THE ART OF WOOD TURNING!
Thursday, November 30 2017 Nikhil Agrawal
Wood turning is the art of using hand-held tools and a wood rotating machine referred to as lathe to create patterns and shapes symmetrical around the axis of the rotation. Giving life to a block of wood is a long process of ideation and creation, which results in a product of beauty. From being a glimmer of an idea in an individual’s mind. an artisan makes magic out of simple, traditional tools and materials, to create an item which we use in our day-to-day lives; perhaps without knowing how it came by.
Here’s a layout of how that magic comes into being.
IDEATION
The process starts with the ideation of the design of the product, and what form it should take. Functionality is also taken into account at this stage, and the range to which the product belongs is decided.
DESIGNING
The designer makes proper, life-sized sketches of the final product, which are handed over to the artisan for executing. In this process, the designer decides what motifs to use if the wood is to be carved, and what forms the product should take to ensure proper functionality and a pleasing aesthetic value.
WHICH WOOD TO USE?
In the next step, the artisan decides which wood to use for the product. This is determined mainly by the grain that the wood has, whether it needs to be a hardwood or a softwood depending upon the kind of product that it is, and what colour the wood takes after the final finish.
THE TURNING
A block of the decided wood is then taken and set on the lathe, which turns the wood at a high speed to make it easier to carve. The lathe first turns the cuboid block of wood into a cylindrical shape, after which that long cylinder is then cut into smaller pieces to create the final product.
FINISHING
The turned product is then sanded first with medium-grain and later on, fine-grain sandpaper. Waxing or oiling is done with the help of a cloth, if required. This finishes the product’s surface and brings out the shine in the wood.
Any gaps that might have been left due to the wood turning are then filled with industry grade glue or sawdust, and finished accordingly.
Displayed above are designs inspired by the Islamic motifs of Taj Mahal, one of the most wondrous and monument heritage sites in India. Using something as basic as a wood turning machine and a few hand-held tools, an artisan gives life to a designer’s idea, and an unfathomably beautiful wooden piece comes to us.