Just a retired guy's venture into woodturning
This site is brand new as of 12/16/23 so please bear with me as I work through the growing pains.
About Tremor Woodworks
Why "Tremor" Woodworks?
As someone afflicted by Essential Tremor I decided to make this a talking point of my site to help create awareness. Essential Tremor is a neurological condition that causes a rhythmic trembling of the hands, head, voice, legs or trunk. It is often confused with Parkinson's Disease although Essential Tremor is eight times more common, affecting an estimated 7 to 10 million Americans.
You can reach me at tremorwoodworks@gmail.com
My Craftsmanship
In the big scheme of things I am but a raw rookie at woodturning. My journey began with a couple of training classes in May of 2023, and as of the start of this website in December 2023 I have completed 65 projects. With each project I (usually) get a little bit better. They say that practice makes perfect; well, I don't know about perfect, but my works are more refined now then they were six months ago. All the photos on these pages are of my own work; there are no stock images being used. I do not currently sell any of my works but may do so in the future. Right now they are just gifts for family, friends and neighbors, or perhaps serve as a Thank You to someone for a good deed. I have a blog at: https://tremorwoodworks.blogspot.com/ where I will continue to post more photos and show the process of turning individual items, but I'll keep this site to just the completed items. In my gallery here you may find up to four photos of the same item because I want you to see all sides of it.
My Materials
My preference is to work in Mesquite because I like the colors and grain patterns it produces. With very few exceptions all my items are finished in Danish oil and beeswax, both of which are food safe products. My raw wood blanks are not perfect when I begin turning them; some are spalted, have cracks, bark inclusions, holes, etc. Wood is a natural product and therefore has defects that come naturally to it. In addition to mesquite, I've also worked in Acacia which produces similar results to Mesquite, Ash, and Eucalyptus. I sometimes work with FOG wood (Found On Ground) so I don't really know what species it is when I turn it. With few exceptions my items are utilitarian; something to hold your car keys, spare change, popcorn, candy, etc.
What are the steps to woodturning an item?
Obtain the wood
Ok, it's sealed. Now what?
Protect the wood
Wood can be purchased, found, cut down, obtained from friends or neighbors, etc. This tree pictured above was a 35+ year old mesquite that was being removed by its owner who allowed me to have some. I have since made some items for her and will make more in the future for her.
Protect the wood
Ok, it's sealed. Now what?
Protect the wood
As soon as you get the wood home, or ideally as soon as the wood is cut from the tree, it needs to be sealed. Trees can be made up of 35% or more of moisture and that needs to be released slowly to help prevent the wood from checking and cracking. I use a product called Anchor Seal.
Ok, it's sealed. Now what?
Ok, it's sealed. Now what?
Ok, it's sealed. Now what?
Now you stack it where it is protected from the elements, has ventilation, and you wait. Wood tends to naturally dry at a rate of 1" per year in many parts of the country. Wood can also be dried in a kiln and small items can be turned while they are still wet and then dried in the microwave.
The wood is now dry
Get the wood on the lathe
Ok, it's sealed. Now what?
When your timber has dried to a sufficient level you need to cut it up into manageable pieces and this is normally done with a chainsaw.
Making blanks
Get the wood on the lathe
Get the wood on the lathe
Wood lathes come in various sizes so now you need to reduce the timber to a size that your machine can handle. This is normally done on a bandsaw, but with experience can also be done with a chainsaw. The goal is to make a round item small enough for your machine to handle.
Get the wood on the lathe
Get the wood on the lathe
Get the wood on the lathe
There are a number of ways to hold a blank on a lathe; a screw chuck, or between centers, or mounted to a faceplate. The above photo shows a faceplate being used. This is screwed to a flat portion of the wood and the back part is threaded onto the spindle you see on the headstock.
Get the wood on the lathe
Turn the outside of the item
Turn the outside of the item
This photo shows a blank with a faceplate mounted to the spindle on the headstock of the lathe. The long bar next to the wood is called the tool rest, and it in turn is inserted into a banjo.
Turn the outside of the item
Turn the outside of the item
Turn the outside of the item
Determine the shape of the item you want and begin removing all the waste wood. You will need to create a tenon or a mortise for when you reverse the item to begin hollowing it out. You can see the end of the tenon to the far right of the bowl in this photo. That is grasped in the jaws of the chuck when the bowl is turned around.
What's a tenon?
Turn the outside of the item
What's a mortise?
A tenon or a spigot is a protrusion at the bottom of the bowl that the jaws of your chuck will hold onto as the bowl spins on the lathe. In this photo the tenon has broken off the bottom of the bowl; a rare occurrence.
What's a mortise?
The finishing process
What's a mortise?
A mortise is a small recess in the bottom of the item that your chuck jaws will expand into to hold the bowl in place as the lathe spins. The jaws clamp down on a tenon, and they expand into a mortise. The use of either technique is up to the turner's discretion.
Time to hollow out
The finishing process
The finishing process
With the item mounted on the chuck, the excess wood inside now needs to be removed. In this case I started with a 3" Forstner bit and drilled a deep hole before I began using my tools to remove the rest of the interior wood. The piece on top of the bowl flew past my right shoulder and landed about ten feet away. Because of incidents like this I always wear a face shield.
The finishing process
The finishing process
The finishing process
Once a sufficient amount of wood has been removed, the wood needs to be sanded and finished. As you may have noticed, this was also done when the exterior of the bowl had been shaped. The majority of my items are sanded to 220 grit, polished with abrasive paste, and then I apply Danish oil and finally some beeswax which is melted into the wood with friction.