Product Description
An introduction to a range of techniques to decorate and enhance woodturned objects. It includes 44 projects to help turners develop their skills, and is divided into four parts, which look at using metal, colouring wood, wood-composite techniques and miscellaneous techniques. ... Read more

Product Description
The craftsman interested in furniture construction will find the various structural processes, as well as the more decorative ones of wood-turning, inlaying and veneering, described in this book. Tips on equipping a home workshop, and the care, maintenance, and use of hand tools and power tools are also offered. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (11)

Another excellent book by Richard Raffan
Not as essential a book (for the average wood turner) as some of Mr. Raffan's other books but one that I keep on reading and re-reading.Not at all sorry I bought it.Recommended.

The Art of Turned Bowls
My husband likes this Wood Turner and wanted me to find his books. Husband highly recommends this book.

Best so far from Richard Raffan
In my opinion, this is the best book from this author. I have most of his books. The information on turning wet wood is excellent. It is filled with great examples of work from many turners. This was not written as a book for technique as the title suggests, but a book on how to develop good design with loads of examples. A very worthwhile purchase.

VERY HELPFUL
As my turning skills grow I realize that I'm weak in the area of design.I have a hard time knowing what will look good in a finished piece, so I was looking for a book to help me understand the principles of design as they relate to turning.This book was exactly what I needed.I now keep it in my shop next to the lathe so I can refer to it directly.It was everything I hoped it would be.

The BEST book on woodturning design
Richard Raffin is famous around the world both for his skill at a lathe and as a teacher of woodturning, and this book expresses both beautifully. Profusely illustrated, Raffin covers every aspect of woodturning design, with special reference to bowls. No other book I know explains how to achieve good design, with nearly so much clarity and detail. Raffin explains how to find, select and prepare wood for turning, how to use and control wood shrinkage, what constitutes good shape and proportion, how to make rims and bases work aesthetically, how to handle detailing and decoration, and much, much more.

This is not a regular how-to book, as there is not a single project described, and there is nothing here about tool use. What Raffin explains here, that few other teachers explore in nearly as much detail, is specifically the DESIGN of the woodturned object. There is SO MUCH well-turned, otherwise BAD work out there! It is so true that if the design is good, nothing else matters quite as much, but if it is bad, no amount of technical skill will produce a desirable object. Design is the single most important aspect of woodturning.

Woodturners who want to do very good work MUST read this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Exhibition Catalogue

The Challenge VI - Roots: Insights & Inspirations in Contemporary Turned Objects exhibition represents the Wood Turning Center's continued commitment to furthering lathe artists' growth and public awareness of the lathe turning field. The Challenge series evolved from encouraging artists to seek new personal areas of exploration and presenting it in gallery settings to putting the call out for entries and inviting curators, critics, and scholars to select the work and write essays on lathe art.

Challenge VI is excititng because we asked the artists to explain what inspired them to do the work that they submitted for the exhibition. Anything could be a source of inspiration, but they had to figure out how to convey it in a tangible form. Exciting hand drawings, photographs, magazine articles, and even a CD of a piano composition came in with slides of their work. We present the work and inspirations of fifty artists from ten countries around the globe.

This book captures the inspirations before and during the physical work, a way of recording the spirit within the objects. We read about the muse, we wonder over the work, and we understand how it fits into evolving contexts. This is the reader's challenge: to contemplate the artists' thoughts and resulting works. Enjoy!

-Albert LeCoff, Executive Director ... Read more

Product Description

Written directly from transcribed audiotapes recorded during a week-long interview with the master woodworker, this tribute to Bob Stocksdale reveals his life experiences, philosophies, and often replicated turning methods, all in his own words. A private artist who lived quietly and was not widely written about, Stocksdale’s lifelong quest for the perfect bowl is chronicled, while select step-by-step, how-to tips for fellow craftsmen are detailed. Featuring a gallery of beautiful, never-before-seen photographs sure to inspire artists, this unique biography provides the master’s advice on tools—including lathes, band saws, and jointers,sharpening devices, and wood selection—as well as his business tips for pricing, selling, and shipping finished pieces. A portrait of a beloved and respected artisan, this guide offers the first in-depth look at the man behind the perfect wooden bowl.

Customer Reviews (2)

To turn the perfect wooden bowl
Very nice book but not quite what I expected. I would have more hands on or more on how to do it. But I am sure I will learn from this book.

A legacy in wood, not words
I have been a fan of Bob Stocksdale's work from the moment I took up turning--in fact, Stocksdale is one of the people that, through his work inspired me to take up the craft. So I pre-ordered this book, much anticipating its arrival and subsequent understanding of the drive and inspiration behind the man's work. Uh-uh.

Stocksdale never taught a woodturning class, never wrote a book on the topic, never made an instructional video. Take that as a warning. This book is the result of a week that the author spent in Stocksdale's shop, "looking over his shoulder," trying to figure out what made Bob Stocksdale tick. He (the author) admits up front that it was difficult to get Stocksdale to talk about his work, or to dig into his own psyche. I'd go with impossible.

We as readers are rewarded with bits and pieces of conversations from the week-long visit, and whatever the author could glean or intuit through observations. You'll not get anyone's life story in a week, especially if your subject is Stocksdale, who for better or worse was just not interested in talking about himself. Stocksdale left behind a body of work that inspired the first generation of American turners, and anyone turning today should know about that body of work. But in the end, I think that's all we'll get of Bob.

For the photos alone I am grateful for this book and will probably keep it on my shelf for occasional reference and inspiration. But for the text, well, I just didn't learn much. Stocksdale the man, along with his methods, will remain unknown. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (4)

Good turning book
I am a beginning woodturnner and this book has a lot of very good information on the basic of wood turning.Being able to construct some of your own tools helps with the expense.

The book is worth the cost.

Ways to keep your woodturning budget in check
In The Frugal Woodturner, author Ernie Conover goes over some basic information on tool selection and making your own tools and various mounts and holders. Lots of very good photos and illustrations are included to help you along as well.

It shows lots of traditional and perfectly good (and cheap) options for holding wood on the lathe that won't break the budget like many of the fancy new chucks, tools and gizmos in the stores these days can.

There are some areas where I wished he'd dove into a little more detail but, after all, we're being frugal in this endeavor. Right?

I really liked this book
I tend to go all out when I try something new.When I started woodturning I bought a lot of well recommended crap I never really used.I wish this book was around then.It shows lots of perfectly good and cheap options for holding wood on the lathe.Lots of very good photos as well,

A Good Addition to Hom Library
This is a good book for people who are into wood turnig. I have several woodrurnig books but this one adds to the library information that is not in my other books.
It is worth the price. ... Read more