Woodturning refers to the craft of using tools such as wood lathes and other hand-held tools to cut or mould a shape onto the wood. As the wood turns on the axis of rotation, the turner, or the worker operating the machine, carves and cuts the wood symmetrical to the rotation. The skill used here is called turnery since the worker is a turner. While a lot of elements such as the grain, character, and moisture of the wood used affects the woodturning technique employed, all woodturning techniques are a combination of functions including cutting, sanding, knurling, facing, and turning deformation, and drilling.
Traditionally, before the industrial revolution, a range of essential items such as lamps, egg cups, candlesticks, knobs, and knitting cases were only made through turning. A wooden lathe, designed exclusively to craft wooden items was primarily used for this. Even after the industrial boom, however, woodturning is still relevant as a creative and fulfilling craft. Though the specialised tools used for woodturning have advanced a lot.
Setting up a Powered Lathe
A powered lathe is any lathe that is powered by an integrated electric motor and is used to perform all sorts of functions described above. Unlike a wooden lathe, a powered lathe can be used to manufacture both wooden and metal workpieces. There are various kinds of powered lathes such as an engine lathe, automatic lathe, tool room lathe, speed lathe, bench lathe and so on. As per your convenience and the type of wood you plan to use for turning, you can get any of these lathes, to spin the wood as you enjoy turning.
Image Source: Turningforprofit.com
All of these lathes are powered by a headstock, that includes a drive centre and is used to make the wood spin on the right side and a tailstock, that includes a live centre that spins along with the wood and accommodates the woods of various lengths. The live centre is used to hold the wood in place while the drive centre spins it. Both of these centres can be removed with a knockout bar if they aren’t required.
Then there’s a tool rest in the middle that rests upon a tool rest banjo. The latter allows for the position of the tool rest to be adjusted to accommodate all sorts of wood. You need to make sure to hold the wood as securely and adjust the lathe to its shape and size before you begin to mould it.
