![Woodturning a lamp Woodturning a lamp](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125634239/229910742.jpg)
Watch someone turn a lamp shade (it’s better than that sounds, really) By Matthew Kenney Sep 13, 2012. As the person who basically developed the whole idea of turning wood lampshades, I suppose I should weigh in on the worries people have about waste. While I appreciate the concern for the environment, lets be clear about this: the wood I.
Per:Modern woodturning has some new materials and technologies which make the processes quicker and more pleasant. But when it comes to the way to get the best results from our tools and raw material then there are very few skills and disciplines that have not already been developed by the masters of many cultures hundreds of years ago.My interest over the last eight years has been focused on teaching wood turners to understand in detail the actual turning process. This develops the ability to make sensitive and beautiful objects.I have over many years had a fascination with the simplicity with which the Japanese woodturners work, they do with out many of the rather tight rigid tools and processes. On my first trip to the USA in 1993, I came in contact with John Fox who introduced me to the gentle ways of Japanese woodturning.
They use free moving tool rests sliding on a flat table rather than a restrictive fixed bed, this freedom of movement can teach us new skills. The simplicity of both the way they work and the things they make, have had a strong influence on my work and teaching. I'm a biology major concentrating in botany and ecology and honestly this is really not a big deal. First of all, sure veneer could get the same effect, but the craftmanship and work behind each of these is fantastic, plus I'm sure the chips and scraps get used, AND honestly of all the things we are using up and running out of, tree's are not one of them, despite what people may thing. We have plenty of trees, and we need more people willing to craft beautiful unique pieces such as this. Plus again, I read on his video he uses all of the waste for various uses.
![Woodturning Woodturning](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125634239/220933583.jpg)
And think before you judge people, he never says it goes to waste, you all just assumed. While the craft is amazing, wood turning for a product like a lampshade is incredibly wasteful. As a furniture maker wood and the trees they come from have a sacred place. It's much like the incredibly wasteful mass manufacturing process involved in making a single toothpick. For lampshades you can achieve the same effect using veneers made from planks instead hollowing out a whole stump. Carpenters like the Shakers or Japanese woodworkers would never waste so much, it's not a tree hugger thing, it's an appreciation of that which you make your livelihood from.
I love the way the unit's strength is based on the ring structure of the log's grain. No way this work work as well with a standard piece of timber. I am worried about how the ring would fair in the long term. I have a great table, but it wasn't kiln dried, and it develops new cracks every winter. That log looks pretty green, and now it's being exposed to the heat of a light bulb.
I wonder how many are lost to checking. As far as wood waste goes, I am reminded of this classic Simpsons moment. Also, kudos on the video pace while leaving the sound intact.