Woodturning is open to people of a great variety of ages and circumstances. Even some who are physically disabled, legally blind or confined to a wheelchair have given it a go. My daughter above had just turned 6. Yes she was being assisted by a vetran turner who is himself around retirement age. While I would not consider letting her have unassisted use of a lathe yet I would definitely foster her interest in woodturning. I have seen children as young 10 who have turned their own pen with little to no physical assistance. The broad beaming smile of them holding their hand made pen says it all.
There is level of danger with almost anything in this world and woodturning is no different. As your skills develop you may be able to tackle more challenging tasks that could be outright dangerous for a first timer.
The key to wood turning is simply to enjoy it. Over time your skills are bound to increase. No matter how experienced you are you can always learn. Everyone needs to practice. Keep in mind that even a vetran can keep learning and sometimes from the most unexpected source, even from a beginner. Richard Raffin is a world reknown turner and has many books and viedos. Before he starts a teaching session he will often ‘warm up’ by turning some beads and coves (a practice piece for technique advised to many turners). In a future post I link to some of these.
Pictured above is my newest lathe and in some respects my best. To my friends who may not appreciate older machinery they may say it is the best hands down. In my opinion the Laguna Revo 18 36 is the best value lathe in its class. Reasons for this will be in an upcoming review. Off the top of my head some of my other lathes include a HAFCO MC 900, VicMarc VL100, Teknatool Nova 3000, Albert Herbet, Myford 7, Shopsmith, a treadle lathe, pole lathe and a couple of home made lathes. I also had a Jet mini but gave it to a friend.
One of the first things many people turn is in fact a pen. Bowls and platters are probably the next most common things attempted. As you get more adventurous decorative or ornamental things may be the go. If the bug bites you will want to take your turning to the next level. This could be experimental turning. For many that is a desire to make money from their new found passion which will often involve experimental turning. Dont fall into the trap of thinking everything has to be finished ‘just so’. Especially is this the case with new ideas or experimental turning. See the pictures below.
Often I am inspired by someone or something else and this might grow into an idea for something I have not done and or seen before. This is when I do what I call ‘proof of concept’. It is not about the finish but about the method. Yes finish comes into play too and must be considered but first and foremost I look at the method. Look at things like
- Order of turning
- Need for special or custom tools
- What is the quickest way?
- What will create the best overall appearance?
- Can I improve my method or product
- And yes …. how will I finish it
Inspired by one thing and motivated by a proof of concept may lead you to a new product. For me one example is when I was reading on a woodworking forum about spiral candle sticks. I thought ‘this seems easy enough’ so I went and did one.
I showed my work and and someone said ‘well now you have to do a reverse companions’, or words to that effect. So I did! Then I thought why does it have to be just 4 spiral spokes? So I tried something different. Then something different again. While doing a 6 spoke one I thought about knocking out a set of matching spokes to have a wide gap and narrow gap …. I liked it! But what about one spiral one way and another the other on the same piece?
The novice woodturner will often get excited about making a particular item or a small range of items. Before they know it the house is full of more than can be used. Next they start giving items to friends and families. It is about this time many will start looking at more complex items and some will want to expand into a money making hobby or even more.
So … Where to start? Well Obviously you need either a lathe or access to one. Most regions will have some kind of woodturning or wood working club. In Australia we also have the men’s shed who often have a lathe in their arsenal. With someone to give you some one on one coaching this is the best start. Learn the hazzards and risks. Find out the safe way to do things. Once you have this under your belt it is practice, practice, practice.
If you’re anything like me, the idea of turning bits of wood just to thow away doesn’t quite do it. For me when I seriously got into turning I started making pens. They were small but good to practice a variety of techniques. Particularly is this the case if you dont stick to just plain straight or slightly rounded pens. Let your imagination run away with you. Yes some pens you will look back and wonder ‘what was I thinking’, but, end of the day it will help you get your technique and you will have the satisfaction of not throwing it away.
Now some years have passed by I dont take issue with just turning something for practice simply to throw it away. If turning is a new idea then all I can say is have a go. Keep your eye out over time for an introduction to various tools and technique. I will be covering things from the basics thru to more advanced. There will be tutorials, samples and downloadable projects.