Info and tutorials
I visit woodworking forums occasionally, and often times redundant topics come up. With that in mind I have made several topic discussions into a pdf or similar type document. Many have pictures included as a part of the discussion.
If you are inexperienced as a turner or are simply curious about any of the topics below just click on the link and it will download to your computer where you can read it at your leisure. Be sure to save it to your hard drive once it loads, else you will have to come back to the page to download it again.
I recently was commissioned to make an Oak Chest for a close friend. Click on this page to see pictures of its construction, it's a beauty.
Sawing logs into turning blanks - a rich pictorial that gives you precise step by step instructons on how you approach a log, and then saw it into turning blanks. This tutorial shows you the most economical and efficient way to get the most out of a log, eliminating as much waste as possible.
Make your own hardened tools - This is a quick and dirty tutorial, with some visual guide, as to how you obtain the metal, shape it, and then harden it safely. This is a mystery to many that believe you need to be a rocket scientist to make good viable tools you can use on the lathe.
Finish spray turntable - Applying a finish coat to a lathe piece is tricky. Gravity can ruin even the most careful of applications. I made a motorized turntable that you can place your turned work on and revolve it while you apply spray finishes to it, giving you a smooth even coat of finish. This tutorial comes with photos describing it.
My Finish techniques - This is a written tutorial mostly comprised of my methodology of how I finsih my bowls. It comes in tip format but is comprehensive in length. I go to some rather extreme lengths to obtain a glass like appearance on some of my bowls. This tutorial will tell you how I do it.
Turning Aromatic Cedar - Cedar is a peculiar animal, so much so I put together some tips on turning it. While it can be a very challenging wood to turn, the resulting artwork you produce from your efforts is simply stunning to say the least. I recommend every turner try turing red cedar at least once.
Make a hollowing/boring tool - After looking over the market at hollowing tools that were available, I felt I could make my own that was super stable and stout, and would cut like hot knife in butter. I was right. My tool system costed me about $200 to make and out performs anything I have seen yet. It is capable of cutting chips half an inch wide by one eigth an inch thick.
Revisions to hollowing tool bits - More on my hollowing tool since my first tutorial.
Turning spalted red oak - This is a peculiar wood to turn. Some people have thought it had turned bad from the putrid smell of this wood, and tossed it away. If you have never turned spalted red oak, read this document.
