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I have spent countless hours on a metal lathe but had little experience on a wood lathe until recently.\u00a0The technique is a bit different owing to the fact that a metal lathe has a tool affixed to a mechanism that you control by turning two dials, or sometimes three depending on the machine. \u00a0\u00a0When turning wood, you hold the cutting tool by hand and maneuver it freely while bracing it on a rest.<\/p>\n
I began my wood turning adventures by crafting a pen from granadilla and later two bowls.\u00a0 Figured maple proved to be a wonderful and striking medium for the first of the two!\u00a0 Wood, however, tends to be much more temperamental then metal as it provides a level of inconsistency and unpredictability that metal is free of.\u00a0 I learned a tremendous amount about positioning the wood at the best angle to deal most effectively with the grain.\u00a0 The end grain can be a bit more difficult to smooth, but after sanding, sanding, sanding, and more sanding a flawless finish can certainly be achieved.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A gorgeous and colorful piece of ambrosia spalted maple provided a beautiful, but challenging medium for my second bowl.\u00a0 The striking pattern of this wood is created by the ambrosia beetle which coexists symbiotically with a particular fungus.\u00a0 The fungus is found on the beetle itself and neither can exist without the other.\u00a0 The beetle must plant spores within the wood it inhabits to cultivate more of this fungus that it will then feed off of.\u00a0 As the fungus flourishes, these \u201cgalleries\u201d, as they are referred to, darken in color an impart a stunning pattern.<\/p>\n<\/a>