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Woodcarving Information

See my contact page for Demonstration schedule

Wood carving is a form of working wood by means of a cutting tool held in the hand (this may be a power tool), resulting in a wooden figure or figurine (this may be abstract in nature) or in the sculptural ornamentation of a wooden object. The phrase may also refer to the finished product, from individual sculptures, to hand-worked mouldings composing part of a tracery.

Some of the finest extant examples of early wood carving are from the Middle Ages in Italy and France, where the typical themes of that era were Christian iconography. In England many complete examples remain from the 16th and 17th century, where oak was the preferred medium.

From the remotest ages the decoration of wood has been a foremost art. The tendency of human nature has always been to ornament every article in use. Just as a child of today instinctively cuts patterns on the bark of his switch freshly taken from the hedgerow, humanity has from the earliest times cut designs on every wooden article fit for carving. The North American native carves his wooden fish-hook or his pipe stem just as the Polynesian works patterns on his paddle. The native of Guyana decorates his cassava grater with a well-conceived scheme of incised scrolls, while a Loango Bay native might re-envision his spoon with figures standing up in full relief carrying a hammock.

Of late years carving has gone out of fashion. The work is necessarily slow and requires substantial skill, making the works expensive. Other and cheaper methods of decoration have driven carving from its former place. Machine work has much to answer for, and the endeavor to popularize the craft by means of the village class has not always achieved its own end. The gradual disappearance of the individual artist, elbowed out as he has been, by the contractor, is fatal to the continuance of an art which can never flourish when done at so much a yard.

Usable Woodturnings:
Woodturning Art that can be used is a two fold benefit. When it is not being used as a utilitarian piece, it doubles as a center piece.

Vases/Hollow Forms:
Vases can vary in look and size dramatically. Some can be used for flower arrangements and some for the pure artistic look they show. A woodturned vase can be placed anywhere in your home or office and look wonderful.

Tony has displayed his works at the AAW Symposium, Florida
Symposium, Georgia Symposium, Tennessee Symposium, Stephen Foster
Memorial State Park and the Florida State Fair as well as various Art Galleries and Art Shows in the tri-state area and he has been a featured demonstrator for the International Wood Collectors society and Various AAW Chapters and woodturning clubs.
Tony was elected to a director position in the AAW in January 2006.

Types of Tools used:
roughing gouge - a wide fluted gouge used to initially round a wooden spindle, and to roughly shape it. Generally not intended for cutting end grain due to the large cut it takes and the relatively weak tang connecting the blade to the handle. Unsafe for making bowls or any faceplate work.
spindle gouge or detail gouge - a shallow fluted gouge used to create details on spindles, including beads (raised portions of the turning typically semi-circular in cross section) and coves (relieved portions of the turning).
bowl gouge - a deep fluted gouge used to turn the outside and inside of bowls and vessels. Often has a thicker shaft and longer handle than a spindle gouge because it has to cut farther away from the handrest.
skew chisel - a wide, steeply pointed chisel with the edge running at an angle to the length of the tool. Used to smooth flat spindles, cut beads, and add details. Skew chisels are only used on spindle work (never on faceplate work) and are honed after sharpening to create a razor edge.
parting tool - a pointed tool used to separate (part off) work from the lathe, and to create a straight edge separating large and small diameter sections - wide parting tools also called bedans are used to create evenly sized spindle sections.
hollowing tool - many different types of tools used to cut out the deep sections of steep bowls, vases and hollow vessels. Often with very long handles, to maintain enough leverage when working in a deep vessel, far away from the handrest.
scraper - a tool that scrapes the wood fibers instead of cutting - these are used to smooth off wooden items cut with other tools, and to shape items that are not possible or difficult to shape with gouges. A sharp scraper has a burr at the edge which cuts the wood, only a dull scraper actually scrapes.
bowl saver - a tool used to core out the inside part of a bowl, allowing the waste piece to be used to create a smaller bowl, and to limit the amount of wood chips created when hollowing out a bowl.
auger - a drill bit used to drill a hole partway or all the way through a wooden item. For cutting the hole for a lamp cord, or as the first step when hollowing out a bowl or vessel
chatter tool - a flexible scraper used to add decorative chatter marks to turned items
wire - a simple wire, sometimes with handles attached at either side, for the purpose of burning lines into the piece with friction.
there are also several tool types for special purposes, as well as tools that are a combination design of the above tools, i.e. skew/chisel combinations, thread cutting tools, ring cutting tools, medium fluted gouges, etc.
Safety
When woodturning, it is important to wear certain personal protective equipment (PPE). Loose clothing should not be worn, all jewelry should be removed, and long hair should be tied back. Wood shavings generated during turning will also need to be periodically removed.

Eye protection is a necessity when woodturning. There are several PPE available for eye protection such as safety goggles, glasses and visors, some of which feature built-in respirators. Although all of these are adequate, for the highest level of protection, a visor that protects the entire head from dust and debris should be worn.

Tony Cortese Woodturning and Woodcarving

Hello, my name is Tony Cortese and I have been a Woodturner for 10 years. I have always been fascinated with the hidden beauty of wood. I use mostly local woods from my home state of Florida & the southeastern USA. I am a member of Hands on Wood Turners of Central Florida and a member of the American Association of Woodturners. Over the years, I have attended many demonstrations and symposiums, lessons from various Woodturners, thus becoming proficient at turning bowls, platters, vases, and hollow forms. My work has been displayed at AAW Symposiums and a number of art shows and galleries in the Southeast.

Five years ago my curiosity drove me to experiment with more complex types of woodturning. I have developed into my own niche by employing relief carving embellishments on my Wood Turnings. A bold approach was taken using classic wood turning forms and relief carving techniques with various leaves & flowering patterns. The use of a high speed rotary hand piece (400,000 rpm) & various types of 1/16th bits ensures me of a high quality finished piece. At present I exclusively relief carve after turning a piece on the lathe. I strive to simplify my turnings through refinement & imagination.

I utilize the natural color and grains of specific woods creating works of art by using piercing, fluting, carving and color to embellish my turned forms to create one of a kind originals. Looking back I can see how woodturning has progressed from simple turnings to an art form. I have attended many workshops/classes given by notable turners observing their special techniques to enhance their works. Among some of those distinguished wood turners/carvers are: Dave Barriger, Al Caton, Bobby Clemons, Bill Janning, David Nittmann, and Binh Pho . I have also taken a course at the prestigious John C. Campbell Folk School. Many people who view my intricate work would swear that it was Laser Carved if they had not seen me do it in person.

On my website, you will see pictures of my turnings with relief carving as viewed on my latest video. Here you can view a demo of my latest release. The full length video is also available for purchase. The supplies needed to complete one of these carvings are also available for purchase. Make sure you view my Gallery, which has samples of my relief carved woodturnings.
Fluting is another unique method of enhancing an otherwise plain turning into a wonderful work of art. Just a few years ago I spent some time learning fluting techniques from a master in fluting, Al Caton of Dunnellon, FL. On my lathe I use a custom made indexer utilizing 120 holes. There are more divisible number combinations with my indexer than what comes built in with the lathe (most large lathes come with a 48 hole indexing system). With the use of a jig & dye grinder and a little patience, a fluted turned piece can be done. Fluting adds a whole new dimension to the outside surface of a bowl, vase, or hollow form.

TO SCHEDULE A DEMONSTRATION AT YOUR
CLUB PLEASE CONTACT TONY AT 1-352-489-5652
OR EMAIL : romeowoodturner@msn.com

picture of tony cortese

Woodturning is a form of woodworking that is used to create wooden objects on a lathe. Woodturning differs from most other forms of woodworking in that the wood is moving while a (relatively) stationary tool is used to cut and shape it. Many intricate shapes and designs can be made by turning wood.

There are two distinct methods of turning wood: spindle turning and faceplate turning. In spindle turning, the grain of the wood runs lengthwise, parallel to the bed of the lathe. In face plate turning, the grain of the wood runs perpendicular to the axis of rotation. Most bowls, platters and many vessels are face plate turned. Pens, furniture legs, spindles, and some vessels are spindle turned. It is the orientation of the grain that determines the method in use. Spindle turning is named for the type of product originally produced, while faceplate turning is named for an early method of attaching the material to the lathe.

The distinction between spindle turning and faceplate turning is due to the fibrous nature of the material. When wood is cut in such a way that the fiber being cut is not supported by the fiber below it, it tends to separate and tear. This "tearout" exhibits a rough, highly undesirable surface texture and greatly reduces the value of any product exhibiting it. The direction of cut is different in spindle turning and faceplate turning because cutting in the wrong direction can cause tearout. Spindle turning cuts are made from high points toward the axis on the outside of the piece, and from the axis toward the outside when hollowing. When faceplate turning, the opposite applies.

Other Techniques:
eccentric turning - turning a single piece multiple times, upon different axes each time.
oval or elliptical turning - turning a piece using an accessory mounted to the headstock that changes the center of rotation of the piece in time with the rotation, so that a cutting tool held in a fixed position on the tool-rest cuts an oval rather than a round path on the workpiece
therming - mounting a carrier between centers, and then mounting the small workpiece(s) to the carrier, so that the axis of the headstock/tail-stock does not pass through any of the workpieces, and each workpiece gets cut only on one face. As noted in Wood-turning Methods by Mike Darlow, the etymology of the term "therming" comes via a corruption of the name of the Greek god Hermes, who was often represented as a statue set atop a plinth with a construction characteristic of thermed work.
segmented turning - a method of woodturning where the wood blank is constructed from many individual pieces of wood (segments) which are laminated together before being turned. Many interesting patterns can be generated through the process of lamination and shaping on the lathe.
green or wet turning - turning wood while its moisture content is above equilibrium. Often done when the wood is newly felled. May be turned to finished thickness, in which case the differential shrinkage of the wood will result in a finished piece that is not perfectly round. Alternatively, it may be "rough turned". Rough turning involves turning the piece only to its general shape, leaving enough thickness so that after turning it can be allowed to dry to equilibrium moisture content and distort. The advantage over first drying the wood then turning is that a rough turned piece dries faster, will probably distort instead of split as massive wood is want to do, and that wet wood turns better, since it creates less dust. Rough turning is inexact science: turning wood too thick will lead to splits, turning wood too thin will lead to distortion that cannot be removed, because not enough thickness is left. Once dry, it is mounted on the lathe a second time and turned to its final form. Rough turning is typically used on most functional work and some artistic pieces.
natural edge work - pieces which include the outside of the tree trunk or limb as the edge of the piece. Typically artistic turnings, usually bowls or hollow vessels, and usually green turned to final dimension. May include the bark or not, but pieces with bark should not have any bark damaged or missing.
ornamental turning - also known as OT, a method in which the piece is mounted upon a rocking headstock, and a spinning tool is used to cut out exotic and decorative patterns seantroy