Good beginners book on wood turning

[Logger]

Hi all,

I have got a my father a lathe for his birthday. It is a pretty decent machine so i hope he will be happy. It has Dorman Long & co so from my research, it may well have been used by them at some point. If anyone has any info i would be interested to know.

Anyway, i have got him all the bits he will need, but would like to get him a book or 2 to help get him started. He has not done wood turning before, but has always been a keen woodworker so is pretty good and i hope he will pick it up well.

Can anyone suggest good books for a wood turning virgin but who is a not new to other wood working projects.

Many thanks

Nick

 

[marcros]

Keith rowley. A foundation course.

 

[Jamie Copeland]

Hi

Woodturning: A foundation course by Keith Rowley is the book you're looking for. It's about £15 online.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

+1

 

[Logger]

Many thanks for the fast response, ordered from amazon straight away.

Cheers


Nick

 

[dp341]

The Keith Rowley book is good but I prefer New Turning Wood by Richard Raffan it's a little more detailed.

Both books have accompanying DVDs which I'd recommend as being able to read a section and watch how it's done is really helpful.

 

[bugbear]

"The practical wood turner", by Frank Pain. The original and classic.

Frank Pain nigh invented woodturning as a hobby, giving demos at early shows in the 50's.

BugBear

 

[Logger]

Thanks for the other recommendations, i shall give those details to my dad and knowing him, he will probably get all of them.

Cheers

Nick

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I would also really recommend any/all of Richard Raffan's DVD's. Very useful although quite advanced. For a better and very accessible teacher and natural presenter, Jimmy Clewes is very good. The big problem with turning DVD's is they can be staggeringly boring because the subject is so dry. Jimmy is one of the few presenters that can bring it to life a bit.

 

[JimB]

He might find Michael Dunbar's Woodturning for Cabinet Makers interesting. I'd also give a vote to Frank Pain.

 

[Tazmaniandevil]

+1 for the Keith Rowley book and for anything by Richard Raffan. There are some free to watch Richard Raffan videos available out there in cyber-land, and I think there is a link to a comprehensive resource on this board somewhere.
I also have a copy of the Woodturning Bible by Phil Irons. You may have to hunt around for an affordable copy, but it is very easy reading and is extremely well presented.
Being a tight-wad, I have purchased The Frugal Woodturner by Ernie Conover which is full of instructions on keeping costs to a minimum without compromising safety.
In addition, James Rodgers' book A Lesson Plan For Wood Turning is written from the perspective of the subject being taught step by step in a classroom environment.

I am guessing that you will also be starting doing a bit of turning? If so, I would recommend finding a woodturning club (or clubs) in your local area. The learning experience is a great deal better when you are in contact with other turners, and you are able to share experiences.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

+1 for joining a local turning club. The benefits are too long to list but the greatest of all is the accelerated pace at which you will safely learn the craft. I've also made some great friends in mine, really decent human beings.

 

[PingPongDave]

I have recently taken up the hobby and am enjoying learning more and more, I found lots of free instructional videos on YouTube which I have found very useful.