After examining many old turned objects, be it spindles, finials, legs, stretchers, split columns, etc., I have come to the conclusion that turning just isn’t the same today as it was in the past.
A couple of things emerge; first the nature of the finish of many turnings and the much different tools illustrated in old trade publications, catalogues, etc. I find little or no evidence of the use of sanding as a finishing step to smoothing turnings. Gouge lines, chatter and a clear not fuzzy look to the surface is one indication.
Another is the crisp detail left by a sharp tool as contrasted to pieces that have been sanded. I do sand to finish on occasion, mostly to match worn details on repair or restoration projects. And while reproducing old work I tend to do what the originating craftsman did and sanding seldom shows on old work.
The second divergence from turning practices of the past is the variety of turning tools available back then. Granted, many are for ornamental turning and scraping ebony, lignum vitae and ivory, why aren’t there any being reproduced today? Today we may think we have many more choices than ever, but that just isn’t the case.
Even with the large choice of tools, it appear that many turned pieces that only one maybe two tools are used. I am of the opinion that straight chisels were the most common used tools, especially the skew. Gouges are more expensive than chisels and more difficult to sharpen. Consider Moxon’s description of straighting out hook turning tools, sharpening them then re-bending them to their original shape.
Sharpening turning tools today is much different. Also the old tools have better quality metals and required less sharpening attention. At the first sign of dullness, many today go immediately to the complex sharpening systems/stations. I can not say for certain, but I think sharpening is overdone and over rated today.
Sanding turnings, is another modern remedy for lack of turning skills. Abrasive removal of material during turning was done in the past. Sandpaper in one form or another was around since the mid nineteenth century but it was expensive.
Other materials like horsetails were collected, prepared and used to smooth both wood, bone and ivory and metals. The stuff will scratch even a hard steel file.
Pumice and rottenstone are powdered abrasives, solid pumice such as holy-stones were used for cleaning and smoothing ships decks and wooden floors.
Ell skin and shark skin, especially dogfish skin are good abrasives, flexible and work in only one direction. Perhaps the most unusual abrasive material was also used as grips on swords, handles on cutlery, etc. and that material is shagreen from sting-ray skins.
The material is unique in that it has mineral deposits spread over the rays on the upper back side of the skin, the belly skin is smooth. The tubercules of mineral deposits graduate from fine on the edge to more coarse near the spin or backbone of the fish.
Commercially available ray skins are polished smooth after dyeing the skins usually green, hence shagreen, brown, black, gray and other colors. The interest to the woodworker or turner is the minerals on the skin. These can be roughened up with abrasives to produce an abrasive surface that is very durable.
It can be left smooth to act as a burnisher, which I believe was used extensively in the nineteenth century and earlier. And while I may be repeating myself from the last post, this material is important enough to talk about again.
A turning process called ‘boning’ was done with burnishers made of a large animal bone. Worked smooth and polished bone burnishers are handy tools for making a surface glass smooth. Boning can also be done with any other material that is harder than the surface being turned. Burnishing or boning is also done to woodwork other than turnings.
These are some bone folders that I have made. They are in the white but will get some color. I have also not buffed them to a high gloss, but that just takes a few minutes with my hand buffer. I have several bone burnishers that I use on a regular basis, these are a little fancier but still see service burnishing.
Another method of getting a smooth surface is to raise the grain. I do this on everything I make to insure that the raised grain will never happen again. I do this on all my turnings as well. I get it wet, raise all the grain and allow it to dry completely. I then smooth it again and burnish or bone.
A great deal of stuff was turned while green or at least air dried. Kiln dried wood is harder and more brittle than its air dried counterpart. Once wood is heated above 185 degrees, fatty acids in the lignin irreversibly harden making the wood hard and brittle. So green or air dried woods are much easier on tools than modern kiln dried woods.
Stephen
