There a large number of techniques used in turning, both when setting up turnings and when actually making the projects. The more techniques you can learn the more ways you have to making a pleasing turning. The techniques you learn will not only enhance you pieces but will you explore other areas of woodturning.Tips on Turning Small Pieces

Making pens, pencils and perfume applicators is a great way to develop your turning skills and experiment with small pieces of expensive hardwoods or exotics. Lee Valley sells the hardware and sleeves for this turning project, and an instruction sheet is available with your purchase. This article offers some variations on the procedure outlined in the instructions, as well as solutions to some common problems, and one or two innovative design techniques.

Practical Screw-cutting

Every turner sooner or later needs screw threads. Taps and dies can be used for a few things but there is no more convenient way of making screw threads than by hand chasers.

Ways of Mounting Wood on the Lathe

In this article I try to explain some different ways to mount your turnings on the lathe. None of the methods shown here use special chucks or tools. You can make all of these chucks with materials that you have in your shop.

Wood Turning with Natural Features

Wood turners often deal with lumber that contains unusual features. These might be holes, voids, bark inclusions, or knots in the finished piece. Don't despair; these are opportunities for creativity and artistic expression.

Making Your Own Custom Pen Without A Lathe

Making pens is very simple, inexpensive, and doesn't require much time. A great gift any time of the year. A pen can be made in under an hour without a lathe using the technique below.

Olive Wood is Full of Character and a Woodturning Pleasure

I've had the pleasure of woodturning Olive wood, and hope to do so again. It is a rarer wood to find for woodturning due to its nature: The production of Olives and Olive Oil, commodities prized worldwide. Consequently, trees aren't usually cut down until they are old enough to stop producing olives or are damaged and dying.

Super Glue is the Magic Juice of Woodturning

Prior to being a woodturner, Super Glue was an obscure tube rarely seen or used, stuck in a kitchen drawer. When I became a woodturner I was surprised to see myself going through bottles of the stuff.

Making a Hollow Form

Start out with a basic chunk of wood and form a tenon on one end of it so that the scroll chuck has something to hold onto. You'll be working the other end without any support from the tail-stock in order to hollow it out. Shape the wood on the outside to whatever pleases you. Do be careful with how wide (diameter) it is though. Make sure you have a hollowing tool that will reach out that far (from inside, of course). If it doesn't, you can always make your access hole larger in order to hollow out everything on the inside.

Kutzall® Carving on the Lathe

Don't you love it when you come up with an idea and it actually works. Especially when it is one that saves you time and makes your job a whole lot easier.