Beginner's Articles

Turning Basics: History, Tools and Safety

Getting Started in Woodturning by Neal Addy

Wood Lathe Specifications by Neal Addy

The Marvellous Skew by Bernhard Hofmann

Find your own Wood by Wood Magazine

From Trees to Turning Blanks by Wood Magazine

Lathe 101 with Norm Abram

Woodturning: Getting Started Right by Alan Lacer

Finishing Secrets: Everything I Know about Finishing Turned Wood by Russ Fairfield

A lesson with Chris Stott: First Steps in Woodturning

A lesson with Chris Stott: Cutting and Sharpening for Wood Turners

The Skew Chisel Series by Alan Lacer (2 videos)

The Skew Chisel - The Definitive Work by Allan Batty

A Nomenclature of Woodturning - Speaking the Woodturning Language by David Schneider

Nine things I wish someone had told me by Jon Siegel

Choosing Turning Tools by Badger Pond

Wood finishing techniques for beginners by Phil Bumbalough

Introduction to Woodturning by Brian Clifford

The History of Woodturning by David Schneider

Newcomers Introduction to Woodturning by Peter Hemsley

Notes from Beginning Woodturning Class by Clead Christiansen

Tips for Woodturning Beginners by Patrick Fulton

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Buffing

Make your own Buffing Mandrel - Doug Ketchum

Make your own Beall Buffing 3 on 1 Shaft System - Ray Lanham

Finishing with the Beall Wood Buff System - Scott Phillips video
(Sponsored by Woodcraft)

Buffing Thoughts collated from newsgroup postings by the Sydney Woodturners

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Chucks

Making a Donut Chuck by Keith Larrett

A Different Way of Jam Chucking by Jim Meier

Making your own Wooden Faceplates by David Reed Smith

All Wood Collet Chuck by David Reed Smith

Doughnut Chuck by Art Liestman (pdf format)
(originally published in Canadian Woodworking)

Longworth chuck by Art Ustby

Lathe Chucks & Chucking by Bill Haskell (pdf format)

Longworth Chuck

 

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Design, Inspiration and Collections

Classic Design by Jon Siegel

The Seven S's (S-S-S-S-S-S-S) of the Salad Bowl - What makes a Good Salad Bowl by Russ Fairfield

The Daniel Collection - Jonathon Cuff and Shirley Sinclair

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Dust Collection

Guide to workshop dust control by Wood Magazine

Dust Collector Pipe Joint Template and Free Online Software by Stan Harder

Cyclone Dust Collector Research by Bill Pentz

Building a dust collection blast gate by Phil Bumbalough

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Embellishments

Epoxy for Woodturning by Will Hunt

Checking out Chatterwork by Wood Magazine

Using the Bowers Rasp in Spiral Turnings by Bill Bowers

Making your own Wood Burning Brands from Copper Nails by Mollly Winton

Inlay Contrasting Colored Materials into your Turning by Ed Davidson

Stone Inlay in Woodturnings by Steven Hatcher

Using Wood Bleach by Jeff Jewitt

Coloring Epoxy Resin by the Sydney Woodturners

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Finishing

Making your own Foam Ball Sander by David Reed Smith

Finishes for Wood Bowls, Butcher Blocks, and other items used for Food by Forest Products Laboratory

Ebonizing Wood by James Thompson

New tips for ebonizing wood by Robert J Hlavacek Sr.

Instant Glue, A Fabulous Finish for Small Turnings by Bill Hug

Finishing Secrets: Everything I Know about Finishing Turned Wood by Russ Fairfield

A lesson with Chris Stott: Finishing for Wood Turners

Sanding the Inside of a Turned Vessel By Ellis Hein

Sandpaper Grit Variances by Wood Magazine

Bowl Sanding Tool by Mack DeBose

Finishing with Waterlox, by Andy Chen (PDF)

209 Finish - A guide to finishing with Minwax 209, by Luna Ford

Beall Buffing Shaft Project by Raymond Lanham

Dust Collection at the Lathe by Russ Fairfield

Making varnish look like Glass by Alice

Finishing Pens by Bill Grumbine

Ideas to make sanding a little easier by Tidewater Turners of Virginia

Some Notes on Finishes by Bob Flexner

Wood finishing techniques for beginners by Phil Bumbalough

Making a Sanding Paddle by Kenneth George

CA Finish by Gregory Wilson

Finishing on the Lathe by Michael Dresdner

Using Wood Bleach by Jeff Jewitt

Making your own Power Sanders by Herman de Vries

Making your own Ebonizing Rust Stain by JoeWoodworker.com

Making your own Flap Sander by Bob Kinsey

Chart of abrasives and their grading (pdf format)

Drill Press Sanding by Les Swift

Finishing Secrets by Russ Fairfield

Achieving a "Gallery Quality" Finish by Don Comer (pdf format)

Finishing for Woodturners by Don Comer (pdf format)

Abrasive pad specifications

Sandpaper grit comparisons

 

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Glues

Why Cyanoacrylate Instant Glue Spouts "Clog" by Wood Finish Supply

CA Glue; Ideas, Tips and Methods by Bruce Hoover

Woodworking Glues - Some Facts That Will Stick by Jeff Jewitt

 

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Make your Own Hollowing Tools

Reverse Turning Jig for Hollowing Turning, The Kirsten Kone by Oskar Kirsten

Make Your Own Hollowing Rig - Sy Plonsky

Homemade Jamieson Hollowing Tools By Peter James

Make your Own Captured Boring Bar System by Lyle Jamieson

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Make your Own Lathe

Building your own Lathe - Ken Richardson

Making a Treadle or Pole Lathe by the Association of Polelathe Turners and Greenwood Workers

Building a Woodturning Lathe by George F. Farrell

Homebuilt Wood Lathe by David Dorman

Rebuilding an Oliver Lathe by Rick Chrispherson

 

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Metal Spinning

Metal Spinning - Wiki

My Metal Spinning Lathe - Bruce Simpson

Metal Spinning by Terry Tynan

Making balls by metal spinning by Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz.

Metal Spinning Workshop by Terry Tynan (DVD purchase option too)

Metal Spinning Tutorial by Peter Rubin Fletter

Metal Spinning Tutorial by Sean McKenna

Metal Spinning demo by JerryLucky2000

 

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Misc.

Wood Dust health information - US Department of Labor - OSHA

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Off Center Turning

A lesson with Chris Stott: Basic Off Centre Turning

Oval Turning by Johannes Volmer

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Ornametal Turning

Turning Back the times, ornamental turnery from the days of Queen Ann with Fred Armbruster

Ornamental Turners International (US-based OT group)

Society of Ornamental Turners (UK-based OT group)

 

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Photography

Photographing Your Work Tutorial by Katherine Kowalski

The Phrugal Photo Studio Way to Shoot Woodturnings by Jamie Donaldson

Photographing Your Turnings by Keith West

Photographing your Work - A tutorial by Neal Addy

How I Photograph my Woodturnings for the Website by Derek Andrews

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Segmented Turning

Based on popular demand, we made a special section for this topic.

New Segmented Turning Section

 

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Sharpening 

Sharpening Turning Tools: Some Fundamental Principles by Lyn J. Mangiameli

Poor Woodturner's Sharpening Jig (Build your own) by Jerry Hall

Make your own Fingernail Sharpening Jig by Chas Jones

Sharpening Woodturning Tools with Mike Darlow

A lesson with Chris Stott: Cutting and Sharpening for Wood Turners

Two Cherries Tools - Basics of Grinding and Sharpening by Wolfgang Korotkow

Sharpening your Diamond Parting Tool by Andrew Hilton

Making the Gouge Sharpening Jig by Stan Harder

Shop-Built Jig by King Heiple

Jigs for Bench Grinder by Richard Stapley

A Sharpening System for Woodturning Tools by Brian Clifford

Sharpening Woodturning Chisels - Part 2 by Jon Siegel

Sharpening Woodturning Chisels - Part 1 by Jon Siegel

Make your own Tool Grinding Jig by Jean Michel

Sharpening your woodturning tools by Joe Fleming

Making your own homemade Shapening System by David Reed Smith

Making a Honing Disk by David Reed Smith

Learn to Sharpen Progressively, Part 1 by Alan Lacer

Learn to Sharpen Progressively, Part 2 by Alan Lacer

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Shop Organization

Using Magnets in the Shop by Jim Pugh

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Showing and selling your work

Hints and Tips for Shy Demonstrators

Preparing for giving a demonstration by Frank Clarke

How to Succeed at Craft Shows by Nick Cook

So You Want to Sell your Stuff by Nick Cook

 

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Spalting Wood

Understanding and Making Spalted Wood by Forest Products Laboratory

Spalted Wood by Wood Magazine

Spalting, A Fungus Amongus by Andrew Hilton

Controlled Spalting by Woodweb

Spalt your Own - A Recipe for Creating Spalted Wood by Russ Fairfield

Make your own spalted wood - From the Ohio Valley Woodturners Guild web site.

Spalted Wood by Alan Lacer

Spalt by Ken Laninga

 

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Techniques for Drying Green Wood

 

Reducing Checking in Green Wood with Wax Emulsion Sealers by Steve Russell

Brands and Sources of Alcohol for Wood Drying by Dave Smith

Drying Wood with Alcohol by Adam Howard

Building a Wood Kiln, a Photo Journal by Dennis Daudelin

Drying Wood to Get Round Bowls (three articles and a sketch, by Marty Kaminsky)

     Round is Good (HTML)
     Drying Box Building and Assembly Instructions (HTML)
     Drying Box Dimensions (HTML)
     Drying Box Construction Sketch (.jpg file

Methods of Wood Drying by Daniel Yourdon

Home built solar kiln by Woodweb

Boiling Wood to dry it by Bill Noble (pdf format)

How to Build a Low Cost Kiln as published in the Irish Woodturners Guild Journal (pdf format)

Microwave Drying by Marshall Garrow

Microwave Drying by Rex Haslip

The Soap Solution by Leif O. Thorvaldson

Soap Technique by Ron Kent

 

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Tree Identifiers

Arizona Tree Identification Wiki supported by Mike Vickery

Ohio Tree Index

ArborDay.org Tree Guide by the National Arbor Day Foundation

TreeGuide by Athenic Systems

Guide to Trees and Shrubs of Virginia by Andy Roberts of Virginia Tech

An Introductory Guide to Native British Trees by Bill Unsworth and British-Trees.com

Tree Guide by the Illinois State Museum

Tree Book - Learning to Recognize Trees of British Columbia by the Government of British Columbia, Ministry of Forests (.pdf format)

 

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Turning

Making split turnings by Tom Hintz

Logs to wood turning blanks by Tom Hintz

Turning identical legs by Tom Hintz

Drafting for the Lathe by Jon Siegel

Wood Lathe Specifications by Neal Addy

Duplication on the Lathe by Jon Siegel

Ellsworth Signature Gouge by David Ellsworth

Tips for Turners by David Ellsworth

Bowl Turning Techniques and Reverse Chucking by Bonnie Klein

Chatter Techniques, Coloring Chatterwork and Box Turning by Bonnie Klein

Turning Unusual Materials by Bonnie Klein

The Skew Chisel Series by Alan Lacer (2 videos)

The Skew Chisel - The Definitive Work by Allan Batty

Hand Thread Chasing - the Definitive Work by Allan Batty

A lesson with Chris Stott: Decorative Effects and Colouring by Chris Stott

The McNaughton Center Saver by Mike Mahoney

Turning Wood by Richard Raffan

Nine things I wish someone had told me by Jon Siegel

The reverse curve by Jon Siegel

Spindle turning for furniture by Jon Siegel

Design considerations of gate leg tables by Jon Siegel

Barley Twist Columns by Ger Vervoort

Kutzall® Carving on the Lathe by Mike Schwing

How to turn wood columns by Jon Siegel

Turning Miniatures by Carey Caries

DYED DOWEL TURNING by Howard Lewin

Turning Green Wood by Howard Lewin

Roughing a bowl blank on the lathe by Bill Grumbine

Coring out bowls with the Kel McNaughton Coring Tool   by Bill Grumbine

Turning Soapstone by Phil Manzi

My Friend the Skew by Alan Lacer

Making Birdseye Blanks by Leonard Landry

Measuring Wall Thickness by Bill Nelson

Making bowl blanks by Bill Grumbine

A Lost Wood Process by Lowell Converse

Practical Screwcutting (hand chased threads) by Bill Jones

Basic Bowl Roughing by Roger Austin

Turning Green Wood by Howard Lewin

Lathe Turned Alabaster Vessels by Max Krimmel

 

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Turning Equipment

Today's Lathes - What's right and What's wrong? by Jon Siegel

Economical Ways to Expand your Chisel Collection by Jon Siegel

Making Cole Plates for your Chuck by Darrell Feltmate

Additional plans for lathe mounted drum sander by Greg Darling

Make your own wobble chuck by Bill Berry

Reversing Switch for Variable Speed Jet Mini Lathe by Mack Debose

Shop-Built Compression Chuck by Bill Grumbine

Making a Longworth Chuck by Garrett Lambert

Lathe mounted thickness sander by Awilda (Tita) Wilson

Build your own Laptop Lathe by Brian Nowell

Keeping tools handy at the lathe by Bruce Hoover

How to test a lathe by Ed Davidson

Grinding the fingernail Grind on the Oneway Wolverine System

Fingernail Grinds with the Tormek by Steve Worcester

Morse Taper sizes

Setting up a Bandsaw by Les Swift

Bowl Depth Gauge

Make your own sharpening jig for woodturning tools by Brian Clifford

 

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Turning Jigs

Lathe Turning Tool Rack by Mal Partridge

Making a wood collet chuck by Bob Hamilton

Methods and Jigs for Reversing Turning Bowls by John Lucas

Building a pen assembly press by Al Faul

Detailed Pen Assembly drawing for above press by Sid Matheny

Make your own chuck marking gauge by Chas Jones

Laser-based Turned Bowl / Vessel Depth Finder by Sy Plonsky

Safety Log Sawing Horse by John Lannom

Segmented Ring Press by Bob Tugwell

Wooden Faceplates by David Reed Smith

Make a String Steady Rest by Northeast Oklahoma Woodturners

MagSteady - A Two Wheeled Steady by David Reed Smith

Plans for building a Steady Rest for a 10” Mini Lathe by Tom Crosby

Making a Chatter Tool by John Lucas and John Trant

Shop Built Texturing/Sprialing Tool by Doninic Greco

Donut chuck by Art Liestman

Lathe Steady Rest by Ray Lanham

Pen Drilling Jig by Dave Hylands

Bottlestopper Jig by Kevin Miller

Making your own Pen Sled by David Reed Smith

Making an Indexing Jig by Tommie

Making a Threading Jig by Jean Michel

Making a Steady Rest by Jean Michel

Making a Steady Rest by Herman de Vries

Shop built Steady Rests for Thin Turning by Tom Enloe

Shop-Built sharpening jig by Fine Woodworking author King Heiple

Bottle Stopper Jig by Kevin Miller

Bowl Steadies and Steady Rests by Russ Fairfield

Drill Press Jig by Les Swift

A Jig To Make Tapered Rings by Adrian Barendregt

Lathe Drilling Jig by Keith Jeeves

Making a spinning hand sander by Bill Noble

Turning Tool Rest and Grinding Jig by Larry Gawne

A Different Way of Jam Chucking by Jim Meier

Make your own Tool Grinding Jig by Jean Michel

Bandsaw sled for cutting logs by George Vondriska

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Turning Tools

Making your own Parting Tool by James Thompson

Making a Compression Nut Ferrule by J. Thompson & C. Myers

Turning a Tool Handle by Bob Hamilton

Unconventional Tools - Do they work as claimed and are they actually new? by Jon Siegel

Woodturning Chisels You can Make by Jon Siegel

Turning Tool Handles by Ron McKinley

The Marvellous Skew by Bernhard Hofmann

Four-jaw Chucks by Wood Magazine

6 must have turning tools by Phil Brennion

What a pyramid point tool can do for you by Wood Magazine

Make a Mini-Cove Tool by David Reed Smith

The Negative Rake Scraper by Andrew Hilton

How to use the Kelton Centre Saver System by Steven D. Russell

Making a metal tool handle with a rubber grip by Floyd Harmon

Making your own thread chasers for woodturning by James P. Riser

Making your own Carbide Tool by Kurt Hertzog

How to make your own Muliti-Tip Scrapper by Kenneth George

How to make a small detail spindle gouge by David Reed Smith

Making your own Wallet Friendly Shear Scrapers by David Reed Smith

Semi Shear Beading Tool by David Reed Smith

Homemade hook tools by Tommie

How to make a chatter tool by Ken Grunke

Turning Tool Handles by John Lucas

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Turning Materials

Dymondwood Do's and Don'ts by Wood-n-Whimsies

Anodizing Aluminum by Ron Newman

Tips for craftsmen on the working of ivory by Warther Museum

Making bowl blanks by Bill Grumbine

Tagua Nuts

Potentially Toxic Woods

Wood Toxicity by Hobbywoods.com

 

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Vacuum Chucking

Vacuum Chucking - How to use a veneer press for wood turning - Joe Woodworker

Vacuum Chucking by John Solberg and Peter Tkacs (Huge 13.5MB pdf file)

Making a Vacuum Chucking System on a Shoestring Budget by Sy Plonsky

Basics of Vacuum Chucks / Pumps by Bill Hrnjak

Vacuum Chucks and Pumps by Bill Noble

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Woodworking Equipment

Home made thickness sander by Kawika, Inc

Build your own Thickness Sander by Phil Joines

Shop Made Drum/Thickness Sander by Dominic Pieranunzio

Building a dust collection blast gate by Phil Bumbalough

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