Wood Lathe 101

Salvatore Mancini is a custom fabricator producing custom furniture and interior designs. He works primarily in wood using traditional techniques as well as digital fabrication. He got his start creating sets for theater productions and was inspired to pursue woodworking after restoring a wooden view camera.

The wood lathe is a fantastic tool for adding artistic flourishes to woodworking projects. In this class, students will learn the basics of spindle turning and safe operation of the lathe. Topics covered will be the anatomy of the lathe, project planning including ways of mounting stock to the lathe as well as turning tools and their various purposes. Project in class will be to rough out a wood “blank” and learn how to turn basic shapes such as coves and beads. Students will learn how to finish a piece while on the lathe including sanding and adding a protective coating. The skills learned in this class will be directly applicable in reproducing objects such as staircase spindles, table legs etc.

The materials fee for this class is $30. This is separate from the ticket price and is to reimburse the instructor for any tools or materials used in this class. This will be paid once, directly to the instructor at the start of the first class meeting. This instructor accepts cash or payments as checks or through Venmo.

The goal of this class will be to train a student to the point where they can use the wood lathe at the Artisan’s Asylum safely and independently. Students will learn the fundamental skills necessary for spindle turning.

Hardwood turning blanks.

Something to take notes with. Students should plan to bring their own Hearing Protective Equipment; protective eyewear is available for those who do not have their own.

Students must be 16 years old or older. All students under 18 must be accompanied by and under the direct supervision of a responsible adult.

Students must be able to stand at the lathe for roughly 2 hours.

Students should wear shop-appropriate clothes – closed-toe shoes, no dangly jewelry or straps, and long hair should be tied back. Students should plan to bring their own Hearing Protective Equipment; protective eyewear is available for those who do not have their own.

Learn more about our class and ticket cancelation policies here.

Please email [email protected] with any questions.

*Sales end 24 hours before the start of the class to allow the instructor and staff time to prep.

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