Wood turning lathe tips, techniques and projects
to add to your joy
in turning.

If this is your first time to the site, the contents page is a good place to start. Look around and get a feel for what is here. In particular I find that beginners have two huge problems in learning to turn. First is the need for sharp tools. Most wood turning tools are supplied with the wrong shape grind and also need sharpening. Unfortunately sharpening free hand is difficult to learn and turning with dull tools is frustrating and dangerous. Take a look at the jig over at the sharpening woodturning tools page and either make the jig or get a commercial one. Either is well worth the time or money.

Second is the question of what to turn. Of course this hits both beginner and intermediate turners while advanced tend to have a different problem in that they turn the sane thing over and over with slight variations. A look at the woodturning projects pages for beginners, intermediates and advanced may give some help in this.

You may also have questions about where to get wood supply for your turning. The pages on wood turning bowls will give advice on getting wood and turning green wood from the log to the finished product. Spindle turners may also get some insight from these pages as I detail the use of chainsaw and bandsaw to develop spindle material. There is a bit more at the beginning of the wooden spoon project as well.

Along the way there is quite a bit of material on making wood turning tools of various sorts for a lot less money and a lot more satisfaction than buying them. Considering the way in which they are made should help you in their use whether or not you make your owm. Come on along and explore the pages. There is a lot of explanation, pictures, and free video for your use. More is being added all the time. Wood turning lathes, tools and projects develop a lot of enjoyment for us all.