Turning for Furniture Makers: Between the Centers with Alan Lacer August 2-6, 2021

This is a class that you will rarely see offered at any school, as most turners today are drawn to bowls and vessels. However, there is a rich, long tradition of between center work in furniture, architectural turnings, and numerous small objects. As a matter of fact, there is probably more variety of objects in this form of turning than any other. Spindle turning would include furniture legs and spindles, handles of every type, columns, balusters, lamps, letter openers, pepper and salt mills, game calls, cabinet pulls, rolling pins, ink pens, lace bobbins, wine stoppers, fishing lures, spinning tops, and mallets, to name but a few. In this unique class Alan will take you through a wide variety of topics and challenges. These will include using the fundamental tools of this manner of turning: spindle roughing gouge, detail/spindle gouge, skew chisel and parting tool. Special emphasis will be on developing your skill with a skew. Students will learn to duplicate from a drawing or pattern and deal with thin slender turnings, pommels, off-center turning, and several other projects that will culminate in the making of a three-legged stool. Note: Students will need some experience with the lathe for this class, especially between center work.