DIY Network

Safety Tips and Preparation From "Woodturning Basics" episode DWTN-101

Finished bowls: the beginner's (left) and the master's (right).

Materials:

5/8" bowl gouge
Parting tool
Electric sander
100-, 150- and 220-grit sandpaper
PVC pipe, 4" x 3" in diameter
Leather strips
Block of maple wood (known as a blank)
Lathe
Safety glasses

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Basic safety tip: Never wear long sleeves or baggy clothing when working near a lathe.

Basic Tools for Woodturning

Each piece of wood is slightly different, from the grain patterns to the color, but unlike the wood, the tools never vary. If you think of wood as a canvas, then the gouges are brushes. Each shaves off a small amount of wood with every turn of the lathe. The following four basic tools are used by wood turners:

• Bowl gouge, used for removing large amounts of wood at one time.

• Spindle gouge, which has a tighter flute, or point, than a bowl gouge, and can make finer cuts.

  Bowl gouge.

  Spindle gouge.

  
  

• Skew chisel, used for smoothing surfaces.

• Parting tool, considered to be somewhat like a woodturner's sword, since it's used for separating pieces of wood.
  

Skew chisel.

Parting tool.

Lathe.