Wool 'n' Wood: Ornamental Turning A Passion or an Obsession?

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Ornamental Turning A Passion or an Obsession?

Ornamental Turning A Passion or an Obsession?
Whats it all about?
How did I get into Ornamental Turning?
What drew me deeper into it?

As kids our generation had what is was known as SprioGraph, but before we had that we had a compass, at Primary school we were taught to daw patterns on paper.


I still have an old compass such as this

It was part of our mathematical class in geometry drawing Geometric designs. Even as a young fellow I saw these patterns and designs in things we had around the house and in some cases viewed or used daily. These were maybe not all in my home but relations or family and family friends homes, places we visited.

One common use was the every day watch dad had at one time, the face had some pattern work within. Internally many clocks had some form of pattern work also etched into the brass workings. I recall room door handles which had decoration cut into them be they wood, brass, cast or pressed metal. Some furniture and table adornments as well as Engine Turned things like dad's cigarette lighter or case, mothers hair brush set.

Years latter in the mid to late 1960's a new wave of similar came into the art world known as String Art , I was doing art at high school and our teacher got me started. I even sold a few pieces through a local gallery as well as through and aunt.
It was good therapy for my hands and fingers having Charcot Marie Tooth of which I had just been diagnosed after seven years of investigation medically.
It was also a way to de-stress, I was eighteen months away from leaving school and heading into a working life. (that tale is over on my other blog).

What's Ornamental Turning all about?

It has quite a history dating well back to days of Pole Lathes.
Its true staring point would be hard to define for sure, but even a person making markings in the dirt spinning around swinging a stick might just as well have been the first.
There are a number of Societies still producing such, Horologists, Society Of Ornamental Turners UK,
Ornamental Turners Group Of Australia, a USA based organisation as well as individuals around the world.
Wooden machines and tools along with Blacksmiths, clock makers all have some form or Ornamentation.

Scratches or cuts in the surface of a material is what is the main form of Ornamental Turning, some see it as a technical marvel others an art form to some its an obsession. I am yet to place myself in one of these categories.

I first saw Ornamental Turning at a Sydney Woodshow being produced by the OTGA gents of which I joined some time latter.

I tonight found this video and thats what this post is mainly for to link to a gent who is sharing his time with someone else to show him his Ornamental Rose Engine in action.

The video is some 30 minutes long and it doesn't get to the real action until approx three minuets in.
I have to say it was good to see that thy left in how easy a mistake can be made
by such an expert with such a fantastic set up of a Lathe as this is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSE3Zww6fQE