Chapter 20: Woodturning

Woodturning is the art of changing wooden blanks from common trees into spindles, bowls,
cups and other interesting pieces.

The Modern Lathe

The main components of the lathe:
Headstock – Contains the motor, the gearing and the drive centres or face plates. The motor is
connected to pulleys and many different speeds can be selected. It also contains the on/off
switch.
Tool Rest – This is for resting gouges when in use. This must be locked in place before use by
activating the lever underneath.
Bed – Holds all the components in the correct position. All parts are bolted to the bed.
Tailstock – Holds the various centres at the opposite end of the lathe – it must be locked
before use. It contains a locking wheel which is used to tighten the wood on the lathe.
Auxiliary Components
The main component is the drive centre. This is attached to the gears in the headstock and
must be greased after each use. It grips the wood and its rotation (anticlockwise) turns the
wood.

The faceplate may be attached to the headstock as an alternative for turning bowls and plates.

At the other end the tailstock contains the dead, live or hollow centre. These are used to
allow the wood to turn freely. The hollow version is used to allow holes to be drilled into the
centre of the wood.
Spindle Turing - Centre to Centre
Spindle turning, is the rounding of a blank to form the leg of a chair or table or the spindle of
a lamp.
The following sequence sets out the steps involved in preparing and mounting the piece for
spindle turning.
Preparing a piece
• Draw the diagonals on both ends of piece to locate centre

• Draw the largest possible circle on the ends using this centre

• Draw tangents to this circle to create an octagon on the face

• Place in vice and plane down the corners

• Punch hole in centre of timber to receive drive centre

Mounting a piece
• Adjust tailstock to take length of timber
• Replace drive centre into headstock and attach timber
• Tighten live centre, using handwheel, and lock into place
• Adjust toolrest to appropriate height and position so that it is as close to the work as
possible, but without touching it as it rotates
• Turn spindle by hand to ensure free movement
Face Plate Turning
Preparing block for turning...
 Find the centre of the block
 Mark out a disk on the block using a compass or template. (disc should be 3-4mm
larger than bowl)
 Using an appropriate saw cut out the circle or cut off corners to form an octagon
 Align centre of block with centre of faceplate
 Screw block onto faceplate using appropriately sized screws or temporarily glue block
onto faceplate

Mounting block…
 Remove drive centre
 Screw block onto faceplate using appropriately sized screws or temporarily glue block
onto faceplate
 Screw faceplate onto headstock
 Set up toolrest
 Rotate block by hand making sure its turns freely
 Set lathe rotation to a suitable speed.
Safety precautions associated with the lathe.
Wear goggles/visor, secure work piece, use appropriate speed, wear gloves, a dust mask
and remove toolrest when sanding, tie back hair , dust extraction…

Method of making an identical leg

Using a profile template check work repeatedly as you proceed...marking out and cutting of
profile...applying to workpiece