Get a great start in woodturning with expert, shop-tested insights and advice from the American Association of Woodturners. With this collection of articles from American Woodturner magazine, the official journal of the AAW, you’ll quickly get out of the blocks with the best practices on safety, tools, and fundamental techniques. Along with the 18 skill-building projects for everything from bowls and pens to holiday ornaments and doorknobs, Getting Started in Woodturning delivers all the detailed, practical advice a beginner needs.

Woodturning is a great hobby: it has a short learning curve, the skills last a lifetime, and you get to make wood chips fly.  Few things are more satisfying than creating something out of wood with your own two hands—that beautiful bowl, useful pen, or one-of-a-kind ornament turned on the lathe instantly becomes a source of pride, a family heirloom, or a favorite gift.

Woodturners enjoy nothing more than sharing their passion for turning and the knowledge they’ve gained at the lathe.  Getting Started in Woodturning represents this community spirit: This collection of practical and skill-building information from American Woodturner magazine, the journal of the American Association of Woodturners, is written by woodturners for woodturners.  Inside these pages, experts and pros share their best safety practices, tool knowledge, fundamental techniques, and favorite projects.  This helpful reference is chock full of detailed, useful advice that covers the problems, challenges, and questions that all beginners encounter. With the guidance of Getting Started in Woodturning, you’ll be turning in no time and sharing your own enthusiasm for the craft. 

Inside Getting Started in Woodturning, you’ll discover:

•  What to know when buying and aligning your first lathe
•  Safety practices for dust collection, face shields, and the shop
•  Techniques for sharpening and using your turning tools
• How to turn, avoid catches, and finish like a pro
• 18 useful projects to build your skills