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A Short History of WoodturningWood has been turned, or fashioned by the application of a sharpened tool against a rotating wood blank,for over two thousand years. It is believed that the process we know as "woodturning" is likely to have evolved from the process of making fire by use of a bow. In this process the string of a bow - similar in every respect to an Archer's bow - is wrapped once around a stick. The stick is held vertically with one end placed in a small hollow on a "plank", or flat piece of wood, the top is supported by the hand and some form of protection from the inevitable friction the process causes. This might take the form of another,hand-sized, piece of timber. The bow is then pushed and pulled in a horizontal plane until such time as the base timber begins to smolder, at which point tinder would be applied and a small fire would result. To use this apparatus for turning wood required a simple, but monumental,step; to turn the whole setup through 45 degrees.
Modern lathes have not progressed very far from these early examples simply because they did not need to. The power supply has changed through time;sprung,treadle,water and steam power all having their time,many still being used today around the world,and finally,electrical powered motors became the dominant motive power. Now we even have variable speed electrical motors and direct drive motors, and even automated lathes that cut to a pattern with little input from the operator. (Of course, hand-turners frown on such devices!)The fact remains, however, that we are still simply applying a cutting tool to a spinning piece of wood. Once the lathe had come into use, applications for it were easy to find. Parts for furniture, architectural components, household goods, kitchenware, novelties, toys, marine components, in fact, almost anything mankind could find a use for that was basically in the round. Many of the products manufactured in wood on a lathe has since been superceded by versions in other materials such as plastic and metal. But the lathe remains and important tool today.
Bow lathes being used to turn Chess & Backgammon pieces C 1280 A.D..
An Indian lathe still in use today.
Many of these earlier lathes remain in use today. Notably, the Pole Lathe is in wide use even in developed countries. The UK, USA, and many other developed countries having active Pole Lathes Associations. In the UK Polelathe turning is most commonly associated with the "Bodgers" of the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire. Much has been written about these greenwood workers, so I shan't go into detail here. Further information can be gleaned from two excellent websites; www.bodgers.org.uk and www.stuartking.co.uk
Two line drawings of early pole lathesWoodturning's history, and largely its development, stems from its industrial heritage, but the practice of the craft for enjoyment, as a hobby, goes back further than we might think. It has been suggested that King Henry VIII was a keen hobby turner! Perhaps that is where he developed his penchant for parting cuts! The growth of woodturning as a hobby may well be responsible for the growth in the design and manufacture of related tools and equipment. Today's woodturner has a huge choice of both. The bow lathe turner in rural India would find it difficult to draw any comparison between the lathe and tools he uses and those of his First World colleagues. Most today's industrial turnery is produced on computer operated copy lathes, and differs greatly - perhaps only to the trained eye - from the production of the hobbyist and Professional Woodturner. Since the 1940's Woodturning has taken its first tentative steps towards recognition of its Art. Driven in those early days largely by the American turners, artistic woodturning, was soon to spread across the globe. Many traditional craftsmen were freed from the constraints of conventional and utilitarian turning and let their imaginations run riot. The process continues at an increasing pace today, with dramatic shifts in style and application being seen throughout the woodturning world. The tools used by Woodturners have also changed dramatically over the years. As steel technology has developed so have the materials used for the manufacture of woodturning tools. In days gone by the local Blacksmith would have been responsible for manufacturing tools for the village turner. The tools would have been to the turner's personal design and specification, and would be common only to that particular turner. Carbon steel was used, which, whilst being capable of holding a very sharp edge, was prone to over heating and quickly losing its edge, which required constant "touching up" with a wet stone or grinding wheel. The introduction of High Speed Steel, HSS, provided a more durable edge, if marginally less keen than its predecessor's. Today we have seen yet further advancements with PM, or powder metallurgy, steel, offering unsurpassed edge durability, and, consequently, greatly enhanced tool life. We seem, today, to be inundated with new tool designs. The fledgling turner, undertaking the craft for the first time, must be daunted by the sheer number and variety of tools available. And everyone has an opinion on what constitutes an ideal starter set. And how time has changed that list! A list suggested in Klenke's The Art of Woodturning from 1954 suggests no less than ten scrapers from a list of nineteen tools. And four of the remainder are skews! It is an exciting time to be a Woodturner. Interest seems to growing in both the practice of the craft and the appreciation of its products, and this can surely only be a good thing for all of us. The modern turner on his modern lathe still has close links with his forbears; after all, little has changed in real terms. The modern turner also has a veritable wealth of resources at his fingertips, books, magazines, video and DVD recordings, seminars, wood shows, demonstrations, websites and forums, and, should he/she be so inclined, personal tuition from a growing number of highly skilled practitioners. But whichever course we take the journey always begins and ends at the side of the lathe. And it will be the feel of the tool as is slices a ribbon of wood and throws it over our shoulders that keeps taking us back there. Recognition is always nice, but in woodturning it is a bonus rather than a motivation.
All
content © Andy
Coates 2005-2007 |
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