Monday, August 15, 2016
Woodturning
Woodturning is a process of trimming a piece of wood to a desired
shape. The process involves fixing the piece of wood and spinning it axially,
and applying a very sharp tool to trim off its peripheral edges
circumferentially. This results in the piece of wood being shaped smoothly at
its circumference along its length. A simple product of this process is the
ubiquitous handle that is fixed to many ordinary useful things and gadgets.
Woodturning
requires a machine called a lathe on which the wood piece is secured, either
clamped at one end by a chuck or pinned at both ends, to spin it around its
axis. The wood is then trimmed with an assortment of chisels specially designed
to perform elaborate cuts at its circumferential surface. This is the wonderful feature of woodturning, whereby the process can trim the object to a varying
diameter along its length to produce beautiful works of art. The products of woodturning can be seen everywhere, in
buildings, furniture, work tools, sports equipment, household items and
especially anything that has a wooden handle. In the artistic sphere there are
wooden bowls, vases, figurines and exquisite ornaments and toys.
Woodturning
is a process that is marveling to watch, and an amazing transformation of a
crude piece of wood into a polished work of beauty. The beauty of a piece of
wood is never realized until its innards are revealed and polished. Yes, and beast
to beauty is reality in the hands of an expert woodturner. So much so that
woodturners are always on the lookout for burl wood and wood of unusual grain
and texture, and even junk wood and spalted wood. There are also woodturners who even
sliced and plied and glued wood pieces to create special objects of elaborate
patterns.
# posted by chunmu @ 6:36 AM 
