Our Woodturning Resources

What is Woodturning?

The craft of woodturning can be traced back to ancient Egypt. It’s hard to know exactly when it started because wood is an item that will rot if not treated but ancient hyrogliphics portray this art.

The main tool used in woodturning is a wood lathe. It’s similar to a potter’s wheel but the wood lathe is capabel ot creating a wide variety of items.

The individual who operates a wood lathe is known as a turner and the skills that are used by the turner are known as turnery. There is a distinct difference between a wood lathe from a machinists or metal-turning lathe. The primary difference is that the wood turner’s tools are used by hand, without a fixed point of contact.

Woodturning can produce many items including: tool handles, candlesticks, egg cups, knobs, lamps, rolling pins, cylindrical boxes, Christmas ornaments, bodkins, knitting needles, needle cases, thimbles, pens, chessmen, spinning tops, legs, spindles and pegs for furniture; balusters and newel posts for architecture; baseball bats, hollow forms such as woodwind musical instruments, urns, sculptures, bowls, platters, and chair seats.

We have compiled a number of woodturning resources for you to explore.