Wood Turning Projects --the way we learn and have fun by Darrell Feltmate
Wood turning has no secrets, just a lot of practice. In fact, back in the seventies when the first major wood turning symposium was held in the United States, the watchword was simply "share." Woodturners are a friendly lot and are willing to tell you all they know about how to make a particular item. In fact, many a turner at a busy craft show has taken the time to explain to a novice just how an item was made, realizing the novice is more likely to go home and turn an object like it, rather than buy.
This has given rise to the interest in wood turning projects. Instead of simply making the same cuts over and over again on practice pieces, a number of items are turned, hopefully with each being a little better than the last.
For instance there is the interest in turning pens. Everyone uses a pen and they make great gifts. Somehow they are impressive to people although making them consists of the simplest turning procedures. So they make good first projects. The only difficulty arises with cost of parts and the extra lathe attachments to turn them. In order to justify the tooling it is really necessary to make about 20 pens. On the other hand, essential skills are used in the manufacture, practice is accomplished, and the results are easily given as very appreciated gifts. Mistakes are easily converted back to parts and shavings and a new pen made.
A little easier on the pocket book is a simple wooden mushroom. This is generally made from green wood which is easier to turn than dry and therefore great for a beginner. It is also cheap or free. If a sapling or branch about an inch and a half in or two in diameter is available, a five foot branch will make about 20 mushrooms.
A piece of sapling approximately 4 inches long is attached to the lathe with a screw chuck or four jaw chuck or simply between centers. The head is defined with a parting tool cut an inch from the right end. Another parting tool cut beside the first defines the size of the stem and gives a bit of room to work. The roughing tool then shapes the head and stem, leaving the foot to be finished off with another parting cut. Sometimes a skew is used to refine the stem and head, other times a spindle gouge. Some sanding off the lathe finishes off the bottom and the bit left at the top if it was between centers. On goes the next one. Repetition and practice leave a pile of mushrooms on the bench and a quick bath in vegetable or mineral oil finishes them off. For some reason people love mushrooms and these make great gifts.
While the experienced turner will want a more challenging type of project to hone his or her skills, for a beginner the projects should
- encourage basic skills
- be inexpensive and use local wood
- use green wood if possible
- be fairly simple and easily repeatable
- make good gifts so as not to fill up the shop
They should also be satisfying. Being able to give someone a mushroom and hear a heartfelt thanks for a wood turning project is so much more likely to encourage learning to turn than is a box of pretty kindling at one's feet.
About the Author
Darrell Feltmate is a wood turner who likes to teach others the craft of wood turning. There are tips, techniques and wood turning projects, including mushrooms, at his site Around the Woods and feed back is encouraged at his wood turning blog, Round Opinions.
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