Foundational Wood Turning Courses

We offer the following hands-on instruction to further enhance your woodworking skills. Each of these foundational level workshops provides a comprehensive course for students to gain confidence and develop their skills under the guidance of our Homestead Heritage master craftsmen.

Beginning Wood Turning

A one-day workshop for beginning wood turners

You can learn enough about the lathe in this one-day workshop to start wood turning at home. Students will learn about the various parts of the lathe, tools used in turning, lathe safety, tool sharpening and wood selection and preparation. With a focus on turning between centers, we cover all areas of spindle work as you develop a variety of projects including kitchen utensils, furniture parts, door knobs, tool handles and more.

Wood Turning Basics

A three-day workshop for developing wood turners

In this intensive three-day course we emphasize the different techniques that distinguish the two main areas of turning between centers and face-plate turning. Students turn a series of lathe projects designed to develop specific wood turning skills and techniques. Each of the projects reinforces technique and helps students to gain understanding and grow in their confidence working on the lathe. We cover all aspects of tool use, safety on the lathe, different lathe accessories and a wide range of lathe turning methods. We also discuss the nature of the different woods and their suitability for turning and how to design projects on the lathe including small furniture pieces such as stools and tables.

Bowl Turning

A three-day workshop for intermediate wood turners

Most beginning wood turners find bowl turning intimidating, yet with the right tools and proper techniques you can enjoy turning a wide variety of bowls, hollow vessels and platters of all different sizes and shapes. Whether for functional use or decoration, our projects will be creative and practical works of art. Starting with the basics, through hands-on instruction and demonstrations, Peter Garrett leads you through the various stages of this craft covering all of the essential elements including discussions on the various gouge shapes and how to grind them, techniques for using them, safety practices, design concepts, finding and harvesting wood and more. Each student will have his own lathe and work area. You will take home several bowls and platters made from both dry and green wood as well as the skill and confidence to make them in your own home workshop.

Six-day Foundational Wood Turning

A six-day workshop for advancing wood turners

We combine our one-day and three-day lathe turning workshops together with the bowl turning workshop to provide a comprehensive foundational course in wood turning. Through hands-on instruction and demonstrations, students quickly establish their skill and a thorough understanding of this exciting craft. We begin with basic techniques in machine and workshop safety, tool sharpening and how to use a lathe and quickly progress to producing a wide range of lathe-turned products ranging from honey dippers to lamps, three-legged stools, mallets, hollow vessels and bowls. We teach both modern and traditional wood turning techniques and encourage questions and answers throughout the workshop.