HomeINTRODUCTION TO WOODTURNINGSome commentsThese documents take the form of a book. They can be read on screen but it will probably be easier to print them out and file the pages in a four ring binder. The full e-book can be downloaded in Portable Document Format (ie pdf files) for printing. At present 15 chapters have been installed. More will be added as time goes on. Subjects still to be covered include the following:
The gender issuePlease see my remarks on the the question of gender in the general introduction to this site. Copyright noticeBefore making use of these files please read the copyright notice. Failure to read this notice does not exempt the user from the conditions of use.ContentsChapter 1: Learning to turn
Contents in detailChapter 1: Learning to turn1.1 The art of woodturning 1.2 The learning curve 1.3 Developing skills 1.4 The basic principles 1.5 The pleasure of woodturning Chapter 2: The workshop and equipment 2.1 The workshop 2.2 Moving equipment 2.3 A separate workshop 2.4 The electricity supply 2.5 The equipment Chapter 3: The tools 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Scrapers 3.3 Chisels 3.4 Parting tools 3.5 Bowl gouges 3.6 Spindle gouges 3.7 Roughing-out gouges 3.8 Interchangeability of gouges 3.9 The different types of steel 3.10 The form of the bevel 3.11 The minimum kit of tools Chapter 4: Sharpening tools 4.1 The grinder 4.2 The type of wheel 4.3 Dressing the wheel 4.4 Using the grinder 4.5 Overheating the tool 4.6 To hone or not to hone 4.7 Safety Chapter 5: Safety 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Clothing 5.3 Hair 5.4 Eyes 5.5 Wood dust and toxicity 5.6 Noise 5.7 Physical fitness 5.8 Guards 5.9 Turning speeds 5.10 Checking the work-piece 5.11 Adjustment of the tool rest 5.12 Polishing 5.13 Precautions against a dig-in 5.14 Use of the correct tools 5.15 The use of other machinery 5.16 A clear floor space 5.17 Fire 5.18 Conclusion Chapter 6: Making the cut 6.1 General introduction 6.2The correct stance 6.3 The grip 6.4 Controlling the cut 6.5 Problems caused by a badly sharpened tool 6.6 The concept of the rubbing bevel Chapter 7: Grain and other factors relating to the cut 7.1 Introduction 7.2 The concept of grain 7.3 Cutting along the grain 7.4 Cutting end grain 7.5 Cutting across the grain 7.6: The way the work is held on the lathe and the terminology 7.7 The implications of rotation 7.8 The slicing cut Chapter 8: Introduction to spindle turning 8.1 The basic cuts 8.2 Roughing down 8.3 The planing cut 8.4 The 'V' cut 8.5 The bead 8.6 The cove 8.7 Blending beads and coves 8.8 Squaring the end 8.9 Rounding the end 8.10 The pummel Chapter 9: Spindle turning - setting up for practice 9.1 The blank 9.2 Mounting the blank 9.3 The rest 9.4 Turning speeds Chapter 10: Spindle turning - roughing down 10.1 Setting up 10.2 Preliminary exercise 10.3 Making the cut 10.4 Repeating the cut 10.5 The sequence of operations 10.6 The direction of the cut Chapter 11: Spindle turning - the planing cut 11.1 Introduction 11.2 The chisel 11.3 The attitude of the chisel 11.4 The cutting point 11.5 Preliminary exercises 11.6 Trying out the cut 11.7 Possible problems 11.8 Spiral ribbing Chapter 12: The 'V' cut 12.1 Introduction 12.2 The swing cut 12.3 Points to note 12.4 Summary of points to watch 12.5 The push method 12.6 A comparison of the swing and push cuts 12.7 Problems and accidents Chapter 13: Cutting a bead 13.1 Which tool? 13.2 The nature of the cut 13.3 The procedure 13.4 The bevel must rub 13.5 The first cut 13.6 Forming the bead 13.7 The tool must slide along the rest 13.8 The problems to be faced 13.9 Using a spindle gouge 13.10 Try, and try again Chapter 14: Cutting a cove 14.1 Preparation 14.2 The tool 14.3 The shape of the cove 14.4 Marking the size of the cove 14.5 The first stage in making the cut 14.6The second stage in making the cove 14.7 Preparation for stage two 14.8 Beginning stage two 14.9 Practising the cut with the lathe switched off 14.10 Some further considerations 14.11 Discontinuous cuts 14.12 Cutting with the leading edge of the tool 14.13 Cutting the wood in the centre of the cove Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Spindle turning - the final cuts 15.1 Introduction 15.2 Forming a pummel 15.3 Forming a pummel - method 1 15.4 Forming a pummel - method 2 15.5 Creating the waste 15.6 Rounding the end 15.7 Squaring the end - the conventional cut 15.8 Squaring the end - the Raffan cut 15.9 The parting cut Home © Brian Clifford (June 1999) Last update: October 2000 |