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Book and Video Recommendations

John Abt

John Abt

Joined
Mar 7, 2006
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Location
Hanover, MD
As a new turner, I was curious about more experienced turner's recommendations for the five top books and videos that they (you) would recommend.

I recently bought some videos and was sadly disappointed in both the content and quality of the picture & sound.

What would you recommend?
 
John - Most woodturning guilds have book and tape libraries. I would recommend taking advantage of that resourse so you can check things out before you buy. Also, my public library was also a good resource before I joined my local guilds.

For videos I really like the AAW symposium series.

I liked two books enough to buy my own copies:
"The Art of Segmented Wood Turning - A Step-by-Step Guide" by Malcolm Tibbetts.
"Turning Pens and Pencils" by Christensen and Burningham.

Ed
 
John,
If you're interested in bowl turning then it's hard to go wrong with the DVDs by Bill Grumbine. And, I also second the idea of looking to your nearest AAW chapter and seeing what's in their library.
 
If you like bowls, Bill Grumbine's video is hard to beat. If you want to learn about the skew chisel, then the viedeo by Alan Lacer is excellent.
 
videos and books

I have learned a lot from Richard Raffan's videos and his books. I also have Del Stubbs' video and it's very good. I've heard great things about Bill Grumbine's DVD but haven't seen it myself.

I'll pass along two other bits of experience that a beginner might find helpful. First, no matter how good a video is, it doesn't substitute for a live person (who knows what they're doing) standing beside you and guiding you. I spent a year teaching myself to turn from videos and books and I was doing okay. But then I took a week-long course from Raffan and progressed exponentially. You don't have to go to that length, but do find a friend who is a turner or join a local AAW affiliate chapter.

Second, there are a lot of videos out there and you could spend a lot of money trying to collect them all. I've rented several from technicalvideorental.com and found them a cheaper way to go.

Good luck!
 
Howdy John: I'm fortunate that our club has a very large library and I've seen just about all of them. My favorites are (in no particular order):
John Jordan - The Aesthetics and Properties of Wood;
Russ Fairfield - Finishing Secrets (a set of 3 videos);
Jimmy Clews - Turn it On (a set of 3 videos);
Mike Mahoney/Stuart Batty - Two ways to make a bowl;
Dell Stubbs - Bowl Turning.
Also, I like anything by Trent Bosch and Robert Rosand.
Happy Turning.
 
I would "second" Ed's list. I have really benefited from David Elsworth's series. I spent a week with him this past winter, and in retrospect, everything I learned was on his tapes. I just learn more easily when I am "in country". Mike Mahoney is awesome in his video that I think is something like from tree to bowl. We are fortunate to have so many people sharing secrets of our art/craft.
 
Videos and Books

John,

I have been "listening in" on this forum since 2004 or thereabouts and no matter what it is that you need, the people here have to be the most generous and caring of any group that I have ever dealt with. Woodturning is a tremendous hobby - no, it's more than that - and having a neverending source of information makes the learning even more fun.

My hat is off to all the members for their help to everyone, for their humor, and their willingness to poke fun at themselves to help teach us safety and all the little things we tend to forget.
 
I'm a book person, not a video person. I own two woodturning DVD's and over 3 dozen woodturning books. My recommendations would include:

Two Ways to Turn a Bowl (DVD) (Batty and Mahoney) - because is shows that there are multiple "right" ways to turn.

Richard Raffans's books are good. I learned with the original versions and the newer versions look better. (But I don't own them because I have the orginals.)

I also like Ray Key's books. They have good projects and some interesting insights on the designs.

Mike Darlow's series is more technically oriented. I like them because they are a fairly complete survey of woodturning and include information on more advanced or challenging techniques.

For design information, Richard Raffan's Turned Bowl Design is a classic and the last time I looked it was still available from multiple book sellers. Mark Baker's Woodturning Projects is an interesting exploration of design through projects.

Malcolm Tibbetts The Art of Segmented Woodturning is a must read for anyone interested in segmented turning.
 
I started with one of Richard Raffan's book and would recommend his books. However, I would second the thought of getting some hands on experience with someone, I believe I would have learned much quicker.

Also, an observation, over the past several years I have noticed that Raffan's book is making more sense than it did at first. I was so ignorant regarding turning that a good part of what he was saying was going over my head.

Al
 
Dick Sing's books are good. They are very project oreinted. Each chapter basicaly does a project from start to finish. While that can be repeatious it prevents you from flipping back a forth to find something while attempting the project.
Frank
 
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