Woodworking And The Wood Lathe: Five Reasons That Woodworkers Can Easily Move Into Woodturning

Woodworkers can get into ruts but they also like to look for new challenges and opportunities to explore their personal relationship with wood. Getting a wood lathe and learning to use it open up a new dimension in woodworking. While many of the talents learnt in flat woodworking carry over to the round world of woodturning, new talents in the craft need to be developed, leading to new excitement in an old field.

First, while woodturners need extra tools other than a wood lathe and lathe tools, for many woodworkers this is a minor requirement. The other tools needed to prepare wood for the lathe are usually present in the form of band saws and table saws which are common for the woodworker's shop. Wood lathe tools need to be sharpened for use, but most woodworkers already have a tool grinder for the purpose of removing nicks from chisels and the like. This is easily transformed to lathe tool sharpener by replacing a grinder wheel with an inexpensive, aluminum oxide, fine grit wheel and making a sharpening jig.

Second, once the lathe is set up and ready and the tools sharpened, the question is what to turn. For many woodworkers this at first becomes an extension of flat woodworking. Making table legs allows for more individual expression than buying preturned ones from a catalogue or making them all straight lined from necessity. While there are many variations of cabinet knobs available in various materials, personal ones may be turned from wood, brass or plastics very easily on the wood lathe and many can be easily decorated. Small casework is easily decorated with escutcheons or finials.

Third, after the practise of turning parts for furniture and other casework, many woodworkers will move on to other types of woodturning. There are many ideas for wood turning projects available in magazines, books and the web. Many of these will already be in the possession of most woodworkers. Such projects range from candlesticks, tool handles and tea lights, to pens, bowls, vases and almost anything round. Some of these will need to glued up from several parts and once again the typical woodworker's abilities come into play with knowledge of jointing, clamping and gluing.

Fourth, an aspect that is sometimes overlooked as one contemplates woodworking in general is the acquiring of wood with which we work. For the majority of woodworkers this is a simple albeit expensive trip to the local lumber merchant. While this can also be of advantage to a woodturner, many prefer to start with a log section. This type of wood is generally much cheaper to get than prepared lumber and is often free. A chainsaw may be required but many woodworkers will already own one, either electric or gas powered.

Fifth and along the same lines is the question that many woodworkers have as to what to do with all the pretty offcuts of wood that accumulate in the home workshop? They are often too small to do anything with but too nice to throw out. Woodturners often made small items that will use up many small pieces or they glue them together to make segmented turnings. The woodworker's workshop with its jointer and planer can make this much easier than it is for many wood turners who do not have these tools.

Thus the acquisition of a wood lathe can open a new world of woodworking to the flat woodworker. Many of the already practised skills move easily to the wood lathe and wood preparation while the tools of the workshop prove to be greatly useful in the new part of the woodworking craft. Woodworking is done for fun and adding this new dimension will add greatly to the overall enjoyment.

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