Ohio Valley Woodturners Guild

History of Woodturning

OVWG - Who We Are

A 501(c)3 Organization of over 230 membersOur Mission: provide information, education and organization to those interested in woodturning.Meet monthly - 3rd Saturday, September through JuneProfessional demonstrators, show & tell, sharing wood, and more.Website: www.OVWG.org for calendar, newsletters, meeting locations, more.Visitors are welcome!!

History of Woodturning

Ancient craft - no one knows how oldFoot and hand powered lathes gave way to water power, steam, gas, electricPrimary focus - functional items:

BowlsPlates, plattersCups, vesselsFurniture - legs of tables, chairs, stoolsArchitectural elements - stair rails, balusters, newel posts, porch columnsSpindles for spinning wheels, lace bobbinsBilliard Balls from ivory

Historical WoodturningHuman Powered Lathes

Image fromEgyptian Tomb

~300 BC

Historical WoodturningHuman Powered Lathes

Pioneers and earlysettlers used pole lathes.

Foot powered.Made from readily

available materials.

Historical WoodturningHuman Powered Lathes

Lathes get more sophisticated - but still foot powered!

History of Woodturning

A modern replica -made by an OVWG

member

History of Woodturning

Bowls from a 1700’sBritish shipwreck

Early woodturning focused on

functional items for everyday use

History of WoodturningMore examples of functional , woodturnings

History of WoodturningMore examples of functional , woodturnings

History of WoodturningMore examples of functional , woodturnings

History of WoodturningMore examples of functional , woodturnings

• After World War II, several people began to transform industrial woodturning into more of an artistic endeavor.

Transition to Artistic Medium

Woodturning Pioneers

James PrestiniEstablished the wood bowl as an object of art with an

exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1949

Woodturning Pioneers

Bob Stocksdale & Melvin LindquistStocksdale patterned work on Japanese ceramic tea bowls

Lindquist developed tools and techniques for “blind” hollowing

Rude OsolnikInfluenced by Appalachian Crafts and Scandinavian design

Explored other “media”such as plywood

Woodturning Pioneers

Ed MoulthropDeveloped method to replace the water in fresh cut wood with polyethylene

glycol, enabling production of very large forms that would not crack

Woodturning Pioneers

Woodturning TodayItems produced between centers with the grain parallel to the lathe bed

Woodturning TodayItems produced between centers with the grain parallel to the lathe bed

Woodturning TodayItems produced with the grain at right angle to lathe axis

Woodturning TodayItems produced with the grain at right angle to lathe axis

Woodturning TodayItems produced by hollowing out the wood blank, with the grain

parallel to the lathe bed

Woodturning TodayItems produced by hollowing out the wood blank, with the grain

parallel to the lathe bed

Woodturning Today

Visit www.OVWG.org for more informationCome to one of our meetings! Visitors are welcome!