Hardcover 9-3/16 x 10-7/8 in. 256 pages, with color photos and drawings
Published 2004 ISBN 978-1-56158-672-1 Product #070757
This step-by-step pictorial reference covers all of the essential techniques for turning wood. Organized for quick access, this book makes it easy to find exactly the technique you are looking for. Overt 850 photos and drawings illustrate how to hold, sharpen, and use turning tools, use specialized chucks, deep hollow elegant vessels, finish at the lathe, and much more.
About the author Richard Raffan has been internationally acclaimed for both his turning and his teaching. Well-known for his gallery-quality production work, he is the author of
Turning Wood, Turning Projects, Turning Boxes, and
Turning Bowls, all from The Taunton Press. He lives in Canberra, Australia.
The wood lathe is one of the oldest means of mass production, along with the potters wheel and metal casting. Round wooden objects so pervade our daily lives that we tend to forget that all those variations on spindles and knobs are turned. Most turnery is now mass produced on automatic copy lathes, but almost within living memory most was done by hand on man-powered machines.
In the 17th century mechanically minded European aristocrats became the first hobby turners, working on lathes that cost more than most families earned in a year. And although small inexpensive hobby lathes were marketed through the great mail order catalogs of the early 20th century, it was not until the mid 1970s that woodturning started to become a popular retirement hobby.
Since the mid-1970s interest in woodturning has increased exponentially and been transformed by a new breed of professional studio woodturner who creates one-off objects rather than mass producing just a few standard items. In the 21st century, lathe-based art is working its way into art galleries.
Much of the attraction of woodturning is the speed with which an object can be completed. Its very low establishment costs are also a factor, and the fact that raw material abounds often costing little more than your time to retrieve it. But a lathe only spins the wood. What is crafted from that spinning wood depends on the skill and the vision of the individual at the lathe. This book can set you on the way to a new passion, and happy hours turning wood.
Customer Reviews from Amazon
Average Customer Review:
Taunton's Complete Illustrated Guide to Turning, August 26, 2009
Strong on projects examples, perhaps less strong on technique. The book has many photographs of different shapes, sizes and styles of projects at various stages of turning process.
However, the book is weak on tools with little to nothing on lathe brands, country of source, types, power, speed control, sizes and setups. Perhaps it presents even less on tool and chisel brands, shape, materials, sizes and applications. It is a non technical book.
The quality of paper, print, photographs and binding are excellent making this a book to be proud to own.
Where is it or the refund, April 8, 2009
After not receiving the book, I was promised by direct e-mail a refund. Now I hear nothing about a refund nor do I get an answer from the merchant.
HELP, HELP
Great book, July 13, 2008
An excellent book for beginning turners. Detailed explanations and lots of pictures.Taunton's Complete Illustrated Guide to Woodworking (Complete Illustrated Guide)
Wow, what a book!, March 6, 2008
I am really impressed, what an introduction, great information!
I am interested in turning wood so I bought this book to research lathe wood working, and it seemingly covered questions that I had and so many others that I had not even thought of yet.
The illustrations give visualization to understanding of new jargon and concepts. I now feel like I have been properly introduced to a new creative expression in woodworking and am ready to pick up a gouge and try my hand at turning wood.
Taunton's Complete Illustrated Guide to Turning, March 9, 2007
It was really great all Richard Raffan's book are so easy to do the projects as he writes and has photos of the item he is telling you about
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