Wood turning chisels are used to cut and shape a piece wood that is being turned on a lathe. There are two different types of woodturning you can do on a lathe: spindle turning and faceplate turning.
Spindle turning generally involves turning a cylindrical object on a woodturner’s lathe.
The workpiece is mounted between the lathe’s headstock and tailstock. Once secure and centred, the workpiece is spun at high speed and shaped with a woodturning tool.
Some common spindle turning projects include: pens, pencils, candlesticks, bottle stoppers, table legs, pepper mills, balusters, wands, and chess pieces.
Face plate turning
This type of turning involves using a faceplate to which you secure your wooden blank (workpiece) via some screws.
In turn, the faceplate is affixed to the lathe’s headstock spindle via a chuck.
Once secure, the workpiece is spun at high speed and shaped with a woodturning tool.
Some common faceplate turning projects are: bowls, plates, platters, urns, vases, cups, goblets and various other hollow forms.
Images on this page are used with the kind permission of Brian Clifford at www.turningtools.co.uk
