Hands on Traditional skills and where to learn them

Wood turning

What is it?When you turn wood you create an object using a lathe, a machine that lets you shape the piece of wood by spinning it against a cutting tool. It has become a very popular hobby, as lathes can be relatively cheap and it's fairly easy to learn how to make basic objects.

What type of wood works best?Hardwood: an object turned from ash or beech, for example, will be more durable than one turned from pine. Wood turners generally cut timber into planks along its length, then cut these planks into chunks. The shading and grain of the wood defines the finished piece.

How do you do it?The process has several stages. First and foremost you have to find the right piece of wood. Professional turners keep a stock of seasoned, or dried, wood ready to work on. They also often take up offers of wood from recently felled or fallen trees. Some dry their wood for six to eight weeks in a kiln; others leave it for years to air-dry. Amateurs can buy predried timber. Once you have chosen your wood you rough-turn it on the lathe to form the general shape and size of the piece. Next you leave it to dry, for up to 10 weeks in a kiln or far longer if air-dried. Then you put it back on the lathe and turn it much more finely, to create the final shape.

What do experts say? "What draws people to turning is the love of the material and the speed you can shape a piece on the lathe. Some people will go home with several finished pieces after a day," says Glenn Lucas, a Co Carlow-based turner who gives regular classes. The key to good wood turning is to use very sharp tools, according to Lucas. "There is as much to know about the correct sharpening of tools as there is to know about wood turning itself," he says. Once you have finished turning a piece, you sand it and oil it, with a food- safe oil for functional pieces or a high-gloss oil for ornamental ones.

How long does a piece take to create? A professional turner needs only 10 minutes or so to turn a salad bowl. A beginner might take an hour. It's best to start with simple shapes, moving on to more complicated shapes once you have some experience.

Where do I sign up?Anybody who has a lathe and tools can teach wood turning. It's best to take classes from experienced turners, preferably those who are registered with the Crafts Council of Ireland (ccoi.ie). Glenn Lucas has produced an instructional DVD on mastering tools and techniques.