Elegant Woodturned Art for the Home or...

Whether you are a fine art wood turning collector, having your home remodeled or just looking for that little something extra for a special place in your home or office, wood turned art may be just the thing you need. An original piece of wood art turned will add class to any decor and will be a pleasure to show off. Woodturnings can be made to fit that special place in your home with shape, texture and color to match your surroundings. Take your time as you look through my woodturning gallery and gather ideas for a special turning I can make for you. You may find just what you were looking for already in the gallery. I would also be very happy to do some custom woodturning for you. I see no reason to pay Gallery prices from a website for wood turned art and would never charge those high prices. I would rather see more people own woodturnings because they could afford to purchase them and enjoy them.

Wood Art Turned

Am I an Artist? If you say so. Am I a craftsman? I think so. But mostly I would call myself a wood turner. If I did not have a passion for woodturning, I most likely would not be doing it. I do believe one should put their best effort forward in anything they set out to accomplish. If you enjoy what you are doing, you will excel at that endeavor. Collecting wood that is destined for the landfill and turning it (no pun intended) into something another might enjoy is what it is all about. Seeing a log or piece of wood evolve into a form that begs to be held, studied, and used is what I strive for as an end result. I would hope to never stop learning all that woodturning has to offer me and what I can offer to woodturning. I enjoy reading woodturning articles to help me learn and have a page on my site dedicated to wood turning articles. Custom woodturning can be a fun way to improve your skills. You can't send out a piece with mistakes. With the woodturning tools I use, I can make wood art, pen turning and everything in between.

Online Fine Art Woodturning Gallery

I became a member of the AZ Woodturners Association and saw a whole new world open up for me. I learned that taking lessons from an accomplished turner was going to be a great benefit to me and started signing up for what ever classes I could find. I did not realize the magnitude at the time, but some of the workshops I participated in were from internationally recognized turners such as Soren Berger, Stuart Batty, Phil Brennion and others. What a way to improve your skill level! I was also inspired by visiting numerous local Art Galleries to see others' skills. Fine art dealers are becoming more interested in wood turned bowls and vessels as customer interest increases.

After my first year as a member of the Arizona Woodturners Association, I became the Vice President under Tim Wadley, a very accomplished turner himself. After that year I took over as President and was for two years. Joining a local wood turning association is highly recommended if you desire to improve your wood turning skills, even if only for the pure enjoyment of turning. I have also been a Board Member of the American Association of Woodturners, and now on the  Board of Advisers. I highly recommend joining the American Association of Woodturners. See the link to the AAW website below right.
 

Wood Turned Bowls and Hollow Forms:

The wood turning process can vary greatly depending on the type of turning you are doing. I now enjoy all types of wood turning and have quite the assortment of tools for each particular job. Learning what tool is best for what application comes with practice and asking questions at your turning meetings and workshops. I do not believe there is any such thing as asking too many questions. When we stop learning, we stop growing.

The choice for lathes is also a very open and subjective area of concern. I use two different lathes that are at the opposite ends of the spectrum in size. Each lathe is used for different applications. My main lathe is a Powermatic 4224 and my secondary lathe is a Jet Mini. With these two lathes, I can turn an object from 1" or less up to 24" in diameter. On my larger lathe, I have had pieces weighing over 200 pounds when I started turning them. Turning tools can be purchased or made in your shop. In the last few years, turning tool manufacturers have made enormous steps forward in the evolution of tools. There are tools for almost every application in wood turning. If your project requires a special size or shape tool, you can make one for that particular job. Another good reason to join your local wood turning association chapter is networking with other turners that can teach you how to make your turning tools. It really is not that difficult and can be fun  to do in it self.

A picture of a nearby hiking trail at John James Audubon Park I like to travel to learn about the native Kentucky trees. Living in an area where the native trees are just perfect for use in woodturning makes strolls through the forest a wonderful time to plan and design projects in my head or sketch pad. The area is very tranquil and conducive to figuring out design of my next project. I think it is important to note that I only use wood from trees that would otherwise be used for the fireplace or destined for the land fill. I do purchase on occasion some exotic species of wood for turning after investigating the harvest practice of the seller. I'm very much against clear cutting tropical forests for monetary gain. There are better ways.

Check out my woodturning gallery and see if find something you might like or send me your idea for your very own wood turned art vase, bowl or hollow form.

History of Lathe Turned Art:

The origin of woodturning dates to around 1300BC when the Egyptians first developed a two-person lathe. One person would turn the wood with a rope while the other used a sharp tool to cut shapes in the wood. The Romans improved the Egyptian design with the addition of a turning bow. Early bow lathes were also developed and used in Germany, France and Britain. In the Middle Ages a pedal replaced hand-operated turning, freeing both the craftsman's hands to hold the woodturning tools. The pedal was usually connected to a pole, often a straight-grained sapling. The system today is called the "spring pole" lathe (see Polelathe). Spring pole lathes were in common use into the early 20th Century. A two-person lathe, called a "great lathe", allowed a piece to turn continuously (like today's power lathes). A master would cut the wood while an apprentice turned the crank.

The term "bodger" stems from pole lathe turners who used to make the chair legs and spindles. A bodger would typically purchase all the trees on a plot of land, set up camp on the plot, and then fell the trees and turn the wood. The spindles and legs that were produced were sold in bulk, for pence per dozen. The bodger's job was considered unfinished because he only made component parts. The term now describes a person who leaves a job unfinished, or does it badly.

During the industrial revolution the lathe was motorized, allowing turned items to be created in less time. The motor also produced a greater rotational speed for the wood, making it easier to quickly produce high quality work. Today most commercial woodturning is done by computer-operated machinery allowing for mass-production that can be created with accurate precision and without the cost of employing craftsmen. Despite this, there is still a demand for hand-turned products. Woodturning is also a hobby enjoyed by many people.

Modern professional woodturners are typically either "production" turners producing large quantities of functional pieces, or artistic turners producing smaller numbers of pieces, often enhanced after turning by carving, piercing, coloring, applying pyrography, gilding, or a number of other techinques to produce objects for the art market. ( Source: Wikipedia)

Types of Turning Tools:

Roughing gouge - a wide fluted gouge used to initially round a wooden spindle, and to roughly shape it. Generally not intended for cutting end grain due to the large cut it takes and the relatively weak tang connecting the blade to the handle. Unsafe for making bowls or any faceplate work.
spindle gouge or detail gouge - a shallow fluted gouge used to create details on spindles, including beads (raised portions of the turning typically semi-circular in cross section) and coves (relieved portions of the turning).
bowl gouge - a deep fluted gouge used to turn the outside and inside of bowls and vessels. Often has a thicker shaft and longer handle than a spindle gouge because it has to cut farther away from the handrest.
skew chisel - a wide, steeply pointed chisel with the edge running at an angle to the length of the tool. Used to smooth flat spindles, cut beads, and add details. Skew chisels are only used on spindle work (never on faceplate work) and are honed after sharpening to create a razor edge.
parting tool - a pointed tool used to separate (part off) work from the lathe, and to create a straight edge separating large and small diameter sections - wide parting tools also called bedans are used to create evenly sized spindle sections.
hollowing tool - many different types of tools used to cut out the deep sections of steep bowls, vases and hollow vessels. Often with very long handles, to maintain enough leverage when working in a deep vessel, far away from the handrest.
scraper - a tool that scrapes the wood fibers instead of cutting - these are used to smooth off wooden items cut with other tools, and to shape items that are not possible or difficult to shape with gouges. A sharp scraper has a burr at the edge which cuts the wood, only a dull scraper actually scrapes.
bowl saver - a tool used to core out the inside part of a bowl, allowing the waste piece to be used to create a smaller bowl, and to limit the amount of wood chips created when hollowing out a bowl.
auger - a drill bit used to drill a hole partway or all the way through a wooden item. For cutting the hole for a lamp cord, or as the first step when hollowing out a bowl or vessel
chatter tool - a flexible scraper used to add decorative chatter marks to turned items
wire - a simple wire, sometimes with handles attached at either side, for the purpose of burning lines into the piece with friction.
there are also several tool types for special purposes, as well as tools that are a combination design of the above tools, i.e. skew/chisel combinations, thread cutting tools, ring cutting tools, medium fluted gouges, etc

Pen Turning: This is a form of wood turning that most anyone can enjoy. The cost of setting up shop to be a pen turner can be much less expensive than that of a bowl or hollow form turner. The lathe need for pen turning is much smaller and tools need are much fewer. If you already have a setup for turning, the extra's need for turning pens is about the same cost as a new lathe chuck.

Children and Pen Turning:  This is the perfect way to get your children or grandchildren involved in woodturning. They will learn all the basic skills needed on a much smaller scale and can carry over those new skills into other forms of wood art turned. There are a lot of books, videos and online forums where all the needed information to get you started are available. I would suggest that a local turning club is the best way to learn as you can get real hands on instruction which will lead to quicker skill development.

For more information on turning pens, some of the books listed below are a wonderful resource that you can refer to on an as need basis. For more questions and answers about making fine writing instruments, Go to IAP  They have a great forum and an extensive library of help files and videos you can watch from your computer.