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My first turning

Matthew Kenney, senior editor

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Cooling tower chic. I've always thought cooling towers look cool. That's why I choose this shape for my first turning.

Photo: M. Kenney

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One of the nice things about working at Fine Woodworking is that when I need to clear my head I can head out to the shop and do a little woodworking. Last week I turned some pegs for a workbench I'm building (it will be featured in an upcoming Video Workshop on Fine Woodorking Online), and I got bit by the turning bug. So yesterday I spent some time in the shop turning some scrap maple into a little vase.

And yes, I did get insipration for the shape from power plant cooling towers! It's finished with some beeswax.

I've dug out two turning blocks I bought ages ago (I have no idea why I would buy turning blocks when I didn't know how to turn), and have another vase (in pear) and a bowl (in iroko) planned.

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Making a pear-shaped tea caddy, chapter 3

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A machine mishap

Comments (3)

jowersjc writes: Hi, I see that this post is nearly four years old now but i'm going to try anyway..

I've recently gotten myself interested in woodworking. Well, I say i got myself into it but the best way to explain it is that i come from a family of carpenters... I only wish i were this age before my Grandfather passed away, instead of being 10 and not very interested in His hobbies.

Long post short, I am trying to decide on how to get started learning how to turn wood into various parts. I have researched tools, machinery, and basically anything I can get my hands on to learn as much as possible before making a purchase but I feel sure that (as with the tablesaw), you will only begin learning once you get a lathe to work with - Trial and error, etc.

I've looked into the Jet Mini-Lathe, I've also looked into buying a hand drill and setting it up in a fixture to be used as a lathe but i am not sure if in the long run i will be wasting my time.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

- James
Posted: 10:50 pm on November 14th

MKenney writes: That's for sure. I've had some leg parts from an old table my mother-in-law gave me. One made a nice little box, but I saw them sitting in my office and thought, "turn 'em." So I did. Now I'll be looking over the scraps and throwing them into two piles: wood stove and turning.
Posted: 6:31 pm on December 30th

Fig writes: Welcome to the slippery slope of turning. Now you will look at "scrap" wood in a whole new way.
Posted: 10:32 am on December 30th

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