Turners association members have a way with wood

Wood turning is the art of shaping wood by spinning it in a lathe and shaving bits off.

While the process sounds simple, it's a painstaking craft capable of producing an amazing variety of creations, as evidenced by the Las Vegas Woodturners Association show on display during regular library hours through Jan. 8 in the gallery of the Whitney Library, 5175 E. Tropicana Ave.

Among the show's works are wood bowls, ornaments, a kaleidoscope, a model train and an object unique to the craft of turning called a trembler. A trembler (also spelled trembleur) is a tall, decorative piece made of larger turned elements interspersed with seemingly impossible-to-turn thin spindle sections. The entire piece is formed from one piece of wood.

"I've wanted to make one for quite some time. It's a way of demonstrating your skill," said Christian Brispierre, who created the trembler on exhibit at the show. "It's very challenging. You have to be careful about starting up and turning off the lathe, because the torque can break it."

Brispierre is one of the founding members of the Las Vegas Wood Turners Association and is also the owner of the Woodworkers Emporium, 5461 Arville St., where the group meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month. More information about the group is available at lasvegaswoodturners.com.

"We carry a lot of woodworking tools," Brispierre said, "The only wood we carry are some specialty woods for turning."

Woodworkers Emporium is scheduled to host an open house all day on Nov. 30 with food, door prizes and demonstrations. For more information, visit woodworkersemporium.com.

The lathe turns the wood at up to 2,000 rotations per minute, and wood-turners have multiple tools that they put into the spinning wood to carefully shave it into the shape they desire.

"It's a combination of physical activity and mental focus," said Robert Cranley, who has organized the show for the last six years. "When I'm in my shop, I don't think about anything else. The bills, my problems - they just go away."

Cranley, founding president of the association but not a current officer, admits that turning is not an inexpensive hobby to start with. Even a secondhand or small lathe costs $200 to $300. Large, professional lathes can be as much as $7,000. A decent workable lathe is usually closer to a $2,000 investment.

Beyond the lathe, there are a variety of cutting tools, tool rests and safety gear.

The process is painstaking. Cranley emphasizes safety first, always wearing a heavy apron and a face mask with an air filter to protect himself from flying bits of wood and the fine sawdust, some of which can be toxic.

"Other than the gear, there are two important things to remember for safety," Cranley said. "Always keep your hand in back of your tool rest, and never spin faster than you're comfortable with."

Cranley is usually turning around 1,200 rotations per minute, but he will crank it up to the higher ranges for more complex pieces. The high speeds allow for smoother cuts and are also used when cutting over gaps in the wood - when cutting concentric circles on a square object, for instance.

Most wood-turning objects start out with two ends of the wood attached to the lathe, but for more complex pieces, such as shaping the inside of a bowl or vase, the piece is held in place by only one end attached with a complicated clamping device called a chuck.

"It takes a lot of practice to master the craft," Cranley said. "The old saying is that you break a lot of pieces before you get it done."

To illustrate that, Cranley pulled a half-done bowl out of his collection.

"I got this while I was taking a class with probably the world's premier turner, David Ellsworth," Cranley said. "He's just a magician with tools. While he was turning the bowl, he got what we call a 'catch,' and the bowl broke, and it came off the lathe. He said, 'That happens,' and started another one."

Cranley asked if he could keep the piece to remind him that even the best turners still can have problems.

Contact Sunrise/Whitney View reporter F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 702-380-4532.