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Woodturning & Australian Timbers
A selection of australian timbers including Silky Oak, Huon Pine & Jarrah.
Australian Specialty Timber / Craftwood Industry
Wood is an enigma. It has a myriad of different textures, grains, densities, aromas and colors. No two pieces are alike, even from the same tree. Wood has been described as being
"...both beautiful and constantly alive and moving...So different from lifeless steel or unchanging plastic, it is the movement in timber, its sheer unpredictability, that provides the challenge, the fascination that, allied to its beauty, must make wood the most exciting and wonderful material with which to design and work."(Aidan, 1989).
Wood also has the appeal of self-expression.
"....the tree is a remarkable natural phenomenon in that it accurately records its own life story and that of its environment, the cycle of the seasons, the nature of soil and climate, drought and flood, isolation and overcrowding, each leaves its mark." (Hogbin, 1980).
It is with these sentiments that wood arts and craftsmen around the world, continue to try and capture the essence of wood in their individual pieces every day. Woodturners are no exception. The turning of wood is often done not merely to create a bowl, platter or vase, but moreover, as an exploration of a particular piece of woods character in terms of its unique grain, texture and colors. The fulfilling and even therapeutic act of woodturning is attracting more and more people. Indeed woodturning is experiencing its greatest popularity since its earliest origins as far back as ancient Egypt.
Although it can be said with certainty that all wood is unique it can also be said that some timbers have more character and individualism than others. Woodcraftsmen and woodturners in particular, often seek timbers that have eccentric grains, contrasting colors or unusual textures. The woodturners of Australia have the good fortune of having a vast selection of endemic timbers from which to choose. Many of these Eucalypt or rainforest timbers possess the individualistic qualities that woodturners from all over the world prize.
The origin of woodturning is thought to have been in ancient Egypt, where examples of woodturning have been preserved within the dry tombs of pharaohs and other ancient Egyptians. It was during the 17th century that woodturning developed much of the sophistication that it enjoys today (International Book of Wood 1979). Although today's woodturners enjoy technologically superior machinery and tools, many of the basic techniques developed over the centuries remain unchanged.
Machinery & Tools
The Lathe
The principle component of today's woodturning is the lathe. The lathe is the piece of machinery that holds and rotates the piece of wood to be turned. The piece of wood is either attached entirely to the faceplate (rotating disc) or is pivoted between the faceplate and the tailstock (inanimate pivot). The faceplate method is used when turning relatively shallow or short pieces such as bowls or platters. This method allows the turner access to the entire interior or face of the piece of the wood and therefore allows a complete excavation if desired.
The faceplate method is being used to turn this bowl (left) and the spindle method a chair leg.
The tailstock is used in situations where the piece of wood is too big or long to be securely attached to the faceplate alone. The tailstock provides stability in these situations, and is used to turn things like vases, legs and pool cues. An obvious limitation of this method is fact that the piece of wood cannot be fully excavated at any point along its length. In fact special care must be taken not to take too much wood away at any one point as this may cause (at high speed) the rotating piece of wood to collapse and break free (hopefully not in your direction!) with disastrous consequences for the piece and sometimes even the turner. However, the likelihood of injury is much reduced due to another component of the lathe called the tool rest.
The tool rest, as its name implies, is used to rest the tool on when turning. Apart from providing a stable fulcrum for the tool it also offers a large degree of protection in the event that the mounted block of wood breaks free.
Tools
Although there are a number of specialized tools on the market the main "bread & butter" tools used by the woodturners are the gouge, chisel and scraper (The International Book of Wood 1979). The gouge has a cylindrical appearance with a single-sided sharp bevel. The chisel is much like a regular woodworking chisel except for having an angled edge with a double-sided bevel. The scraper has a rounded face with a single-sided bevel. Generally the gouge and chisel are used with softer woods that allow continuos shavings and the scraper with harder woods where small particles (often dust) are produced.
A pair of gouge chisels with their concave edges
Other Equipment
Amongst the other basic requirements for woodturning are a grinder (because those tools will become blunt), an extraction vent (to suck away all the nasty carcinogenic wood particles floating around) and protective clothing. Items of protective clothing include goggles or face mask (very important), air filter mask to further prevent inhalation of wood particles, ear plugs (it can get noisy) and safety boots (sharp tools and heavy pieces of wood).
Basic Woodturning Process
The piece of wood to be turned must be as cylindrical in shape as possible and secured to the lathe (either faceplate and/or tailstock) as closely as possible to its central axis. If neither of these things is done the resultant rotating piece of wood has the potential to be extremely unstable and dangerous. (I.e. the equivalent of an aircraft propeller).
As you proceed to turn and shape the piece of wood it pays to regularly move the tool rest closer to the piece of wood for better tool support.
As the piece becomes more and more cylindrical and therefore stable the speed of the rotation can be increased. This increase in speed allows a smoother finish
Finally when the piece has taken shape it merely requires sanding and finishing.
Australian Specialty Timber / Craftwood Industry
Australia is blessed with a vast selection of endemic timbers from which to draw upon. There are numerous species of eucalyptus and rainforest species that provide exceptional timbers for woodturning. Unlike the regular timber industry where the industrial end uses often demand a consistent product, the specialty timber industry is not confined to providing timber with consistent properties but on the contrary is often encouraged to provide timber of an inconsistent nature. One such example that has a substantial commercial value are burrs or burls. Burrs are the cankerous outgrowths of trees, usually the result of some injury or pathogenic attack. Invariably these burrs have complex textures, colors and grains. Consequently woodturners all over the world often prize these pieces of timber above all others. However there is still a demand for the characteristics inherent within conventional straight timber.
Huon Pine bowls and knife handle
Most forestry agencies cater for the specialty timber market, specializing in those timbers particular to that region of Australia. For example Forestry Tasmania has subsidiary companies that specialize in specialty timber or craftwood of species that are endemic to Tasmania such as Huon Pine and Celery Top Pine. Forestry Tasmania is currently producing 20,000 cubic meters of special species timber sawlogs a year. A total 75% of this is committed to local millers with the remaining 25% sold by tender. Forestry Tasmania has set aside 60,000 hectares of multiple use forests as Special Timber Management Units throughout the state. These areas are intended to meet the long-term supply of special species timber. As a further commitment to this resource Forestry Tasmania is establishing 1000 hectares of Blackwood plantation and 100 hectares of special species plantations.
(Forestry Tasmania http://www.forestrytas.com.au).
An example of some of the specialty timbers available from Tasmania that are considered appropriate for woodturning include:
Sassafras (Atherosperma moschatum )
Huon Pine (Lagarstrobus franklinii )
Celery Top Pine (Phyllocladus aspleniifolius )
Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon )
Myrtle (Nothofagus cunninghamii )
(Tasmanian Timber http://www.tastimber.tas.gov.au/about.html ).
There has been a relatively recent proliferation of wooden art and craft outlets throughout Australia. A significant proportion of the products for sale are woodturnings and are often commanding large price tags, reflecting the various levels of originality, quality and workmanship. But woodturnings popularity isn't just reflected here but just about everywhere else you look. The number of households that own at least one piece of woodturning such as a bowl or vase, I suspect would be large, and is testament to the persistence and popularity of this art & craft form.
Pepper grinders made from a selection of australian timbers. (Courtesy of Bungendore Woodworks).
There are numerous monthly woodcraft/ woodwork/ woodturning publications available. Amongst other things these publications document trends in the woodcraft/ woodturning industry, technical information and suppliers. Much of this information (and more) can also be obtained from the numerous Internet sites devoted to this particular discipline, listing everything from the various societies, artists trade promoters and suppliers of tools and wood. (The Peninsula Woodturners Guild http://home.vicnet.net.au/~pwguild/links.htm). There are also numerous Woodcraft and woodturning exhibitions regularly appearing (and sometimes touring) throughout Australia and are highly recommended for those budding or potential woodturners who are seeking inspiration for their next woodturning project. One such touring exhibition is "Wood Dreaming", which is a collection of woodturning works by some of Australia's most respected wood turners. The "Wood Dreaming" tour has toured throughout Australia since 1997 and offers a view of some highly unique and sophisticated woodturned objects (Wood Dreaming The Tour 1997). This tour is representative of the continuing creativity and expression that, woodturning as a craft form, continues to provide.
International links
American Association of Woodturners
The Peninsula Woodturners Guild
Dutch Woodturners Asssociation (it's all dutch to me)
Northern Federation of Woodturning Groups in the United Kingdom
Aussie links
Woodturners Society of Queensland Incorporated
Australian Wood Artisans Promotions
Kevin Hunters (really aussie) Ozemail home page
Marcus & Deb's Home Page (Melbourne)
[ANU Forest Products] [Non- Wood Forest Products] [Minor or Unusual Forest Products]
Copyright 1999 The Australian National University
Date lat Modified: 20.10.99
URL: http://www.anu.edu.au/Forestry/wood/nwfp/woodturning/wood.html
