Time for Turning

Rob Johnstone photoOne of the good parts of spending the last year “self isolating” in my workshop is that I’ve gotten to spend a bit of time honing my turning techniques. A couple years ago, I had a chance to teach a few turning classes around the office, but since then I’d feared that I (and my turning tools) had gotten a bit rusty.

I’m happy to say, however, that my lathe fired right up and after a few (ok, maybe more than a few) attempts, I felt like I was right back in business. There’s something special about turning: the feel of working the wood, the myriad useful things you can make in a relatively short period of time – I don’t know why I ever stopped! Though I also don’t know what I’m going to do with this pile of pens that I’ve made.

This week, our featured articles are focused on bowl turning, including an article from our friends at the American Association of Woodturners. We put out a monthly newsletter with them that is full of great project ideas, turning techniques and more helpful tips than you can shake a freshly turned pen at.

Have you taken up turning lately? Let me know. And if you’re interested in getting new turning content in your e-mail every month, we’ve got you covered!

Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal

Cutting Bowl Blanks from a Tree

Oval patterned bowl turned from blank

Dale Larson from the American Association of Woodturners takes you through the best methods for harvesting bowl blanks from a tree, and how to maximize your chances for getting the grain patterns you want.

Handy Reusable Bowl Dryers

Drying a woodturning in a pillowcase full of wood shavings

Don’t sleep on this reader’s idea for drying your woodturning projects. It’s simple, reusable and a great alternative to the old paper bags.

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