“You will find something more in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters.” Saint Bernard (1090-1153), French abbot
The scope and breadth of the kinds of woodworking are enormous, and we can in no way cover them all here. So, for this post, I interviewed my friend Cathy about an art that she has been pursuing, working with a lathe.
Below you will find a mixture of my questions, her comments, and my comments.
What is a lathe?
A lathe is a machine that is used to shape wood and sometimes other materials. My friend Cathy has been using her lathe for shaping pens, quite lovely ones too. She made the one in the photograph below; it was a gift for me when I graduated from the CiRCE Apprenticeship. Thank you Cathy!
She began working with wood as a result of her husband’s influence, and in no time began to develop her love for the process, the materials, and the finished products.
Tell me about working on the lathe?
Working on the lathe begins with the selection of wood. Something Cathy did not realize in the beginning was how different the various kinds of wood were. There is a variety of texture in the varieties of wood. Some woods are harder, and others are softer. Some turn like butter while others resist being turned altogether. Now Cathy says she even has a favorite wood to work with; it is called blood wood. It is the wood used to make the pen the picture.
Working with a lathe takes patience and practice. With each thing, you make you are improving. Cathy mentioned that working with the lathe has helped with learning to handle frustration because you have to exercise your will to be patient. You learn how not to have a meltdown when you make mistakes.
It can be easy to go faster than the wood grain can tolerate, when that happens the pen will crack, and you have to begin again. This process of figuring out the materials allows you to get to know the materials in a unique way, giving the wood artist a connection with nature and ownership of the creating process.
Why do you continue to work with wood?
Working with the lathe or any wood working process gives a satisfaction because you are making something nice and usable.
It is also an outlet for giving meaningful and unique gifts. There is something nice about taking the time and the care to make something and give it a personal touch. No matter how much money you spend you cannot put your personal touch into a store bought item the same way you can when you make an item.
Completed woodworking projects also serve as beautiful and interesting works to display around the home.
There is tremendous satisfaction in being able to make things better each time and eventually being able to make something with your hands that you are proud of.
How would one get started in the art of woodworking?
While the lathe is rewarding and enjoyable, it requires the purchase of an expensive machine. You could try to find a woodworking shop or use someone else’s. Cathy mentioned another woodworking art that is great for beginners and more finically feasible for the average person, whittling.
This is a common skill taught in most boys’ adventure/scout groups and for good reason.
Being able to handle a knife is huge, especially in our overly protective culture. It gives the knife handler a sense of being trustworthy and responsible with things that could be dangerous.
If a boy is in boy scouts then, he would receive coaching from a mentor or parent and has to earn the right to use his knife.
This reminds me of the chapter ‘Teaching the Father of Man’ in the book Norms & Nobility. The high calling on us as parents is to raise men and women. Our children are only children for a very short time. They will be adults much longer than they will have been children. Why not teach the Father that will emerge one day from the heart of that little boy in front of you.
Of course they are not Fathers yet, so that is where we must learn to judge what they are ready for and what they are not, where they need to be called out to the next level and where some boundaries need to be put in place. Activities like whittling provide great analogies for life, growing, and becoming a man or a woman.
What are some resource suggestions?
“Show us a man who never makes a mistake and we will show a man who never makes anything. The capacity for occasional blundering is inseparable from the capacity to bring things to pass.” Herman Lincoln Wayland (1830-1898), author
If you have access to a woodworking shop, wonderful, start practicing.
You can also look for a local woodworking shop or class that is open to the public. I just discovered Charlotte has a woodworking guild and uses a woodworking shop in exchange for completing projects for a local charity.
Pinterest Search: Lathe Video Tutorials (there is even a tutorial on how to make a homemade lathe)
Interesting in whittling? Practice on bars of ivory soap.
Let them whittle while being read to.
You can listen to books or a podcast while working as well. It can make it more enjoyable and be way to complete some of that reading you have on your list.
Pinterest Search: Whittling Ideas for Beginners
Books of Interest:
Soul Craft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work by Matthew B. Crawford
Tablesaw: Methods of Work by Jim Richey
The Handbuilt Home by Ana White
A few other woodworking ideas:
Make a toy
Make furniture
Make your own frames
Build a farmhouse kitchen table. {okay, that is what I want to do.}
Thank you Cathy for your time and insight into the art of woodworking.
Expanding wisdom, extending grace,
Jen
BIO: Cathy Rape lives in Texas with her husband and three children. She homeschools her children, is a Circe Certified Master teacher and is now the director for the CiRCE Institute Apprenticeship Program.
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| This part is a member of our 31 Days of Playing with the Arts Series |
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