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Woodturning (rec.crafts.woodturning) To discuss tools, techniques, styles, materials, shows and competitions, education and educational materials related to woodturning. All skill levels are welcome, from art turners to production turners, beginners to masters. |
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Musings re lathes & wheels. Turning wood or potting clay.
For me, two recent books, "500" bowls" and "500 Wood" Bowls are not only
a pleasure to peruse and study, but also they force me into musing about turners and potters and their use of wood or clay. I know that this is old stuff and boring for many of you. Mistakes in understanding are mine, but indulge this late bloomer in his new-found discovery of well known verities. They were generated by these two books, blame them! Potters and woodturners have a long and almost parallel history beginning in antiquity. Down through the years they diverged almost imperceptibly in techniques, equipment and the objects made. I think this separation owes much to the different qualities between wood and clay, but kinships such as the advent of motorized equipment with variable speed abound today. To properly turn wood on a lathe or throw clay on a wheel; rotational speed, stability, convenience, bearings, centering, stance, preparation of the medium, and attitude are important to both workers. Both form their work freehand with hand tools; One directly with thumbs and fingers but sometimes paddles. The other interposes metal edged tools, usually freehand but sometimes guided and assisted. Lignin can be plastic when green or wet or heated. Defects can be filled and contours built up with epoxy, plastic putty and such, but wood isn't usually formed with the same techniques as clay. We may both start out with a basic rough cylinder, but woodturners form by removing material while potters can form their work by adding or removing. We cut and scrape, potters do too, but they can slip, slab, compress, push, pull, lift and pinch. Wow! Oh well, whatever our limitations, we turners do love to form wood on a lathe. Maybe it's the challenge and not the ease that addicts us. Regardless, wood is more beautiful than clay any old day. Arch Fortiter, http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings |
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Arch
Form follow function, hence the similarity between the crafts. Clay being a more flexible and available material had given potters the ability to explore more forms. But we now have CA glue. Juergen Arch wrote: For me, two recent books, "500" bowls" and "500 Wood" Bowls are not only a pleasure to peruse and study, but also they force me into musing about turners and potters and their use of wood or clay. I know that this is old stuff and boring for many of you. Mistakes in understanding are mine, but indulge this late bloomer in his new-found discovery of well known verities. They were generated by these two books, blame them! Potters and woodturners have a long and almost parallel history beginning in antiqui ty.Downthroughtheyearstheydivergedalmost imperceptibly in techniques, equipment and the objects made. I think this separation owes much to the different qualities between wood and clay, but kinships such as the advent of motorized equipment with variable speed abound today. To properly turn wood on a lathe or throw clay on a wheel; rotational speed, stability, convenience, bearings, centering, stance, preparation of the medium, and attitude are important to both workers. Both form their work freehand with hand tools; One directly with thumbs and fingers but sometimes paddles. The other interposes metal edged tools, usually freehand but sometimes guided and assisted. Lignin can be plastic when green or wet or heated. Defects can be filled and contours built up with epoxy, plastic putty and such, but wood isn't usually formed with the same techniques as clay. We may both start out with a basic rough cylinder, but woodturners form by removing material while potters can form their work by adding or removing. We cut and scrape, potters do too, but they can slip, slab, compress, push, pull, lift and pinch. Wow! Oh well, whatever our limitations, we turners do love to form wood on a lathe. Maybe it's the challenge and not the ease that addicts us. Regardless, wood is more beautiful than clay any old day. Arch Fortiter, http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings |
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