“ Sometimes the inspiration is in the piece of wood you ’ re turning . You let the wood go where it wants to go .”
you take the wood to the spinning blade . In turning , you take the blade to the spinning wood .”
“ In turning there are different chisels for different purposes ,” he explained . “ Face turning is a process used for bowls and plates when the grain of the wood runs perpendicular to the bed of the lathe . Spindle turning is used for objects like goblets and stair rail balusters .
“ A craftsman has to have some artist in him to create . And the artist has to have some skill and craftsmanship .”
For this one the grain of the wood runs parallel to the lathe .”
The turner must be careful to use the right tools for the method of turning he or she has chosen . “ Otherwise things can become hazardous ,” he said . “ When the tool is not presented to the wood correctly it can create what we call a catch . The tool just digs in , and something ’ s gonna give . Usually it ’ ll just create a big gash in the wood which you then have to remove , but sometimes the consequences can be more serious .
“ Once I was turning a platter and was almost completely finished . My chisel wasn ’ t cutting the way I wanted it to , and I thought it was getting dull . I brought the chisel up and I started looking for the one I want to replace it with . I turned around to look across the shop , and when I turned , the edge of the chisel hit the edge of the platter and took a big six-inch chunk out of the side . I was lucky – there were no casualties except for the platter !”
Tolar said that one of his greatest sources of inspiration is other turners . “ I like to look at what somebody else has done and try to put my own spin on it . I also like looking at classical vessel shapes to get ideas and to see if I can put those into a wooden form . The art of Indigenous peoples is another source of inspiration .”
When starting a piece , he studies how the grain runs through the slab or block of wood , looking for swirls , knots , voids , inclusions , burls , or spalting ( wood coloration caused by fungi ) that might add character to the finished project . “ Sometimes the inspiration is in the piece of wood you ’ re turning ,” he said . “ You let the wood go where it wants to go .”
Each turner has their own favorite species of wood , Tolar said . “ Some of mine are pecan , walnut , magnolia , and any spalted wood . I like wood with unique features or a strong contrast between the sap wood and the heart wood . I also think cam-
32 MoultrieScene JANUARY 2023