Wood Turning -My First Experience

Guest Blog

I had a happy few days visiting Roni a couple of weeks ago in beautiful West Wales. We have been friends for years. Rather rashly, she offered to show me wood turning and so how to make a bowl. I say rashly because I am not a practical sort of person. DIY is a form of torture to me and making something from scratch is a concept I have never understood, let alone embraced!

The first thing that Roni said was that lathe safety is paramount when wood turning. The lathe turns the blank at a 800 revolutions per minute (0r more!) and the wood is taken off using a hand held gouge that is wickedly sharp. It is important to wear goggles to protect your eyes from bits of wood flying into your face. A mask to protect your lungs from dust particles completes the set up.

Faced with the first piece of wood, a roughly circular blank about 6 inches across and 3 inches thick  (I have no truck with the new money), actually it seemed bigger to me. A LOT bigger and very daunting.  I could not see how there could be a bowl inside it waiting to emerge into the light. I was raring to start wood turning, and my hand was hovering over the start button on the lathe. But no, Roni took time to show me the emergency stop button and run through the safety aspects of wood turning, never wear ties or dangling clothes, never try to grab the wood while it is turning on the lathe, that sort of thing. The sort of thing that is obvious but easily forgotten by a novice in the heat of battle.

Then there were the gouges, super sharp and to be respected. At this point I checked on my of fingers just to be sure that I knew how many I should have at the end of the day……..

Under patient and detailed tuition I made the first tentative cuts. Not knowing what to expect I was pleased that Roni was there to reassure and guide me. The first couple of cuts completed and all my fingers were still attached – result! I did wonder about the strain that I was putting Roni under, she seemed to be more worried than me but she showed admirable restraint and control not raising her voice once, well, maybe only a couple of times.

I quickly understood that wood turning is about working with the wood not fighting it. It is a co-operative exercise between the bowl hidden in the wood and the wood turner. Making a good cut is a wonderful feeling. Seeing in your mind’s eye what you want to do with the next cut and achieving it is fantastic! There is a characteristic noise that you get when everything is working well. There is also a characteristic noise when things are not going well. As the day went on I managed more of the former and less of the latter.

After the excitement of wood turning and revealing the bowl in the wood came the sanding and the oiling. Being impatient I wanted to rush this stage but Roni put me in my place firmly and the sanding was done to her own exacting standards. Although that is not a bad thing, I just wanted to get the bowl finished.

When it was finally finished I can not tell you how proud I was to have made my first bowl! It was as if the magnificent Bristol City had won the FA Cup and I had scored the winning goal! There was a grin on my face that went from ear to ear. I kept looking at the bowl and touching it.

Roni was also pleased, probably more about the lathe and the gouges being intact than with my bowl to be honest, but she was also genuinely pleased for me. When I started to nag her about turning another, and then another and another there was a look of “what sort of monster have I created” on her face.

3 days and 3 more bowls later and all fingers still intact. The lathe was still working and the gouges almost intact. I know that there is a long way to go to become good at wood turning. I watch Roni and am amazed at how she knows instinctively what will work with any given piece of wood.

Overall a great experience and I can not wait to turn something else!

The Result of my First Wood Turning Experience!