Diploma in Wood Turning

What Is Woodturning? Woodturning is the craft of using the wood lathe with hand-held tools to cut a shape that is symmetrical around an axis of rotation. Like the potter's wheel, the wood lathe is a simple mechanism that can generate a variety of forms limited only by the imagination of the artist or craftsperson.

Sanding against the grain is arguably the most common issue beginners run into; it's easy to do without thinking about it. However, sanding against the grain will create an ugly texture on your wooden piece, ruining its aesthetic value. All you need to do to fix this is to sand along the grain using abrasive paper.

Tools and materials do you need to make your first woodturning project: A lathe, woodturning tools, material to turn, such as wood or acrylic turning blanks, work-holding devices, and apparel.

Scott Caley, I usually let my lathe blanks dry for at least a year. My rule of thumb is it takes a year for softwoods and 2 years for hardwoods per inch to dry. So a 4/4 oak off the mill will take 2 years, covered and stickered, before it's ready for the wood shop.

To dry wood fast, split it immediately into smaller pieces, stack it off the ground in a sunny, windy location, and use fans or a kiln for forced air circulation. For rapid results, a DIY dehumidifier kiln (using a sealed space/plastic sheet, heater, and dehumidifier) can dry wood in days or weeks, rather than months.