Woodturning Evolution
by Nick Agar & David Springett
Softcover
210 x 275mm
176pp
Published by Fox Chapel Publishing Co. Inc., East Petersburg PA USA
R.R.P.$34.90
ISBN 978-1-86108-827-7
The Wave
'Chinese' Vessel
'Clarice Cliff' Vessel
Cockerel, Iguana and
Kiwi
Snake
Zebrano
As reviewed
in The Australian Woodworker Issue 162
Some years ago, when David Springett was at a Timber & Working with Wood Show in Sydney, he said he'd worked out the ideas for his first book (Woodturning Wizardry) while turning thousands of lace bobbins for his wife's business. By now, he may have given up making bobbins, but he certainly hasn’t stopped looking for new ways to use a woodturning lathe.
Written in collaboration with Nick Agar, Woodturning Evolution does a kind of Star Trek exploration - 'going where no man has ever gone before...'
Agar writes: 'When we really got started, we realized that the ideas in this book would give many woodturners a nudge into the world of experimentation and we hoped that it would push them towards new ideas and help to develop new concepts.'
To set the stage for the projects which occupy the greater part of the book, the authors offer brief notes on a number of topics. These begin with selecting Suitable Woods.
There is only one Australian representative, but most readers probably won't have much trouble finding local alternatives for others. Then there’s a chapter on Tools and Equipment which includes some items not commonly used. Holding the Work is also given some attention, as is Health and Safety, before an important discussion on Finding Inspiration.
The projects begin with The Wave vessel. It can't be said to be a conventional vessel, but it is hollow along its length and has a push-in lid.
The Wave is similar in shape to two of the 'vessels' shown on the front cover of the book, but distinguished from them by being painted with an image of The Breaking Wave Off Kanagawa (The Great Wave) by Hokusai.
The instructions are accompanied by step-by-step photos, as well as dimensioned drawings and a cut-away illustration of the completed piece - a format repeated for all of the projects.
The Chinese Vessel (on the extreme left of the cover) is the second project. The third is a chunkier version called the 'Clarice Cliff' Vessel - a tribute to the work of a designer who produced Art Deco ceramics at the Staffordshire Potteries from the 1920's onwards.
For Projects four, five and six, the theme takes a different path. The Cockerel, Iguana and Kiwi are similar in outline, but circular in cross section.
By joining parts like those which have appeared before, the path changes again and the next project is an ominously coloured snake.
So the sequence continues until there is a sudden departure and the project becomes a circular vessel, rather like a pie standing on edge with a slice cut out to reveal its interior. The final two of the 14 projects are a superb Wall Plaque and a curious Horn - a sculptural piece somehow reminiscent of ancient cultures.
The last few pages are devoted to a Gallery which offers proof there is much more for the interested woodturner to discover in both the forms presented and in their decoration.
Photos: Colour
Contents
Foreword
Introduction
Suitable Woods
Tools and Equipment
Holding the Work
Health and Safety
Finding Inspiration
Projects
- The Wave
- 'Chinese' Vessel
- 'Clarice Cliff' Vessel
- Cockerel, Iguana and Kiwi
- Iguana
- Kiwi
- Snake
- Zebrano
- Elephant Vessel
- Deco Vessel
- Whisper
- Outside the Box
- Wall Plaque
- Horn
Gallery
- Kingwood Elephant Vessel
- Unlocking My Potential
- Ceramic-inspired Red Oxide
- White 'Chinese' Lidded Vessel with 3D Spots
- Black 'Ceramic' with Zebrano
- Bendy Buildings
- Mirror-image Iguana
- Reclining Nude
- Contorted Y Form
- Smartie Worm
- Mixed Forms
- Crazy Paving
- Shift
- Cornish Elm Wall Sculpture
- Jarrah Sculpture
- Fossil Flower
- Bits and Bobs Wall Sculpture
- Free-standing Bark-edged Sculpture
Suppliers
Acknowledgements
About the Authors
Index
Elephant Vessel
Deco Vessel
Whisper
Outside the Box
Wall Plaque
Horn