Wood Turning – Phil’s First Wooden Bowls

A friend came to stay for a few days recently and expressed an interest in trying his hand at wood turning and making some wooden bowls. I was absolutely delighted. I am passionate about my work and if I can turn someone else on to the wonders of wood in general and making wooden bowls by wood turning in particular I am not going to pass up on the opportunity! It is a chance to have a captive audience and to bore someone to tears…

I warned Phil that I am a terribly bad teacher. I have had very little practice at it which does not help and I do not know how to express myself. I know how I do what I do, though not always why and to explain it is something else. Also, the technical side of  wood turning is not my strong point. Anyway, Phil promised to be patient with me and we had a go. He was an excellent student. He asked lots of questions and it was obvious he was listening and understanding the principles of wood turning behind it.

Phil had never done any wood turning before, not even at school. This may have worked to his advantage as he had no expectations of what tools to use, the grind of the gouges (the angle and shapes of the cutting tools), or how the work might be held on the lathe – all of which might be different now than when someone was in school decades ago. I found it fascinating as I remembered many of the problems he was encountering and that I had battled through years before. I was taught the basics of wood turning but after that I was on my own and many problems haunted me for a long time. Living in such a rural area there was no wood turning club nearby to go. The nearest one I know of is about an hour and a half drive.

Phil was very determined and dedicated. I admit there were times I was itching to take over and correct a problem but he was not giving in and he surmounted the problems himself.

When I returned to the workshop and turning after Phil had left I found myself much more aware of how I was doing my work. How I was holding the tools, how I was standing, what problems I encountered and how I overcome them without (normally) even thinking about them. So by teaching someone else (however badly) I was also teaching myself. So, thank you Phil.

I would like to ask Phil if he would be my first guest wood turner on my blog. What do you say, Phil?