Newsletter Articles

Occasionally, a third hand is needed off lathe for sanding, embellishment and/or carving. This article gives assembly instructions for a third hand (drawing 1). This device allows the craftsman to manipulate a piece of work off lathe, which makes manipulating the piece much easier. ...

I was asked recently to make an urn for my neighbor’s dog that had to be put down due to cancer. I selected a nice eucalyptus burl and cast it in resin in my pressure pot, then put it on the lathe and began shaping it, drilling it and then hollowing it with my Trent ...

Bowls that have a bottom larger than 6″ sometimes split or come loose from the next ring with the movement of the wood. All wood shrinks and expands over time. If you make a floating bottom you will not have that issue. The center piece of wood is not glued in and floats inside of a ...

… Continued from May 7, 2025 Fire Safety: Preventing Burns and Accidents Laser engravers work by generating high-intensity heat, vaporizing the surface of the material to create engravings. While this process is controlled and precise, it carries an inherent fire risk, especially when engraving flammable materials like wood, fabric, or acrylic. If left unchecked, excessive heat can ...

… Continued from April 23, 2025 Engraving Non-Wood Materials: Expanding Your Creative Possibilities While wood is the most common material for laser engraving in woodturning, many other materials can be engraved with stunning results. Exploring acrylic, leather, metals, glass, and stone opens up a wide range of new design possibilities, from personalized keepsakes to artistic embellishments. However, ...

… Continued from April 9, 2025 Additional Considerations for Engraving Wood While the woods listed above provide excellent engraving results, keep these factors in mind to get the best outcome: Moisture Content – Always use dry, seasoned wood to prevent uneven burns, excess smoke, or warping. Grain Density – Fine-grained woods like maple engrave with more precision and clarity ...

By Doug Miller We talk about demoitus from time to time. Often we misplace a tool or a piece of equipment doesn’t function as we expect. I’ve had those issues so many times. One thing we can never count on with no thought of miscue is the wood we are using. The saying goes something ...

By Jeff Walters There is this myth that if you want to do an online demo or make a YouTube video, that you need lots of expensive camera and computer gear. Well that is simply not true. Many of us that have done online demos for Worldwide Woodturners or for our respective clubs and groups have ...

If you’ve ever been bothered by your camera changing the shape of a piece, you may be experiencing barrel distortion. Barrel distortion is caused by the shape of the camera lens, which compresses light waves in order to focus them on the image capturing plane. Below, I intentionally held the camera very close to the subject. ...

… Continued from March 26, 2025 Choosing Safe Materials for Engraving: Wood and Beyond Selecting the right material for laser engraving is just as important as choosing the correct machine settings. While wood is the most commonly used material for woodturners, laser engraving can also be applied to leather, acrylic, metal, glass, and more. However, ...