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Do you design your turnings

J

Jake Debski

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Honestly, is your turning more serendipitous than planned? I can't tell you how many times I've started out with a specific shape, etc. in mind. But a slight or major catch, bevel bruise, tear-out, unseen flaw in the blank, you get the idea, forces me to change my plans. An informal poll of a couple turning friends suggests that there is far more serendipity in turning projects than I expected.
Since this group really covers the entire spectrum of turning expertise I thought I might get some interesting answers.

Thank you.
 
For me, it's a bit of a mix.

I see my turning as a cooperative process. I don't try to force the wood to do what I want it to and it communicates to me what it might become. I'll often start a piece with a shape in mind and then modify this shape to suit the wood. Occasionally, a piece will turn out completely different than initially envisioned (such as the piece where, 3/4 of the way through, the top became the bottom) but usually it turns out as a variation on what I was aiming for.

I also will often start out by simply rounding the piece roughly then stopping and hanging out with it for a few minutes to get a sense of what it wants to become.

Notably, I do usually start with the intent to make a hollow form, a bowl, a platter, etc. and, sometimes, I have a specific need or request in mind and so am more tied to the original design/intent.

Now my small production items, such as ring holders, are turned to a basic design every time.

Dietrich

P.S.(I should probably add that I rarely turn wood that is not distressed in some way and this does not lend itself to specific design compliance)
 
I guess I am in the same camp as Dietrich.
My turnings start out with a basic idea (bowl, hollow form, vase, platter, box, etc.), and a basic shape in my head, but after that, I let the wood, and the ability/failure of my hands to do my minds-eye's bidding, to produce the final piece.
Sometimes, I get pretty close, and sometimes, I end up with a lot of "designer firewood".

Since I do not/will not sell my work, my turnings can be anything I want, and I can allow my creativity and desire to dictate how much time I want to spend on a turning. If I blow up a vase that I just spent a lot of time on... Oh well, it's just wood (the stuff literally grows on trees around here! 😉 ) and I hopefully learned something, and I go on to the next piece.

Not that I don't measure, mark, and have an idea of what I want, but I do not make templates, drawings, etc. before I start.

Of course, I'm not doing any segmented work, either.

That would probably (ok, definitely) require planning in my opinion.
 
If I "planned" my turnings I'd feel like I was doing production work; and production work offers nothing in the way of turning satisfaction for me. I do sometimes begin with a rough drawing, including approximate dimensions, and work from that "plan". But, like most others, I typically find that the grain and texture of the wood (not to mention the nasty catch that sometimes seems to materialize from out of nowhere) dictates certain adjustments in design that are improvements on the original idea. Of course, when the various pieces of a turned item have to fit together (e.g. pepper grinder top and bottom) I have to maintain strict tolerances. But those are exceptions that we all face in our artistic endeavors.
 
I guess I'm about 50/50. Many projects start out with a basic idea and then change as the wood directs me. Another large percentage start out with a sketch and then change only slightly due to how the shape emerges. I can't draw very good so I make fine tune the shapes as I go.
The best projects are planned from the word Go. I sketch out ideas. Fine tune the sketches. sometimes even make mock ups or test pieces before moving on to the final piece.
Some are simply advancements of a concept such as the faceted boxes I've been making lately. It all start with a photo set up to show someone how I flute spindles. Then I had an idea of fluting christmas ornaments. This led to adding inlays to the fluting. Then I made a platter with Inlayed routed flutes. This led to playing with other design possibilities and then the boxes imerged. That's often how my best work comes about. A simple idea just keeps growing. If I didn't have to work for a living there's no telling where this would end. Anyone know a rich women who wants a starving artist for a husband
 
I guess I'll follow suit and say the wood usually dictates. I use a lot of spalted wood so there is always a lot that can go wrong. For the most part though what I envision is usually close to the final product. Size may change. Shape may be altered slightly. but all in all still in the general area of my vision. Now I will say that sometimes I will start and have no idea what I want after a little rough turning to see what is really "inside" I stop, go inside for awhile, and then come back with an idea later.
Also size usually changes to a smaller version. Instead of a 12" bowl, one catch and it it's all of a sudden a 10" bowl. I think that tends to be the norm on distressed wood.
Good topic!
Brian
 
john lucas said:
............................................................... Anyone know a rich women who wants a starving artist for a husband
Click to expand...

Ma always told me, " be careful what you wish for...........you just might get it" 😱
 
Ha 🙂 Anna Nicole Smith just died so I'm off the hook. It's my baby but someone else can have it I won't fight for it.
 
Planned Turning

Yep, most of the turning I do is planned. When I make magic tricks, not only are they planned but I turn to a template so that I can control the final look of the piece.

When I turn bowls or hollow forms my turning style is much less rigid. I try to take avantage of any "happy accidents"

Angelo
 
I draw and I draw and I draw, in meetings, on airplanes, at lunch, in front of the TV, but the drawings seldom go to the shop. So yes, I design pieces but then when a 'design opportunity' arise (read catch, launch etc.) I fall back on shapes I have practiced or let the wood 'speak'.
Frank
 
The Wood Talks

I usually don't follow a plan or design. First I start out turning the chunk of wood into a very rough state, in other words I turn out all the flat saw marks etc. After that I let the wood tell me what it wants to be. Some have been sitting on the shelf for months because it just hasn't told me yet. Most of my turning are showing how beautiful the wood is and form takes second place. Like others I don't plan on selling anything so I can do what ever I want. Sometimes I do follow a drawing that I make while sitting and being creative. Since one time in my life (many year ago) I was a tool maker so I can make items within very close tolerance but I'd rather not - I have though but it's more like wood machining.
 
For monolithic pieces, ditto what Dietrich said. Segmented pieces are usually completely designed in advance, especially open segment pieces. Sometimes it's fun to just build a "feature ring" and then decide what to make with it, if it turns out right.
 
I do a lot of segmented work so most of my turnings are pretty well planned out. What comes off of the lathe isn't necessarily always what was planned. Things happen. Catches and the like can really change a design.

When I'm doing a hollow form or other non - segmented work I usually allow the wood to dictate the final shape and size.

GA Darling
 
I am quoting somebody else on one of these forums, to the effect that " there are no mistakes in woodturning - only design opportunities". I agree. Often my original thought has changed considerably during the course of the turning, due to unexpected properties of the wood, unexpected skill deficiencies in the turner, or what have you. I usually try to start with a preconceived notion, but ... C'est la vie!
 
Doc Ron said:
I am quoting somebody else on one of these forums, to the effect that " there are no mistakes in woodturning - only design opportunities". I agree. Often my original thought has changed considerably during the course of the turning, due to unexpected properties of the wood, unexpected skill deficiencies in the turner, or what have you. I usually try to start with a preconceived notion, but ... C'est la vie!
Click to expand...

Doc, that is precisely the way I work and my definition of " serendipity." Ithink any turner that keeps trying new things, pushing beyond his or her practiced skills, works that way and is the only way to improve those skills. :cool2:
 
I have done both, and fault neither. Personally, I find myself far more satisfied with the pieces I design first.
 
I just needed a clarification.

You guys keep talking about "catches".

What's a catch?

dietrich

(heh, heh :cool2: )
 
dkulze said:
I don't try to force the wood to do what I want it to and it communicates to me what it might become.

Dietrich
Above, what you referred to , is what the rest of call a "catch". I guess we should stop using the word "catch" and refer to it as "the wood communicated to me". By Geoge, that does sound alot better. I feel better about my communing with the wood already.
Frank
Click to expand...
 
Planned Or Not

The only time I've done any planning is when I've had a request for a certain shape. A set of goblets, the first is unplanned but the rest all are 😱
 
Design, what stinkin' design?

I start by looking at the blank to see what I might want to keep or what I might want to turn off, and that will give me an idea of a form, but I seldom end up with it exactly the same. I do some production work, but even then I try ending up with something a little different each time.
 
Very definitely...

I plan the piece of wood, how I'm going to mount it on the lathe, and which tool I'm going to use first, then...

"No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy."
 
dkulze said:
I just needed a clarification.

You guys keep talking about "catches".

What's a catch?

dietrich

(heh, heh :cool2: )
Click to expand...

A catch is the woman John Lucas is looking for, or not.
😀
 
Jake I'll post an ad. Women wanted. Please send photo of your lathe. 🙂
A catch is simply the wood telling you it want's to be a bit smaller than you just made it.
 
Sometimes hindsite helps too. Just noticed a piece (done 6 or 8 months ago) that my sweetie had semi-prominently displayed, and saw immediately what was wrong with it. Knew it was wrong at the time, but it took those months to see the obvious problem and how to fix it. Lack of artistic ability is an unfortunate handicap for some of us, but we can learn and improve if we try hard enough.
 
Here and i thought the wood "communicating" with me was when piece of it slaps me upside the head.

It's how my wife "communicates" with me so I just figured.......

Dietrich 🙄

P.S.(I really don't ever get catches. The wood is travelling way to fast when it flys past me for me to catch it.)

P.P.S.(though when it "communicates" with me, I've come close to a catch a couple of times on the rebound)
 
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Personally, I design all my pieces. That includes selecting wood in advance that will fit the project I have in mind...Design changes? I don't change my designs , but one turning will inspire future pieces. Any design changes can be applied in the next piece. A catch or problem in the wood won't cause me to alter my goal....I'll start over, since I want exactly what I planned. Do I always LIKE what I turn? NO, but it's a lot better than being frustrated by a piece that doesn't look anything like what I started out to turn. I do believe that a turner's success rate will improve dramatically if they select a design and follow through on it....it doesn't have to take five years of trial and error before someone begins to create good forms.

Am I restricting myself with all this structured turning? Heck no! In fact, if there was a fun-tax, I'd be broke(r).
 
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