Woodturning Information

What is "Woodturning"?

Woodturning is the art or craft of cutting shapes in wood while it revolves on a lathe. The cutting tool is held by the operator against the revolving work, and the wood removed in the form of fine shavings. Because the work is spinning, the shapes produced are generally circular in cross-section in at least one plane.

What is a lathe?

A lathe is the machine which both holds and rotates the wood while the turner works. It generally comprises a headstock, which has pulleys to vary the speed of the rotating work, and a central spindle mounted on bearings, which drives the work round; a tailstock, which is not powered but acts as a second anchor for the work in "between centres" turning; the bed (called the ways in North America) which is the frame of the lathe, holding everything rigid to prevent vibration; and the toolrest, on which the turner rests the cutting tool during use.

What is faceplate work?

Faceplate work is where the work (the lump of wood being turned) is held, by various means, just at the headstock end of the lathe, allowing the turner full access to shape or hollow out the spinning end of the piece. This technique is used for turning bowls, where the wood grain runs perpendicular to the axis of rotation, but also for hollow forms, boxes, goblets and vases, where the grain runs parallel to the bed bars (and hence the axis of rotation).

What is between centres or spindle work?

Between centres or spindle work is where the work (the lump of wood being turned) is held, by various means, at both ends (headstock and tailstock) of the lathe; the turner can only access the side of the piece to shape it. This technique is used for turning pens, banister rails, garden dibbers, and so on, and the wood grain needs to run parallel to the axis of rotation (that is, along the lathe bed) to get a good finish.

How do I learn how to turn?

The best way to learn is to get expert tuition - as with most things in life, you get what you pay for! Tutors normally advertise in woodworking and woodturning magazines. Choosing may be difficult, and you probably need some advice and/or a recommendation; your local woodturners' club is the best place to find this kind of information (see the next section).

Where do I go for help on turning?

Your local woodturning club (in North America, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand, there almost certainly will be one within reasonable reach; elsewhere, they may be fewer and farther between) is an excellent place to meet fellow turners (including fellow beginners!), to swap advice, ideas, and encouragement; you might well find someone who offers tuition, either paid or even for free! Clubs are usually affiliated to the national association (e.g. the American Association of Woodturners or the Association of Woodturners of Great Britain), although some are independent. [Blatant plug] Of course, if you're anywhere near Surrey in England, then you can always drop in on on of our meetings! [End of plug]

Other resources worth trying are the World Wide Web (although I think you already know about that one!), and woodturning magazines (Woodturning in the UK, More Woodturning and Woodturning Design in the USA). Also on the Internet, but not the World Wide Web (yes, there is more there than the Web!) are the UseNet newsgroups, and in particular rec.crafts.woodturning. This can be accessed several ways, but using the Google Newsgroup Archives web site is one of the most practical, as it has a full searchable archive of previous postings.

What tools are used for woodturning?

There are three main categories of turning tools, although the distinctions get fairly blurred with some of the latest offerings from the tool manufacturers. These are the gouges, the chisels and the scrapers. These are described below. In general, tools should be made of either high carbon steel or High Speed Steel (HSS); the latter is preferred, although more expensive to buy, as it holds a sharp cutting edge for longer, and is also almost impossible to blue or destroy the temper of the metal when sharpening on a grinder - something that can be a problem with carbon steel. Some manufacturers are now selling tools made of more advanced steels, which cost more but apparently hold an edge even longer.

Gouges have a flute or channel running along the tool up to the cutting edge; they are often divided into bowl gouges and spindle gouges, where the former have deeper and often U-shaped flutes, but there is no particular reason why a bowl gouge can't be used on spindle work, and vice versa, if it gives the desired result. The tools are usually used with the ground bevel rubbing on the wood behind the cut, which provides both support for the tool, and smooths the wood fibres to provide an excellent finish straight from the tool (if you do it right!).

Chisels have no flute, and are normally made from flat steel bar, rather than rod; distinctively, they have a bevel ground on both sides at the tip to form a cutting edge. Straight chisels are rare; much more common is the skew chisel, which has been ground at an angle to give a long point and a short point. Again, the bevel should rub; spindle work done with the skew often needs no sanding at all. The parting tool also falls into this category.

Scrapers have no flute, and like the chisels, are normally made from flat steel bar, rather than rod; unlike the chisels, they have a bevel ground on one side only at the tip to form a cutting edge. This bevel is usually at a much flatter angle (about 70 to 80 degrees); the tool is used with the sharp point scraping over the surface of the wood, rather than with the bevel rubbing, as with the other two types of tool. It is important for the tool to be trailing, or pointing down below the centre of the work, or a dig-in could result, which is not good news either for the turner or the work!

If any of these descriptions don't make sense, then try looking at the manufacturers' Web sites, which have images of the tools they sell; all should become clear. See the links page for these sites.

Which tools should I buy?

This is probably the most frequently asked question, except perhaps for "which lathe?". It's also the hardest to answer, as it depends on so many things. The best tool steels are still produced in Sheffield in England, and sold world-wide by manufacturers such as Robert Sorby, Henry Taylor, Crown, Ashley Iles and Hamlet. Personally, I can't tell much difference between them (I have tools from all these manufacturers) - the only discernable differences are in the tools they make, not the metal. In general, I would recommend going for High Speed Steel over carbon steel; the newer steels, using powdered metal technology, like ASP2030 and ASP2060 are said to hold their edge even longer, but I haven't tried them. [Hint to Hamlet - I'm happy to review them if you send me some!]

Having decided which manufacturer and which steel, the next question is, which tools? This depends so much on what you intend to turn. A turner who works mainly on 20 inch bowls will need totally different tools from a turner who produces dolls house furniture, which is mostly small scale spindle work. Most people advise you to avoid buying boxed sets, unless you are certain that you will use all of the tools in the set - usually there's at least one which just gathers dust. Its generally cheaper to buy just the tools you know you need.

If I was forced to make a recommendation, I'd suggest the following: a roughing out gouge (1 inch or bigger), a spindle gouge (1/4 inch to 1/2 inch), a bowl gouge (1/2 inch to 3/4 inch), a parting tool (1/8 inch - the diamond profile or fluted ones are supposed to be better, but I've never tried them), and a skew chisel (1 inch; the oval cross section ones are easier to use). Please don't complain to me if you follow this advice and you don't get on with one of the tools - this stuff is all personal preference.

One other point - I buy most of my tools unhandled and make the handles myself. This not only works out cheaper, but the tools are clearly yours, with handles of the length, thickness and shape which suits you. Of course, you do need to have access to someone else's tools (and lathe?) to make the first few handles!

Which lathe should I buy?

This one really depends on what you want to do - and how much money you have! At the lower end of the scale, you can get attachments for your electric drill which clamp to a table and let you try out turning for very little outlay at all; the drawback is that if you do get hooked, you'll want something bigger, more powerful and solid than this very quickly indeed!

As far as I am concerned, the features to look for are as follows: a really solid, well-engineered lathe which is easy to adjust. You will spend a vast amount of time moving the toolrest, so it should be easy to do, or it'll drive you mad. If the speed is adjusted by changing belts, this should be a simple procedure, preferably without the need for spanners. Ideally, all these adjusting parts should have handles of the spring-loaded locking type (they are known as Kip handles in the UK). A swivelling headstock (which lets you get better access to end grain projects like vases and goblets, and turn bowls larger than the swing over the bed) is a very useful facility to have - make sure the lathe has some kind of pin or lock to ensure the headstock goes back to true (in line with the tailstock). Obviously, the motor needs to be powerful enough for your largest turnings, as does the swing (the distance from the spindle to the bed, which is the radius of the largest turning - sometimes the diameter is quoted as swing instead). Variable speed is very useful, but costs more money, especially if it is electronically controlled.

The following lathes seem to be recommended on woodturning forums on the Internet more than most (which I presume makes them pretty good indeed!): the Oneway from Canada, the Teknatool Nova 3000 and Nova DVR from New Zealand, the Stubby from Australia, and the Hegner-supplied VB36 from the UK. [Plug] I personally would like to add my own lathe, the Myford Mystro, made in the UK by the same company which made the fabulous ML-8 all those years ago, most of which are still going strong on the second-hand market (more like 20th-hand!) The Mystro doesn't get much advertising, as Myford seem to focus on their larger engineering lathes, but it is incredibly solid and reliable, with all the features I have mentioned - as you can tell, I love it! And no, I'm not being paid to say that...[End of plug]

What is a chuck?

A chuck is any device which holds the piece of wood to be turned on the lathe by gripping it in some way. There are other ways of holding the work - drives, such as the four prong drive, the two prong drive or the cone centre, which work for spindle turning by pushing on the headstock end of the work, with either a dead centre or a live or revolving centre at the tailstock end; these are not generally termed chucks.

There are many types of chuck; some of them can be made in the workshop out of scrap timber, such as a jam chuck, where the work is prepared between centres with a spigot, a kind of cylindrical tenon, at one end; this then fits tightly (if you get it right) into a suitably sized recess cut in the scrap wood. The scrap wood needs to be held on another sort of chuck, however. Many other "homemade" chuck designs exist; its worth mentioning the glue chuck, where the work is glued to a piece of scrap which has already been mounted in the lathe - hot melt glue is the preferred option here.

Commercial chucks come in three main types: screw chucks, collet chucks and scroll chucks. Most turners will have a screw chuck; they are relatively cheap, and extremely useful for all kinds of faceplate work, especially the first phase of bowl turning. As the name suggest, the chuck works by a screw (usually a threaded rod, often with much deeper than normal threads) which self-taps into a pre-drilled hole in the work.

The collet chuck is a much larger and more complicated item: the chuck body usually has a threaded collar ring which is used to tighten the chuck; as it tightens, the four pieces of the collet are pushed inwards. These can be a little fiddly to use, and often require the work to be prepared to quite fine tolerances for the grip to be sufficient.

The scroll chuck is the most expensive type, but also the most useful. The chuck adjusts by means of a metal spiral or scroll inside, with the four jaw carriers sliding in the groove. This gives exact concentricity, a wide range of adjustment and an extremely tight grip.

Which chuck should I buy?

Well, by now you can guess what I'm going to say... It all depends on what you want to do, and how much you can afford. The scroll chucks are the most expensive, but also the easiest and quickest in use, with no need for engineering precision when preparing the dovetail recess for the chuck to grip into. If you are just starting out, I'd suggest you get as a mimimum a screw chuck, which is an almost indispensable item. Then, as your skill grows, if you can afford it, go for a good scroll chuck.

One thing to look for in any chuck, but especially a scroll chuck because of the cost, is the way it fixes to the lathe. Most chucks have a threaded recess which screws onto the lathe spindle; because there are almost as many different spindle thread sizes as there are lathes, it is a great advantage if the chuck comes with interchangeable inserts, so that when (hardly ever if!) you change your lathe, you only need buy a new insert, not a new chuck.

The scroll chucks which generally get a good write-up on woodturning forums are the OneWay Stronghold (Canada), the Teknatool SuperNova2 (New Zealand - the old SuperNova is almost as good), the Sorby Patriot (UK), all the Axminster chucks (UK), and the Vicmarc (Australia), which is now sold in the UK as the Record RP4000. All of these have inserts, by the way.

A personal note: I have a SuperNova which I'm very pleased with; I was also very pleased with the much lower price I paid by buying direct from New Zealand. Even with the Import Duty or similar, it still worked out slightly cheaper this way.

What finishes should I use?

Once you've turned a piece of wood, you want it to stay looking nice and clean, and not to soak up moisture from the air (at least, not too much - even with a finish, some moisture content changes are inevitable). This is done by the application of various finishes.

The first thing to say about finishing is that the finish can not be used to cover up for poor workmanship. Don't despair, however - abrasives can<grin>! You should start to sand, working with the lathe on a very slow speed, with quite a rough grit, pressing only lightly. Then work up through a range of grits; each one will remove the scratches left by the one before, until you reach a point where the scratches can't be seen (or felt!) at all. I use 80 grit in emergencies, but normally start with 120, then 180, 240, 320 and 400. Really fine work gets 500 and 600 as well, while for pens I end up with MicroMesh (in 8 grits ranging from 1500 to 12000!).

Once the work is as smooth as a baby's bottom, with all the blemishes, torn grain, dig-ins, etc. removed (although of course, you never get any of those, do you? I know I don't <huge grin and wink>), it's time to apply a finish coating. There are lots of products available, and the choice is yours, dependent on use. Most turners would recommend the use of a seal coat, such as a sanding sealer; these can be shellac-based or cellulose-based - use shellac if your top coat will be shellac-based. This is normally applied with a brush, and then wiped over with a cloth or kitchen roll (much safer for use with revolving work). Two or more coats are advisable, cutting back with a fine grit abrasive (600 is good) in between.

Examples of top coat finishes are oils (Danish oil, tung oil, linseed oil, and my favourite, walnut oil, which dries naturally and is self-evidently food-safe, as I buy it from a supermarket), friction polishes (which are specifically intended for use on a lathe), other polishes (such as shellac), and waxes.

It's not easy to recommend particular brands of these products, for two reasons: one, it's a very personal choice, depending on the result the turner wants to produce, and how much handling the item is likely to get; and two, the products do not seem to be international (presumably because they are hazardous to ship). Try asking around at your club (you have joined one by now, haven't you? That was recommended way back at question 6!). I will give an "honourable mention" to the following UK products: the Chestnut range of cellulose-based finishes, the Liberon Woodturner's Stick (a blend of waxes, based on carnauba wax), and the Briwax range. One point to mention is that friction polish only gives its best effect on smaller turnings (less than 3 to 4 inches in diameter) - it relies on the friction heat to melt the finish into the wood and build up the gloss, and with larger turnings the heat has time to dissipate during each revolution. For larger items, a paste wax like Chestnut's Wood Wax 22 or Liberon's Black Bison is best, applied over a sanding sealer. For that really special competition piece, you can buff the item with a lamb's wool bonnet in a drill (yes, just like a car body) - best to do this at least a day after applying the finish, to let it harden a bit. Another high shine finish is melamine lacquer, but it can be tricky to apply over large areas, because it dries really fast.

Disclaimer: while every attempt is made to indicate correct and safe practise in the above answers, no responsibility will be accepted for any loss, injury or other claim resulting from using the information on these pages. Please be sensible, take care, and if you think something seems dangerous, it probably is; stop, think, and try something safer! Equally, I have tried to be even-handed when mentioning manufacturers and products, especially those which I have not tried personally. I have endeavoured to make it clear where any recommendation is mine through first-hand experience, or distilled from other sources, such as many separate postings on the newsgroup. If I've missed out mentioning your company or product, I can be bribed with used £50 notes <grin>.