Woodturning is the craft of creating shapes in wood using a woodturning lathe. A lathe is a machine that holds a piece of wood and rotates it along a horizontal axis, allowing a turner to create shapes using handheld cutting tools. This form of woodworking is popular for producing handmade items including bowls, knobs, chair legs, boxes, goblets, and certain chess pieces.

Woodturning has a rich history, and has changed significantly with technological advances. With each phase, turners have utilized different power sources for their lathe systems to carve wood. The earliest evidence of woodturning was found in ancient Egypt around 300 BC, where certain tomb elements were made using pole lathes.

Here, one craftsman would hold and rotate a piece of wood using a cord, while another would create shapes with cutting tools. Ancient Romans later improved this method by introducing a bow lathe that allowed turners to work on wood without assistance. In the 13th century, craftsmen adopted the spring-pole lathe with a pedal. The springiness of the pole and the treadle movement would turn the wood, allowing turners to cut shapes using both hands.

The invention of the great wheel in the 1890s had a significant influence on woodturning. The continuous motion of the wheel improved productivity, allowing mass production of turnings on an industrial scale. Historians claim that the mechanical wood lathes were an important part of the industrial revolution.

The invention of small engines for use in factories in the 20th century was another important milestone in the craft. This mechanism further improved turning production, encouraging turners to experiment with new designs. Woodturning became an important economic activity, prompting the UK and US to adopt apprentice and master systems to develop the skill.

School systems also taught the craft by exposing students to the basics of furniture building and tool management skills. Currently, electricity powers virtually all woodturning lathes, promoting this craft to serve commercial and small-scale needs.

Spindle turning, faceplate turning, and segmented turning are common techniques in woodturning. Spindle turning involves rotating initially square pieces of wood on lathes to create round works. The lathe’s head and tailstock hold the wood at each end, with the grain of the wood running parallel to the lathe’s bed. Turners use a gouge and other tools resting against a tool rest close to the wood to remove material on the wood’s surface. Spindle turning also allows finish-sanding and the application of finishes, including varnish and linseed oil, to protect and beautify the wood.

Faceplate turning utilizes a round plate to hold and turn the wood, and the grain runs across the lathe’s bed. This technique offers more freedom than spindle turning. Gouges help shape and hollow out the wood, and this technique is popular in the production of rosettes, coasters, plinths, and table tops.

Segmented turning involves making designs in wood comprising multiple pieces glued together. This technique allows turners to combine wood of different types and colors to produce unique patterns. Professional and experienced craftsmen mostly do segmented woodturning, since cutting and assembling multiple blanks requires creativity, precision, and patience.

Turners need to use several pieces of personal protective equipment when working on a lathe. First, safety goggles, visors, and glasses help protect the eyes from the debris and dust being thrown from the wood’s surface.

Second, turners require dust masks or respirators to protect their respiratory system against dust. Some of the wood species suitable for woodturning produce harmful dust, such as cocobolo dust that may cause toxic shock, and walnut and oak sawdust, which can evoke allergies and even cause cancer with long-term exposure.

Finally, ear protection is necessary for protecting turners’ ears against the noise from the lathe, while gloves can shield against splinters that can puncture the skin. Rubber or latex gloves can also be worn to protect against harmful finishes that contain organic solvents capable of causing skin irritations.