Woodworkers can fall into a routine, but they also like to seek out new challenges and opportunities to explore their personal relationship with wood. Getting a wood lathe and learning how to use it opens up a whole new dimension in woodworking. While many of the talents learned in plane joinery carry over to the round world of woodturning, new talents need to be developed in the trade, leading to new excitement in an old field.
First of all, while turners need additional tools besides a wood lathe and lathe tools, for many carpenters this is less of a requirement. The other tools needed to prepare the wood for the lathe are usually present in the form of band saws and table saws, which are common in the carpenter’s shop. Wood lathe tools need to be sharpened for use, but most woodworkers already have a tool sharpener for the purpose of removing chisel nicks and the like. This is easily transformed into the 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 sharp, the question becomes what to turn. For many joiners this becomes an extension of plane joinery at first. Making table legs allows for more individual expression than buying pre-made legs from a catalog or making them all straight lines out of necessity. While there are many variations of cabinet knobs available in various materials, personal knobs can be turned from wood, brass or plastic very easily on the wood lathe and many can be easily decorated. Small pieces of furniture are easily decorated with shields or finials.
Third, after the practice of turning furniture and other furniture parts, many carpenters will move on to other types of wood turning. There are many ideas for woodturning projects available in magazines, books, and on the web. Many of these will already be in the possession of most carpenters. Such projects range from candle holders, tool handles, and tea lights, to pens, bowls, vases, and just about anything round. Some of these will need to be glued in multiple parts and once again typical carpenter skills come into play with knowledge of joining, fastening and gluing.
Fourth, an aspect that is sometimes overlooked when one contemplates carpentry in general is the acquisition of the wood with which we work. For most woodworkers, this is a simple if expensive trip to the local lumber merchant. While this can also be an advantage for a turner, many prefer to start with a record section. This type of wood is generally much cheaper to get than prepared wood, and is often free. A chainsaw may be required, but many woodworkers will already have one, either electric or gas.
Fifth, and along the same lines, is the question that many carpenters ask themselves: what to do with all the beautiful remains of wood that accumulate in the home workshop? They are often too small to do anything with, but too nice to throw away. Turners often made small items that would use many small parts, or glued them together to make segmented chips. The carpenter’s shop with its edger and planer can make this much easier than it is for many turners who do not have these tools.
Thus, the purchase of a wood lathe can open up a whole new world of woodworking to the plane joiner. Many of the skills already practiced transfer easily to the wood lathe and wood preparation, while the tools of the shop prove invaluable in the new part of the woodworking trade. Woodworking is done for fun and adding this new dimension will greatly increase the overall enjoyment.
