I’ve made over 600 screwdrivers. Does that get me into the Tool Nut club? It all started with a handle I turned for a file. I enjoyed this work so much that I started making handles for other tools, too. Now I specialize in screwdrivers. I’ll buy a bunch of plastic-handled tools, remove their handles,…

The holiday season is upon us, and there’s no better time to tap into your creative side and make some decorations. Here are 7 different styles of ornaments for any level of woodworker! Turned Snowman Start with a chunk of wood about 8” long or so. Rough it down to about 2-1/2” in diameter round…

Sharpen your end-grain hollowing skills. Drinking from a wooden Goblet is a unique experience, because its weight and feel is distinct from goblets made of other materials. But is it practical? Of course! With the right wood and finish, it’s perfect for anyone who loves wood! Tools and materials Almost any lathe will do for…

Sponsored by Rikon Tools When buying a lathe, you’ll never regret getting more swing and length capacity, but what if you don’t have space in the shop for a long tool? RIKON’s Heavy Duty 70-3040 Variable Speed Lathe features an innovative sliding bed that increases your turning capacity with just a twist of a knob!…

A good lathe stand is just as important as a good lathe. Build a professional-quality lathe stand that’s stable, strong and heavy.

Add sparkle outside and protect what’s inside. Whether your wine bottle is half-empty or half-full, here’s an elegant way to preserve the contents until you answer that age-old question. You can make one of these classy little stoppers in just a few minutes, so turning multiples is a natural, especially since they make such great…

The past few months have made me thankful for a lot of things. A partner who loves to cook and bake and keep me fed, even when I’m not always upholding my end of the bargain. A partner who knows that even though we love each other, that sometimes we need to make sure we…

Chairmaking requires its own unique tools and skillset. It may be daunting, but building a Windsor chair opens up a whole new world within woodworking. Here’s how to do it.

Can a portable, foot-powered lathe make a believer out of you? Wood turning on a spring pole lathe is all about reciprocation, all about back and forth. For example: Q: “Don’t you get tired of standing on one leg?” A: “Sure, but if you try to work the treadle with both legs – you fall…

Tool: 1/8″ Easy Parting Tool Manufacturer: Easy Wood Tools MSRP: $119.99 Since my first experience with Easy Wood tools in 2011, I’ve been a fan. Thanks to the tools’ long-lasting carbide inserts, I can focus on the shapes I want to produce instead of heading to the grinder or tweaking the lathe’s tool rest. The three…

For many woodturning operations, a chuck performs the essential job of holding the work securely and safely. These operations often present unique requirements, so a dizzying array of manufactured and shop-made chucks have evolved to grasp, expand, screw, compress, trap, pull, jam, stick—and even to move the work through an eccentric pattern. Knowing which chuck…

Shop scraps and a few simple techniques will get you spinning along Large turning projects can be daunting. A large bowl, for example, requires gluing up a blank or sourcing part of a tree trunk. When first mounted on the lathe, such stock can be off balance and result in so much vibration that the…

Custom-fit your tools to your hand. One of the best uses for a lathe is making tool handles. Most production tool handles leave something to be desired. The good news is that the handle is the part of tool that is the easiest to modify. Fine gloves are sold in sizes such as 6, 7,…

At 6 am, the bathroom is yours, because everyone else is asleep. So rather than rushing, why not pamper yourself with a great shave? Forget cold foam from a can. Instead, massage your face by applying hot, soothing lather with an old-style shaving brush that perfectly fits your hand. Then switch to a razor that’s…

Mark Sfirri isn’t just a wood turner—he’s a turning teacher, turning researcher, turning author, turning lecturer and turning exhibit curator and judge. What’s odd about this well-rounded turner is that he doesn’t turn in the round. Multi-axis turning is his specialty—and few do it better. A Circular Path Mark, who is 60 years old, became…

Although most bowls are turned from green material, working with kiln-dried lumber has its advantages. You don’t have to deal with checks and cracks or significant distortion. Sanding is far easier and you can apply finish immediately. However, turning dry wood has its own challenges and real differences over turning wet wood. And as wet…

A true American folk object, the game call gained enormous popularity in the late 19th century, when it became part and parcel of hunting, especially in the Mississippi flyway. (According to Ducks Unlimited, the Mississippi river is “the most heavily used migration corridor for waterfowl and other birds in North America.”) Poke around a bit…

Perhaps woodturners should sell naming rights. The field has never standardized the names of woodturning tools (or measurements of their widths or how to describe their angles), so they often go by different names. One tool stands out in this regard: Whether it’s called a spindle gouge, detail gouge, shallow-fluted gouge, fingernail gouge, lady-fingernail gouge,…

Whether shaped as a vase, a column or even an egg, there’s plenty of room for expression in a turned lamp. The flowing contours of the lamp shown here do more than make it an attractive project. Learning to shape these pleasing convex and concave forms is an excellent skill-building challenge for turners of all…

In bowl turning, good craftsmanship requires that the bottom show no evidence of how the bowl was mounted. It’s also important to learn how to keep the chuck from dictating key aspects of the design, such as the bottom’s shape, diameter, and height. This shop-made trapping chuck will dramatically improve the quality of your work…

Bowl turning is a blast! Thanks to advances in lathes and tooling, lots of woodworkers have now discovered how fun it is to turn a hunk of green wood into a beautiful bowl. Start to finish, it only takes a few hours, and the wood is usually free. Whatever the bowl’s shape, you need one…

Here’s a simple turning project that makes a thoughtful gift. The process is similar to pen turning—you drill holes through a pair of blanks, turn them using a mandrel and then insert brass tubes in the holes. But rather than installing a pen cartridge, you install a perfume applicator, which is available as a kit….

Turning Tool Tamer by Richard Tendick I was turning a vase recently, and as I got deeper into the turning, the vase’s rotation pulled the tool’s tip down, making it very difficult to keep the tool straight. I made a jig that cost me about $5. It prevents the handle from being pulled up, but…

You need to think a little differently. A rotary Indexing Head allows a CNC machine to create 3-dimensional shapes in the round. It’s an accessory that can be added to most CNC machines. Some companies even make it as a stand alone machine. A rotary indexing head looks similar to a standard woodturning lathe, but…

French polish adds extraordinary depth to gorgeous wood. This finish is perfect for bowls, vessels, lamps and other turnings that aren’t handled often or are exposed to moisture, alcohol or heat.

Capture the fleeting beauty of melting icicles by turning a hollow ball and two small spindles into a beautiful Christmas tree ornament. This project requires a fair amount of turning experience. If you’re patient, however, you’ll find that making this ornament is a good way to learn new techniques. Shaping a delicate spindles takes practice,…

by Judy Ditmer from the December 2005 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine Turn spindle and hollow-globe ornaments using a waste block mount. For woodturners, the nip of autumn in the air usually triggers thoughts of holiday projects. Here are two ornaments you may enjoy making. A simple spindle or “icicle” ornament provides the opportunity to…

Award-winning inspiration from the 2017 competition. Read the article in its entirety. Article: To see all of this year’s entries, go to the entry page here. From the November 2017 issue, #235 Grand Prize The grand prize goes to Al Spicer for his demilune (half-moon) marquetry table, featuring on its top a flowering morning glory vine…

Most of my income comes from weekend art/farmers markets where I sell mainly turned work (bowls). I’ve learned that you need to have a bell curve of prices from cheap to extravagant with the majority falling in the middle-class affordable range. I’ve always struggled with the $20 cheap range. If you don’t have a selection…

My turning ability is bound by my lathe – it has a maximum diameter capacity of 16”. That means all my accessory tools, such as my hollowing system and 50cc 20” chainsaw, were acquired because they are designed around those size limitations. The largest bowls I make with these constraints are in the 14-15” range….

I’m not really a turner (only when I have to), and I’m not a big fan of math (words are my thing), so when Alf Sharp starts to talk about offset turning and the math he used to figure out his settings…my mind wanders a bit. But when there’s a chunk of wood locked between…

In today’s woodturning world, the project can be much more than just about wood, and there are three episodes here that go beyond basics to let you customize your pieces.

After splitting my mallet log into quarters (see part one of this project by clicking here) I turned to the lathe work. I produced four different mallets, each one with its own unique handle. I turned the first and the second handles identical, then altered one of them into a hexagonal shape. I was curious…

I came to the Popular Woodworking team with an interest in woodworking, but since working here, I seem to have been drawn specifically to woodturning. I find it fascinating, and as with any craftsmanship, it is inspiring to see the passion and care someone puts into a piece, regardless of its use or size. In…

Alan Lacer has been involved in the field of woodturning for almost four decades. He’s done almost anything and everything you can think involving the craft from turning to teaching to writing, and is a past president of the American Association of Woodturners. His latest book, “Alan Lacer’s Woodturning Projects & Techniques” is a collection of…

I’ll admit right here, I haven’t done a lot of turning in my many years of woodworking. Not that it wasn’t appealing, but it wasn’t what was required at the time. Cabinetry and furniture paid the bills, and I tended to think of turning as a recreational, or an artistic endeavor. Why am I sharing…

Hello, I’m the new editor for Popular Woodworking Books. It’s a New Year and I have a new job and you have a new person to reach out to with questions about the books we create. So, howdy. You might want to know a little about me. I’m a writer and editor. I’m a husband…

Next week on Woodturning with Tim Yoder, you’ll learn to make a salt cellar that features clever hidden hinges and a catch made from rare earth magnets. The project is made from a single blank of tulipwood that Tim shapes, then parts into two pieces and hollows to create the lid and base. The first…

As we continue to explore customized storage solutions from the workshop, a fun way to make an interesting container is to turn one. If you have (or have access to) a lathe and a little bit of turning experience you can quickly turn a nice lidded box. A round box? I’m a fan of form…

I caught up last week with Jim Sannerud, a bowl turner and traditional furniture maker in Minnesota. Here’s our conversation, the 3rd installment in my “Woodworking Daily” series of questions for great minds in the woodworking community. And there’s a twist to this series – each interviewee will tell me who I should talk to…

Maxed Out Midi Lathe. General International’s New Variable Speed Maxi-Lathe VS has all the great features that made its predecessor, the General 25-100 so popular. Both machines are made of heavy cast iron for stability and low vibration and feature quick release control levers and a #2 Morse taper head and tailstock. But General has…

Reshaping the Skew Chisel An alternate shape minimizes dig-ins. By Alan Lacer Years ago, an old professional spindle turner showed me a different way to sharpen a skew. When I tried it, I was sold. This modified grind is more versatile, friendlier and more responsive than a traditional grind. Used correctly, a modified skew is…

Bowl Gouge Sharpening Do it by hand, just like you turn. By Alan Lacer How do you make a velvety smooth bowl with evenly thick walls and crisp details? Well, it’s not done by sanding the heck out of it. The secret is to use a bowl gouge that is properly shaped and very sharp….

Turning Bocce Balls By Alan Lacer Freehand turning of a near perfect wooden sphere without flat spots or bumps is a wonderful challenge for a turner.Whether it’s for croquet, furniture drawer knobs or simply as a decorative object, the wooden sphere is a wonderful exercise in developing a form, tool control and understanding grain direction….

Turning Table Legs By Alan Lacer Turning four table legs that match may sound impossible, but it’s not. With these tried and true tips, and a little practice, you can successfully turn even the largest legs. And these same techniques apply when you’re copying a broken chair spindle or producing a set of balusters. Here’s…

Whenever we include a project that has turned legs, bun feet or some other turned component, we inevitably get calls and e-mails from readers who don’t have a lathe or don’t have a friend who has a lathe, but want to build the piece as printed. There are a number of sources online where you…

To wrap up my new product coverage of AWFS, I’d like to talk about two new takes on technology that’s been around for years. The first is an instant glue that could be a godsend for production woodworkers and a nice innovation for us home shop craftsmen as well. An Instant Glue For Heavy Duty…

That’s me in the above photo, practicing my woodturning basics with the help of a friend and his lathe. It’s amazing how much you can learn about turning in just a few hours. That’s part of the fun of it. Working in a circle rather than a square seems to lend itself to faster learning….

Shown above is “Sunset,” an intricate segmented bowl by Hal Metlitzky. When I learned woodturning in the mid-1990s, my goal was simply to make bowls and platters with fair curves, pleasing shapes and thin, uniform walls. If the wood figure popped, all the better. This was woodturning as a craft. And I figured that was…

Dale Nish, one of the world’s most influential woodturners, teachers and writers, died yesterday in Provo, Utah. Nish taught woodworking at Brigham Young University for 28 years, until his retirement in 1995. He’s the author of several landmark books on turning including “Creative Woodturning” and “Artistic Woodturning,” and of many magazine articles and columns. In…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Compact Turning Center Put all your tools and accessories at your fingertips by building this storage rack. By Jim Williar I made turning on my lathe much more enjoyable by trimming out the metal stand that it came with. Now all my turning tools are right at my fingertips, thanks to the built-in tool storage…

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….

CNC "Woodturning" By Randy Johnson A rotary indexing head allows a CNC machine to create 3-dimensional shapes in the round. It’s an accessory that can be added to most CNC machines. Some companies even make it as a stand alone machine. A rotary indexing head looks similar to a standard woodturning lathe, but its approach…

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…

Turn a Green Wood Bowl By Alan Lacer Purchase the complete version of this woodworking technique story from AWBookstore.com. Making a functional object directly from raw material in its natural state is incredibly satisfying. Just ask any potter. For woodworkers, green woodturning captures that feeling. You literally start with a log and end up with…

Rockler Bottle Opener Turning Kit Rockler pops the top on new bottle opener kit. Chrome-plated hardware fits any size or style turned handle. Rockler Woodworking and Hardware has introduced a new Pewter Bottle Opener designed to complement the artistry of a custom turned handle, the Pewter Bottle Opener kit. The kit provides a useful function…

  Turned Lidded Box A Precision Fit Lid that Snaps Shut By Alan Lacer Of all the different forms of woodturning, I find the most delight in creating lidded boxes. The satisfying snap of a well fit lid as it closes, the beauty of the shape and the wood combined with the usefulness of a…

Turning Table Legs By Alan Lacer Turning four table legs that match may sound impossible, but it’s not. With these tried and true tips, and a little practice, you can successfully turn even the largest legs. And these same techniques apply when you’re copying a broken chair spindle or producing a set of balusters.Here’s what…

General International 25-010 M1 Pen Turning Lathe Designed and built specifically for turning pens and other smaller hobby type projects. Quick lock control levers easily position tool rest. Extruded aluminum frame, head and tailstock Maximum distance of 12” between centers. Quiet, smooth running 1/5 HP motor 3 speeds: 1350, 2250 & 3500 RPM. Included accessories:…

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…

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…

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…

        Oneway’s new 1224 lathe costs $1,850. That’s a lot of dough,but for the money, you get the stability and slow-speed power that’s necessary to turn large, heavy bowls. The 1224 weighs close to 300 lb.,has a 12-1/2-in. swing for bowls and 24-in. between centers for spindles.If you want to turn dining table legs, you’ll have to add the optional…

Without a doubt, one of the best ways to pick up new turning skills, find inspiration and supercharge your creative battery is to attend the American Association of Woodturners (AAW) Annual Symposium, June 18 – 20 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, Conn. Dozens of topics will be covered in 150 demonstrations by turners…

An alternate shape minimizes dig-ins. by Alan Lacer Years ago, an old professional spindle turner showed me a different way to sharpen a skew. When I tried it, I was sold. This modified grind is more versatile, friendlier and more responsive than a traditional grind. Used correctly, a modified skew is difficult to catch and dig…

Long-time subscribers are familiar with Steve Shanesy’s work. While he was editor of Popular Woodworking, Steve built everything from a George Nakashima-inspired table to a steel-stringed guitar, not to mention the saw blade box and outfeed tables we still use on our table saw. Steve had always done turning for furniture work. He’s been working…

Turning Plates Got an offcut from a beautifully figured board? Turn it into a plate! Standard 3⁄4-in. wood and a shop-made chuck are all you need. By Steve Blenk The trick is to figure out how to hold such a thin piece of wood on the lathe. It’s so thin, there’s hardly anything to grab…

Turned Lidded Box A Precision Fit Lid that Snaps Shut By Alan Lacer Of all the different forms of woodturning, I find the most delight in creating lidded boxes. The satisfying snap of a well fit lid as it closes, the beauty of the shape and the wood combined with the usefulness of a lidded…

Shaker Stand By Tim Johnson Though it looks modern, the original version of this three-legged stand was built almost two hundred years ago in a Shaker community. Simple, purposeful and elegant, this stand is an outstanding example of Shaker design. Like the Shakers, we’ve embraced simplicity and innovation in our version of this timeless American…