First there were laminated bowls, then there were hollow forms.........

[Odie]

First there were laminated bowls....

Then there were hollow forms....

Then there were teapots.....

Now there are basket illusions.



I'm sure I'm forgetting some past trends in woodturning at the moment, but I've been thinking of how these trends evolve in woodturning.

Truly, in every case, the outstanding creativity of woodturners is a testament to just how far a theme can be taken.

Probably there is a competitive spirit involved.

I'm wondering just what the next trend will be.....?

What's your guess?

=o=

 

[Tom McDonnell]

Cnc bowls. Sit on the couch with my laptop.

 

[Gabriel Hoff]

I think we are trending more and more toward carving turnings instead of just using the lathe to turn. A lot of items now are carved or textured or sculpted.

I have American Woodturner magazines dating back to 2000 and there are a lot more "regular turnings" back then!

 

[hockenbery]

Then there were teapots.....

Evolution of o turning subjects is an interesting subject.

I think of teapots as sort of a narrow interest object and relatively few AAW members have tried one.
I think tea pots got publicized with several POP shows requiring teapot entries.

I’m amazed at the numbers of folks doing basket of illusion. It has mushroomed in popularity in recent years.
Hollow forms have been a mainstay for many turners for 25-30 years.


In 2016 AAW survey the members. The first two charts allow multiple entries and show that AAWMembers had multiple interests.

 

[Tim Hunter]

Don't forget turning crappy pieces of firewood that would have been burned 20 years ago.

Tim

 

[Curt Fuller]

Geez Odie, funny you would mention this. I was just thinking of making a laminated hollow form with handle and a spout for pouring tea and decorating the whole thing with a basket illusion design.

 

[Steve Tiedman]

I think we are trending more and more toward carving turnings instead of just using the lathe to turn. A lot of items now are carved or textured or sculpted.

I have American Woodturner magazines dating back to 2000 and there are a lot more "regular turnings" back then!

It wasn't too much longer after that when I dropped my membership because embellishment was coming on strong and it just wasn't my taste. Granted, lovely work, but it just didn't suit me seeing the fast growing trend in that direction. The journal just wasn't serving me anymore. I guess I'm just a traditionalist for simple, well-executed turnings.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

Don't forget turning crappy pieces of firewood that would have been burned 20 years ago.

Tim

They still should be burned

 

[Doug Rasmussen]

Cnc bowls. Sit on the couch with my laptop.

Yes, for sure.... And a good many will be oval.

 

[Bob Brown]

Look at what the French are doing , or Germans. Not going to find the trend in the AAW magazine. To many seem to think quantity is more important than quality. To much time repairing cracks, rather than effort in figuring out why it cracked. Only one person starts a trend, the rest just follow.

 

[Paul May]

Glad I am in the minority with my segmented work.

 

[Russ Braun]

What one turner creates triggers an evolution in another turner’s mind. It’s truly a marvel to watch what is unfolding. It should be left unconfined without restraint!! Only a Woodturner would say this; These are exciting times!!

 

[Jerry Bennett]

How about a staved zigzag, armature based freeform from stabilized mixed shavings with a cast iron but turned finial in the Drosda style sitting on a culinary chocolate base.
Paul, segmenters are gaining ground. We passed the pepper mill turners a while back.

 

[hockenbery]

Glad I am in the minority

These are exciting times!!

are gaining ground

I admire you folks who put little bitty parts together into fantastic turnings.
I’m still struggling with legos
I can look but won’t make. My pieces count is usually 1, 3 for an ornament.

The AAW is a big tent.

one thing we did in the pre-Covid AAW symposiums did was to have several esoteric type demos and panels that might only draw a couple dozen people. This helped those dozen expand the field.
The regional symposiums can’t have those demos because only 5 people would be there.
The post Covid AAW is struggling to get attendance to support the esoteric.

 

[Alan Weinberg]

Look at what the French are doing , or Germans

@ bob brown. Where would I find that? Is there a website, as I’d like to see?

 

[Steve Tiedman]

Yes, for sure.... And a good many will be oval.

Going off this micro topic a bit, but here is how a traditionalist would make an oval bowl. Gorgeous work, and other than oval shapes, could/should be inspirational to anyone who wants to carve on their turnings.

David Fisher-

David Fisher, Carving Explorations

davidffisher.com

 

[Greg Davidson]

If I had a CNC router, I would be playing around with funkier segmented turnings, curvy staves or segments that aren't flat. With the prevalence of CNC these days, I'm kind of surprised we haven't seen more of that these days. At least I haven't.

 

[Odie]

With the prevalence of CNC these days, I'm kind of surprised we haven't seen more of that these days. At least I haven't.

I'm strictly a traditionalist when it comes to lathe turning, but I'd guess that CNC has an advantage, as well as a disadvantage in its possible outcome.

The advantage would be preciseness and maneuverability of the cutting tool when its being guided by a machine......while the disadvantage would be the loss of the human element in a manual, or sensual guidance.

=o=

 

[Russ Braun]

I'm strictly a traditionalist when it comes to lathe turning, but I'd guess that CNC has an advantage, as well as a disadvantage in its possible outcome.

The advantage would be preciseness and maneuverability of the cutting tool when its being guided by a machine......while the disadvantage would be the loss of the human element in a manual, or sensual guidance.

=o=

The CNC offers a pathway to create amazing laminations. These then go to the lathe for traditional turning. I direct people to Tom Lohman’s Bowl from a Board (BFB) work. For the cutting edge mind, there is a universe to explore there. Greg mentioned curvy staves; I imagine curvy double cut segments that fit exact. Now I have the CNC but struggle with the “brain” part of it! Perhaps that last tab of LSD did more than broaden my mind, haha! Focus Russ, focus!!

 

[John K Jordan]

First there were laminated bowls....
Then there were …

I'm sure I'm forgetting some past trends in woodturning at the moment, but I've been thinking of how these trends evolve in woodturning.

A comprehensive categorization of “trends” might depend on how far back we look. Besides woodturning things from some books I have from the middle of the last century, I read an article a decades ago about a traveler from Europe who traveled through India in the 1600’s. The lathe work he saw there was largely utility turnings of things used in the homes. In particular, he wrote about watching a man sitting on the ground, turning with a lathe powered by another person. The woodturner made numerous small utility things, much of it spindle turning, IIRC.

He also described finishing, for example how they used the natural resin (shellac) collected from the trees with “lac” bugs, and held pieces against the spinning wood, a friction polish. So maybe household utility turnings made on human-powered lathes could be considered a trend before laminated bowl. I think I saved that article somewhere - maybe I’ll look for it when I get time.

I fed Sir Google some key words and got this, pole lathes without the pole:

The woodturning:
“In India, wood turning lathes in the 1600s were operated by a boy who pulled cords wrapped around the wood while the woodworker sat on the ground.
The boy would sit or kneel on one side of the wood, holding the ends of cords wrapped around it. He would pull the cords alternately to move the wood.”
The lathe and tool rest:
“The lathe would be supported by posts with centers driven through them, and a wooden rod nailed or tied to the posts. The rod would support the tools.”

Some research might find earlier trends. I read about some turnings found in tombs dated at 3000 years ago.

JKJ

 

[Odie]

The CNC offers a pathway to create amazing laminations. These then go to the lathe for traditional turning. I direct people to Tom Lohman’s Bowl from a Board (BFB) work. For the cutting edge mind, there is a universe to explore there. Greg mentioned curvy staves; I imagine curvy double cut segments that fit exact. Now I have the CNC but struggle with the “brain” part of it! Perhaps that last tab of LSD did more than broaden my mind, haha! Focus Russ, focus!!

Russ, I'd say you are creating amazing laminations without the CNC, and it's obvious that you are engaging your brain likewise.

As far as that goes, there is plenty of "brainwork" involved in plain old traditional turning.....if the desire to find how it applies is present!

=o=

 

[John K Jordan]

Perhaps that last tab of LSD did more than broaden my mind, haha!

Just yesterday I read yesterday about the famous and groundbreaking sci-fi author Phillip K Dick (1928-1982) who, like some other well-known and extremely creative people in other fields, used LSD while creating some of his “mind-bending” works. Some of his novels were made into movies: Blade Runner, Minority Report, Total Recall, Paycheck, and more.

JKJ

 

[Doug Rasmussen]

With the prevalence of CNC these days, I'm kind of surprised we haven't seen more of that these days. At least I haven't.

Greg, apparently you haven't been paying attention.

Mentioning CNC on this forum is (or was) almost the equivalent of asking to be surrounded by an angry lynch mob. Back a couple years the moderators suggested CNC should be in the "off topic" category of this forum, probably to appease the traditionalists.

AAW is supposed to be a leader in woodturning innovation at least I think that's what it's supposed to be. Innovators like Giles Gilson were not treated well. I watched a Gilson shop tour, no mention of his wood lathe (if he even had one) only the metal working machines he worked wood on.

Go to the AAW main site and search for "CNC", no hits last time I tried Yet the journal has had 2 (or maybe only one) cover stories and several articles about high end work done on a CNC by a talented user. Could it be there is no communication between the AAW board, the journal editor and this forum's moderators?

Ornamental turners seem to be sneaking up on CNC the back way by adding stepper motors to their lathes which can be more expensive than just buying a CNC machine. Kinda like trying to build a new car one part at a time from the auto parts store.

I wonder when the first ad for CNC will appear in the journal. This should be fertile territory for CNC since a lot of advertising is aimed at affluent, retired guys. Laguna is the only woodturning lathe maker I'm aware of that also builds CNC routers.

A while back I predicted this forum would be mostly about CNC in 10 years. Somebody replied "don't hold your breath". We'll see....

BTW: when I suggest CNC I mean what are called "wood routers" and not lathes. I don't believe there are any hobby priced CNC lathes on the market. You can get a top of line CNC router for less than a top of the line manual wood lathe.

 

[Isaac Litster]

What I see is
- Carbide insert tools on epoxy resin with a nasty mess of rot, bark, burl, and roots, turned into an ugly bowl, vase, etc.

Not on this forum, and not very high end, but whether we like it or not, it is what a lot of people know about the craft.
for instance, one video of this style of woodturning with a root ball and resin with carbide tools has 83 million views, Richard Raffan's most popular video on YouTube has 201 thousand, or 0.2% of that. In general, popular woodturning is not a skew, it is a scraper, people buy exotic wood from an online store, turn it with a cheap chuck from Amazon and carbide tools, they are happy, it gets views, so why do anything else? Purpleheart, redheart, cocobolo, look better than maple, cherry, and oak, so why bother with the dangers of chainsaws and drying blanks for years to use your local species? These crafts are not going away, at least not completely, and instead are being reborn largely in part to carbide, epoxy, and exotic wood from rockler, woodcraft, etc.

 

[hockenbery]

I'm kind of surprised we haven't seen more of that these days

Mentioning CNC on this forum i

I think the acceptance of CNC objects is growing. @Doug Rasmussen has been a champion of CNC.

There are many aspects on CNC. A couple are germain to the discussion

1. Can CNC make round objects - yes

2 Can CNC make object that appear turned but probably can’t be made on a lathe - Yes

2. Is CNC woodturning - No
The American Association of Woodturners (AAW) defines woodturning as the craft of using a wood lathe with hand tools to create symmetrical shapes

3. What is the CNC place in the woodturning community, the forum, and the AAW journal? This is evolving.
I like to see what folks are doing with CNC.
Also the journal, forum, and the demos at clubs and symposiums often feature machines and technology that are not woodturning.
Laser burners, bandsawing, chainsawing, tool making, sand blasting, carving, pyrography, cutting segments, routers, fluting setups….…..
A few could arguably be called hand held tools and the others are things done to the wood before or after turning.

DIGITAL printing has emerged in two ways in the Woodturning community. Making round objects and making tools like chuck jaws. Neither are Woodturning. Turned objects with Digital printed parts or stands have appeared in instant galleries and probably some shows.

How CNC emerges in the community is to be seen.
Demos at clubs? How tos in the forum? Articles ? Certainly the posts in the forum are nice to see.

 

[Tim Hunter]

Computer control isn't the only way to do elliptical work. I dropped another example of a work-in-progress in the ornamental turning forum a few days ago.

Maybe someday elliptical work will be a trend...I'm ready.

Tim

 

[Darryl Fective]

I was hoping my article on indexed inlays in the last issue might inspire some further exploration from more creative/skilled people than me. I've only had a few emails and answerd a few questions.

 

[Russ Braun]

A comprehensive categorization of “trends” might depend on how far back we look. Besides woodturning things from some books I have from the middle of the last century, I read an article a decades ago about a traveler from Europe who traveled through India in the 1600’s. The lathe work he saw there was largely utility turnings of things used in the homes. In particular, he wrote about watching a man sitting on the ground, turning with a lathe powered by another person. The woodturner made numerous small utility things, much of it spindle turning, IIRC.

He also described finishing, for example how they used the natural resin (shellac) collected from the trees with “lac” bugs, and held pieces against the spinning wood, a friction polish. So maybe household utility turnings made on human-powered lathes could be considered a trend before laminated bowl. I think I saved that article somewhere - maybe I’ll look for it when I get time.

I fed Sir Google some key words and got this, pole lathes without the pole:

The woodturning:
“In India, wood turning lathes in the 1600s were operated by a boy who pulled cords wrapped around the wood while the woodworker sat on the ground.
The boy would sit or kneel on one side of the wood, holding the ends of cords wrapped around it. He would pull the cords alternately to move the wood.”
The lathe and tool rest:
“The lathe would be supported by posts with centers driven through them, and a wooden rod nailed or tied to the posts. The rod would support the tools.”

Some research might find earlier trends. I read about some turnings found in tombs dated at 3000 years ago.

JKJ

Focus Russ, focus, lol!!

We all have boxes we exist in….peering over the edge of your box to see what’s going on can be quite enlightening on many levels! Appreciation/ embracing is one level, duplicating is another and evolving what you see could be the best level….not sure!

Staying in your box and loving life might just be the best level….not sure!

To each their own! Love what you do without dictating to others feels about right to me!

Regarding evolution of lathe processes, without them, we likely have less tool and lathe evolution. Imagine being restrained because of the 12” throw on your lathe or the 1/2 horse motor. Who wants to live without their Thompson gouge or their Hunter Osprey? How about turning without segmenting (lol)?

 

[Russ Braun]

while back I predicted this forum would be mostly about CNC in 10 years. Somebody replied "don't hold your breath". We'll see....

For some, it might for others, it won’t! There’s no right answer or they are both right!

I know you can still turn wood on the lathe I had in high school shop class….am I a proud owner and fan of a Robust AB, absolutely. Evolution is good.

As soon as my brain evolves to CAD, I will be trying my envisioned CNC created laminations on my AB!

Signed, A big fan of Evolution!

 

[Russ Braun]

What I see is
- Carbide insert tools on epoxy resin with a nasty mess of rot, bark, burl, and roots, turned into an ugly bowl, vase, etc.

Not on this forum, and not very high end, but whether we like it or not, it is what a lot of people know about the craft.
for instance, one video of this style of woodturning with a root ball and resin with carbide tools has 83 million views, Richard Raffan's most popular video on YouTube has 201 thousand, or 0.2% of that. In general, popular woodturning is not a skew, it is a scraper, people buy exotic wood from an online store, turn it with a cheap chuck from Amazon and carbide tools, they are happy, it gets views, so why do anything else? Purpleheart, redheart, cocobolo, look better than maple, cherry, and oak, so why bother with the dangers of chainsaws and drying blanks for years to use your local species? These crafts are not going away, at least not completely, and instead are being reborn largely in part to carbide, epoxy, and exotic wood from rockler, woodcraft, etc.

Imagine turning without videoing and posting online……it’s obvious where I haven’t evolved to, lol!!

 

[Dave Landers]

2. Is CNC woodturning - No
The American Association of Woodturners (AAW) defines woodturning as the craft of using a wood lathe with hand tools to create symmetrical shapes

CNC is not woodturning, but CNC can be part of the process along with woodturning to make a piece. Just like we "ignore" the use of other tools in woodturned pieces (bandsaw, router, table saw, chainsaw, micromotor, sandpaper, etc).
For example, the Call for Entries for the 2025 Member Exhibit says (emphasis is mine):

• You are free to use any medium, but work must be created, at least in part, on the lathe.

 

[hockenbery]

CNC is not woodturning, but CNC can be part of the process along with woodturning to make a piece. Just like we "ignore" the use of other tools in woodturned pieces (bandsaw, router, table saw, chainsaw, micromotor, sandpaper, etc).
For example, the Call for Entries for the 2025 Member Exhibit says (emphasis is mine):

• You are free to use any medium, but work must be created, at least in part, on the lathe.

We agree on that. I listed a similar set of non woodturning things done before and after the lathe.

What I’m waiting to see is how CNC gets added to that list and is used in the woodturning process.
What i’ve seen so far is CNC used as an alternative to woodturning in creating objects without involving a hand held tool on a lathe.

An example is oval bowls made by turning like Dale Larson and others using oval chucks or the ones made on a CNC.
Both make great bowls.

 

[Dave Landers]

What I’m waiting to see is how CNC gets added to that list and is used in the woodturning process.

Yep, that'll be interesting

 

[Bob Brown]

Membership #7510 will be available in January

 

[Michael Anderson]

I follow a guy on Instagram named Greg Blanpied. Makes bowls (and related) via CNC. The surface patterns he is able to create are amazing, and many of them come to life when the bowl is spun around. Like stop-motion animation (there’s a specific term that I’m forgetting). The forms are fairly basic though—I think especially the interior is challenging for positioning the router (but adding in more axes might/would fix this.

I also follow another guy, Nicholas Berchtold, that uses a CNC to create really amazing objects, including mallets and vases. The vases are hollowed (I think) via some sort of drilling/boring setup, but the exteriors are all milled.

What I’m waiting to see is how CNC gets added to that list and is used in the woodturning process.

I foresee the above examples (and similar) being applied to vessels with more complex interior shapes (closed form bowls, hollowforms, or Sinner-style vases for example). At that point though, the CNC is just a replacement for hand-carving.

Another cool idea would be something like layered bowls/vessels. Use a CNC to create specific slices, glue them up to form a turning blank, and then hollow. Of course, you could this with a scroll saw (or bandsaw) and/or carving tools, but the CNC might speed up the process significantly (or at least increase efficiency and precision).

 

[Paul May]

I follow a guy on Instagram named Greg Blanpied. Makes bowls (and related) via CNC. The surface patterns he is able to create are amazing, and many of them come to life when the bowl is spun around. Like stop-motion animation (there’s a specific term that I’m forgetting). The forms are fairly basic though—I think especially the interior is challenging for positioning the router (but adding in more axes might/would fix this.

I also follow another guy, Nicholas Berchtold, that uses a CNC to create really amazing objects, including mallets and vases. The vases are hollowed (I think) via some sort of drilling/boring setup, but the exteriors are all milled.


I foresee the above examples (and similar) being applied to vessels with more complex interior shapes (closed form bowls, hollowforms, or Sinner-style vases for example). At that point though, the CNC is just a replacement for hand-carving.

Another cool idea would be something like layered bowls/vessels. Use a CNC to create specific slices, glue them up to form a turning blank, and then hollow. Of course, you could this with a scroll saw (or bandsaw) and/or carving tools, but the CNC might speed up the process significantly (or at least increase efficiency and precision).

Yes Blanpied's forms are pretty cool. I especially like his trefoil knot.

 

[Russ Braun]

I follow a guy on Instagram named Greg Blanpied. Makes bowls (and related) via CNC. The surface patterns he is able to create are amazing, and many of them come to life when the bowl is spun around. Like stop-motion animation (there’s a specific term that I’m forgetting). The forms are fairly basic though—I think especially the interior is challenging for positioning the router (but adding in more axes might/would fix this.

I also follow another guy, Nicholas Berchtold, that uses a CNC to create really amazing objects, including mallets and vases. The vases are hollowed (I think) via some sort of drilling/boring setup, but the exteriors are all milled.


I foresee the above examples (and similar) being applied to vessels with more complex interior shapes (closed form bowls, hollowforms, or Sinner-style vases for example). At that point though, the CNC is just a replacement for hand-carving.

Another cool idea would be something like layered bowls/vessels. Use a CNC to create specific slices, glue them up to form a turning blank, and then hollow. Of course, you could this with a scroll saw (or bandsaw) and/or carving tools, but the CNC might speed up the process significantly (or at least increase efficiency and precision).

I get excited about creating curves in glue ups without dealing with the saw kerf. Being able to cut on either side of a line with the CNC should create exacting glue ups. Bandsaw and jigsaw options leave that kerf challenge!

 

[Russ Braun]

Yes Blanpied's forms are pretty cool. I especially like his trefoil knot.

Just checked it out….way cool!

 

[hockenbery]

I get excited about creating curves in glue ups without dealing with the saw kerf. Being able to cut on either side of a line with the CNC should create exacting glue ups. Bandsaw and jigsaw options leave that kerf challenge!

Can surface the rings, round the corners, and even create different joints to join the rings so they stack perfectly

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

If I had a CNC router, I would be playing around with funkier segmented turnings, curvy staves or segments that aren't flat. With the prevalence of CNC these days, I'm kind of surprised we haven't seen more of that these days. At least I haven't.

A note to my background: I have been exposed to wood working for my entire life and have explored most aspects from early all hand methods to machine work and worked on a production level CNC router in the 1990's. The CNC router was an early version 3 axis machine with vacuum pods for holding the material, a tool changer and the ability to write the G-code for you or enter your own g-code.
As pertains to the subject of stave construction or cooperage in 2016 I developed a method to make a tankard modeled after a tankard retrieved from the wreck of the Mary Rose. The design that I came up with via a CAD drawing consisted of 15 staves each with a 12 degree angle on the edges and a 1 degree taper on each side over the length. The staves were white oak 3/8" thick and the edges were accurately cut with a jig on my miter saw - no CNC. The photo below shows the result and this was also feature in the users gallery of the AAW journal in I think about 2017.


There are a lot of problems with doing many of the things that the novice think can be done with a CNC machine. Most of what they think can be done could be if you had enough money to buy the machine with the bells & whistles to accomplish it.
The curvy staves would be possible on a three axis machine if all you were doing is fitting two contrasting pieces together to cut the stave from. The problem would be how do you clamp them down accurately positioned to make that curvy cut. The next problem is after they are glued together how to accurately clamp them down to cut the angle on the edges and how do you set that angle without having a custom tapered router bit for that angle or a spindle that can be set for that angle ( I know that that is available on some of the high end production machines).