Author: Stephen Hackett

Individually Turned & Handcrafted Wooden Hearts for Mary Stevens Hospice

The Black Country Woodturners have proudly responded to a request from Mary Stevens Hospice to create some individually turned & handcrafted wooden hearts for inclusion in the welcome bags given to new in-patients at the hospice.

These welcome bags provide patients with a range of useful and comforting items to support them during their stay. The wooden hearts have been specially made to offer comfort and reassurance, giving patients something tactile to hold, gently feel and rub during treatment and moments of anxiety.

On 6 May 2026, we were delighted to present more than 100 handcrafted hearts, all produced by members of our club, with many more still to come. This project reflects the generosity, care, and community spirit of our members, and we hope these small tokens will bring comfort to those receiving care and their families at the hospice.

Those present from the club were the following Black Country Woodturners committee members.
Steve Hackett, Ian Brown, Andy Dore, Brian Smith & Barrie Fisher
On behalf of Mary Stevens Hospice,
Ruth Radley (Spiritual Care Lead), Lee Taylor (Communications), Epi Wasi(Nurse)

Mary Stevens Hospice is our recognised charity, and we have been fundraising for it for many years. We also support the hospice by providing demonstrations and supporting their events throughout the year.

Mary Stevens Hospice Facebook Post.

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Demo Report – April 2026 – Steve Kearvell

Our demonstrator for the evening was Steve Kearvell, visiting us for the first time from King’s Lynn. In addition to his demonstration, Steve brought along a selection of sanding and finishing materials, which proved especially helpful for members who may find it difficult to source these supplies themselves.
During the demo, Steve turned a sycamore bowl measuring approximately 10 inches in diameter and 2.5 inches deep. The finished piece featured an attractive metal leaf decoration applied to the rim.

To begin, the blank had a hole drilled into its base, allowing it to be securely mounted on the lathe using a screw chuck. The lathe was then operated at speeds ranging between 800 and 1200 rpm throughout the turning process.
Using a bowl gouge, the rim was initially trued to form a clean, round shape. A draw cut was then used to create a flat surface. A 54 mm mortice, approximately 5 mm deep, was cut to allow mounting on the chuck once the main body shape had been completed. Within the mortice, a domed detail was formed, and a dovetail profile was cut using a skew chisel to ensure a secure fit. The external form of the bowl was then shaped into an ogee profile, using a combination of push and pull cuts. Once the desired shape was achieved, the surface was sanded progressively through grits ranging from 120 to 400 to achieve a smooth finish.

A sanding sealer/thinner, mixed at a 60/40 ratio, was applied to the wood. Once dry, it was burnished back using the shavings produced during turning, and this process was repeated to build up a smooth surface. A gloss wax was then applied to the underside of the bowl and polished, with the application repeated to enhance the finish.

At the halfway stage of the evening, Steve paused to answer several questions that had been raised during the demonstration.

The blank was then reversed onto the chuck so that the front face could be worked during the second part of the evening. The face was trued to a flat surface, after which a bead was formed around the inner edge of the bowl opening. The surrounding rim was left approximately 5–6 mm lower than the bead, creating a defined step. The rim was then sanded using progressively finer grits, and a sanding sealer was applied at this stage.

Once dry, a layer of size was applied to the wider area of the rim and allowed to become tacky. Metal leaf was then carefully laid over this area. When the surface was fully covered, a soft brush was used to remove excess leaf and smooth it down to achieve an even finish. The piece should then be left to dry for approximately 24 hours before proceeding. A spray varnish was applied over the metal leaf to seal it, as the size does not fully harden on its own. Drying was then accelerated using a heat gun. The bead was then painted with black gesso while the lathe was running, ensuring the paint was worked down to the base of the bead.

This was left to dry before proceeding to hollow the bowl.
Once the waste material had been removed and the internal shape completed, the same finishing process was applied as before, using progressively finer grits, followed by sanding sealer and a wax finish.

The bowl was now complete, and Steve kindly donated the piece to help raise funds for Mary Stevens Hospice. Thanks were extended to all those who assisted with setting up and taking down the equipment for the evening. Appreciation was also given to Steve Hackett and Sam Paskin for managing the audio and video equipment, and to Mike for organising and running the raffle.

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Mary Stevens Hospice Easter Coffee Morning

The club was once again invited to the Mary Stevens Hospice Easter Coffee Morning, where we showcased our members’ sales display and our charity table in support of the Hospice.

The morning saw a steady flow of visitors, alongside a range of other stalls also raising funds for the Hospice.

We were pleased to be joined again by Ian’s wife, Kim, who brought her hand-crafted cards and took orders for special occasions throughout the year.

Several members attended, actively engaging with visitors and supporting the stand. Our thanks go to Ian and Kim for setting up on the Friday evening, enabling members to focus on preparing the display and sales on arrival.

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Demo Report – March 2026 – Rob Hackett

For our evening’s entertainment, we enjoyed a demonstration from our very own member, Robert Hackett.

Rob demonstrated how to make two different wands, using only skew chisels throughout. The first was an 8” very thin wand, followed by a 16” off-centre wand, both turned from cherry. These are excellent projects for developing skew skills.

He began with an explanation of the wood choice, the type of skew he prefers, and his main skews are round bar, and all have a flat cutting edge, ground at 90° to the shaft.

Rob started with an explanation of how to turn the wood whilst supporting the wood blank with his hand.

The first project was a very thin, straight wand. Rob began with the blank mounted between centres, roughing it to round using only a skew chisel. He worked with the thin end facing the headstock, maintaining excellent control throughout.

The handle was shaped first, with decorative details added while the blank was still thick enough to remain stable. This area was then sanded before moving on, ensuring there was no risk of whipping between centres. Rob then worked progressively down the shaft towards the tip, using a controlled planing cut with the skew. As the wand becomes finer, care is essential—the thinner the wood, the more flexible it becomes. Once the wand reaches its final delicate thickness, the lathe must be kept running. Stopping and restarting at this stage can introduce sudden torque, which may cause the wand to snap.

After sanding, the chosen finish can be applied, typically Tung oil, linseed oil, or a polyurethane finish, depending on the desired look and level of durability.

For the second wand, Rob used three different skews and worked at a speed of around 1600 rpm.

One end of the blank had previously been shaped down on a bandsaw so it could be mounted securely in the chuck—this reduced section being about half the length of the blank. As before, shaping began with the handle positioned at the tailstock end.

Due to the increased length, Rob used his hand as a steady while turning, helping to maintain control of the skew and minimise vibration along the wand.

For the off-centre work, the end nearest the tailstock was offset by approximately 5mm from the centre to begin shaping. Sanding was carried out at each stage as sections were completed, after which the blank was returned to its true centre position to continue forming the next part of the handle. These steps were repeated several times along the length.

As the wand progressed, it was moved further out of the chuck to allow continued shaping, repeating the same process as the piece became longer and thinner. This created a series of flowing coves along the wand. When less material remained held in the chuck, a wedge was introduced to maintain the off-centre effect as the diameter reduced.

Much of the process is deliberately repetitive, making it an excellent exercise for developing skew control. The offsets become progressively smaller towards the tip, requiring increasing precision as the work advances.

Thanks to everyone who helped set up and pack away at the end of the evening, and to those who looked after the audio and video systems.

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Woodturning glossary of terms.

Thank you to Mia from kidscause.org for suggesting creating this glossary.

Woodturning glossary of terms.

Abrasive cloth – Cloth abrasive is much better than the paper-backed product for woodturning because it is more flexible, longer lasting, and it prevents sharp corners on the wood from cutting through into your fingers. There are many different makes and qualities available – some with special coatings to prevent clogging. The best is “resin reinforced” which means that a coat of resin is applied which keeps the little particles of grit in place even during heavy cutting.

Alternative ivory/horn/amber etc. – A plastic material made to look like ivory etc which is suitable for many turned items.

Aluminium oxide abrasive – A man-made abrasive produced by fusing bauxilite (which is made from bauxite) in an electric furnace. Used for grinding wheels, abrasive cloth etc. Common colours for aluminium oxide grinding wheels are grey (the cheap wheels on imported grinders), white (the pure form which is very friable and cuts cool) and pink (better for woodturners – see pink wheels).

Arbour – A special shaft or mandrel used for holding drill chucks or grinding wheels etc. Morse taper arbours are used to fit drill chucks etc into the Morse taper sockets in the lathe head or tailstock.

Bast – The inner bark. The carbohydrates, formed in the leaves by photosynthesis, flow down through the cells in the bark to feed the life processes of the tree.

Backsteady – A means of supporting a long thin spindle to help to stop it flexing in the centre.

Banjo – The part on the lathe which slides along the bed and supports the T rest.

Bead – A rounded raised portion running around a spindle turning.

Beading tool – A small chisel (often square in section) used to form a bead.

Bed of lathe – The horizontal part of the lathe which connects the headstock and tailstock

Bevel – The part of the tool which is ground to form the cutting edge.

Bedan – A turning chisel with a special wedge-like section. Handy for cutting beads and for hollowing boxes and for use with the sizing tool

Between centres – Work held between the headstock and tailstock. It is driven around by the drive centre and supported by the tailstock centre, which serves as a bearing. The maximum distance between centres appears in the lathe specifications.

Birdseye – Numerous small areas on the surface of the wood in which the fibres are distorted so as to produce elliptical forms somewhat similar to bird’s eyes. Found in maple and sycamore, rare in other species.

Blank – The blank is the form the piece of wood takes when it has been prepared for turning. Typically this will be a round disc for a bowl or a similar face turning, or a relatively slender ‘square’ sectioned piece for turning between centres.

Bocote – Mexican rosewood. Dark brown with yellowish stripes. Goes very dark eventually.

Bodger – A chair maker using primitive equipment to turn chair spindles – a pole lathe turner.

Boring – Drilling a hole

Bowl Rest – Special rest which reaches into the bowl to reduce tool overhang.

Bowl gouge – A gouge with a deep flute and a heavy cross-section. Its primary function is for face turning, but it can also be used for spindle turning. It is most commonly ground with a 40°- 60° bevel angle.

Built-up work – A workpiece which is made by glueing together two or more pieces of wood.

Burnishing – Polishing by friction. In woodturning this is usually carried out by holding a handful of shavings against the revolving workpiece. The shavings should come from the work being burnished.

Burl – A large wart-like growth, with twigs sprouting from it, found on the trunk of a tree. Internally, the wood tissue is very confused and usually contains numerous dormant bud formations. The wood cut from a burr usually shows very attractive figure and is very highly prized by turners.

Burr – A fine upstanding strip of metal left on the edge of a tool after grinding or the use of a ticketer. (It is sometimes called a wire edge.) This can be honed off, but many turners make use of the burr on a scraper to produce a very fine finishing cut.

Callipers – A measuring tool consisting of two curved arms connected at one end by a hinged type joint. In their simplest, traditional form they can be used for both inside and outside measurements. In their modern form the hinge is sprung, and the arms are connected midway by an adjustable screw. In this form inside and outside callipers are separate devices.

Cambium layer – A thin layer of specialised cells which lies between the inner bark and the sapwood. It is here that the growth of the tree takes place. New sapwood cells are formed on the inner side of the cambium, and new bark is formed on its outer side.

Centres – The parts are in immediate contact with the workpiece when it is held in the lathe by both ends. Hence the expression ‘turning between centres’. See also: cone centre, dead centre, drive centre, live centre and ring centre

Centrifugal force – The force with which a body revolving around a centre tends to fly away from that centre. The force which causes pieces to fly off when work is revolving on a lathe.

Chisel – A woodturning tool with either a square or a rectangular cross-section which is ground with a double bevel. See also skew chisel and square nose chisel.

Chuck – A device which holds the workpiece on the lathe. A chuck can take many different forms. See, for example, cup chuck, precision combination chuck, screw chuck, and scroll chuck.

Collets – The movable metal parts in a chuck which grip the tool or the workpiece.

Cone centre – A live or dead centre with a cone-shaped point in the tailstock used to support the workpiece. See also centres

Cove – A semicircular hollow running round a spindle turning.

Copy turning – Making identical replicas of chair spindles etc.

Crotch wood – Wood which lies immediately below the fork of a tree. When this wood is sawn lengthways (ie parallel to the pith) it can produce exceptionally beautiful, fan-shaped figure. Because of its beauty, crotch figure is greatly prized.

Cup chuck – A chuck with a deep recess into which a spigot on the workpiece can be driven.

Cup shake – A split formed by the separation of the wood fibres around a growth ring.

Danish Oil – A mixture of Tung oil – possibly other oils plus solvents and drying agents. My favourite finish. It looks good years after it is applied unlike many other finishes.

Dead Centre – This fits in the tailstock barrel. It supports the wood and acts as a bearing. It does not rotate with the wood as a “live” centre does. As it is fixed and does not rotate, lubrication is required to prevent burning. They are given away free with most lathes.

Devil Stone – A hard block of abrasive used to dress grindstones.

Diamond section parting tool – Has clearance at top and bottom the full length of the blade.

Dig-in. A catch – Caused by instability in the cut with the tool getting out of control. Generally spoils the work during the final cut!

Dog chuck – A kind of drive centre with projections which prevent the workpiece from slipping.

Domed Scraper – One of the shapes in the original Peter Child bowl set.

Double ended spindle – A spindle with two usable ends – usually with an additional left-handed spindle thread at the left of the headstock which is used for bowl turning. The diameter of the bowl is not restricted by the bed.

Dovetail jaws – Most chucks for woodturning use these. They lock onto the wood (which has to be shaped to fit the jaws) in a similar fashion to a dovetail joint.

Dovetail recess – A recess with an undercut edge cut in a workpiece to accept the jaws of a chuck.

Drawbar – Retains something in the taper socket by means of a threaded rod which goes through the hole in the spindle.

Drill chuck – Holds engineers’ twist drills, sawtooth bits, etc for drilling holes. Generally fits into the Morse taper socket in the head or tailstock.

Drill jig – A device which guides the drill and provides precise location of a pattern of holes.

Drive centre, Drive spur, 2-prong centre, 4-prong centre – These support the wood at the spindle end. It has a point to centre the work and blades which drive the work around.

End check – A split on the end of a board.

End grain turning – Turning in the end of a workpiece, which has the grain running parallel with the axis of the lathe, the other end of which is held by a screw, or other type of chuck.

Exotic timber – Imported timber of a type not indigenous to Britain.

Faceplate ring – A faceplate with a hole in the centre designed to mount on the jaws of an expanding chuck instead of screwing directly to the lathe spindle. Made by the chuck manufacturers to fit each make of chuck

Faceplate – Circular plate held on the headstock spindle to which the workpiece is attached by screws.

Face turning – Turning workpiece held on a faceplate, or a chuck when the grain of the wood runs at right angles to the axis of the lathe.

Fiddleback – Figure which is produced by wavy grain when quarter sawn. It appears as a rippled effect on the surface, eg ripple maple/sycamore. The term has come into use because such wood with this figure has traditionally been used for the backs of violins.

Figure – The pattern on the surface of the wood caused by the combination of such features as grain, growth rings, rays, tissue structure, colour, knots, burr, and, sometimes, defects.

Filler – Used to fill the grain when a smooth finish is required. It is applied after the primary sanding operation. The work may be sanded again after the application of the filler and before the final polishing.

Filling – The application of filler.

Fingernail – The shape of the ground end of a spindle gouge.

Finishing – The final treatment of the work after the tool-work has been complete, eg sanding, filling and polishing.

Flitch – A section of timber cut lengthwise from the trunk of the tree,

Fluted parting tool – A tool with a wedge-shaped section which has a flute on the wider of the two edges.

Forstner bit – Forstner bits are similar to sawtooth bits, but they are guided by their rims and do not have a centre point. As a consequence, they cut flat-bottomed holes which can overlap each other or the edge of a board. They do not cut as well as a sawtooth bit in end grain.

Four jaw chuck – A self-centring chuck similar to the engineering type but with four jaws instead of three. These chucks are often known as scroll chucks because of the internal spiral grooves which move the jaws.

Glue Gun – Dispenses hot melt adhesive through a nozzle. Essential kit for all woodturners.

Gouge – A cutting tool with a ‘U’ shaped cross-section used with the bevel rubbing. There are three main types: the roughing gouge, the spindle gouge and the bowl gouge. For the latter two of these, some turners prefer the terms shallow fluted gouge and deep fluted gouge respectively. The reason for this is that bowl gouges can be used for spindle turning and spindle gouges can be used on face work.

Green timber – Freshly cut wood with a very high moisture content.

Green turning – Now has three meanings. 

(a) The two-stage process of turning green wood roughly to shape before drying (seasoning) and final shaping/finishing. 

(b) Turning green wood to a finished shape. 

(c) Using waste timber to respect and conserve the environment.

Grain – The alignment of the cells relative to the long axis of the tree: straight, diagonal, interlocked and wavy grain.

Growth rings – Each of these rings is the result of one year’s growth. The rings are often easy to distinguish because the wood produced in the later part of the year is darker than that produced when the sap is rising.

Headstock – The assembly fixed on the left-hand end of the bed of the lathe which provides the drive for the workpiece.

Heart shake – A split running radially away from the pith.

Heartwood – The fully developed wood which surrounds the pith. It is often darker in colour and harder than the sapwood which surrounds it. The cells in the heartwood are dead and have ceased to transport sap.

High speed steel (H.S.S.) – High speed steel; this is about 6 times harder than carbon steel. HSS tools should be ground on a ‘white’ (aluminium oxide grinding wheel).

Hone – To sharpen a tool by hand on a stone.

Honeycomb – An interior split, or group of splits, in a block of wood – usually only found in larger sections. Probably due to over-quick drying. Unfortunately, often not discovered until work is in progress.

Inboard turning – Face turning which is carried out over the bed of the lathe, ie on the right-hand of the headstock.

Index plate – A plate used to lock the drive-shaft into a series of pre-set regular positions. The plate is sometimes built into the lathe and sometimes is a separate attachment used for specific jobs.

Jacob’s chuck – Originally a proprietary name for a type of drill chuck which can also be held in the headstock or tailstock of a lathe. It can be used to hold a small workpiece instead of a drill.

Kiln-dried – See seasoning

Lace bobbin drive – A drive centre with a recess in the outer end to accept a lace bobbin blank.

Laminated work – A workpiece constructed from glued-up blocks. It should be allowed to dry thoroughly after glueing and then turned with sharp tools at a slow speed because centrifugal force can cause the pieces to separate.

Live centre – A centre in the tailstock which revolves with the work. See also centres

Mandrel – A means of holding a workpiece (or workpieces) by use of a rod of wood or metal running through a central hole, as for toy wheels and napkin rings.

MDF – Medium density fibre board – a man-made material used as an alternative to wood.

Medullary rays – Bundles of cells which run radially between the pith and the cambium layer. They are much more easily seen in some woods, such as oak woods, than in others. The tree uses these cells to store nutrients.

Moisture content – The weight of the water in a sample of wood expressed as a percentage of the weight of that sample when it is completely dry. Often abbreviated to the M.C. of wood.

Moisture meter – An electrical instrument for determining the moisture content (MC) of wood. There are two types of meter. One type measures the electrical resistance of the wood, the other measures the dielectric property of the wood.

Morse taper – A standard taper on a drill chuck or lathe drive centre which enables the device to be removed from or attached to the relevant machine quickly and easily. Abbreviated to M.T.

Natural edge – The lip of a bowl or a goblet which shows the outside of the tree – often with the bark in place.

Ogee – An elongated ‘S’ shaped curve.

Outboard turning – Face turning which is carried out on an extension of the drive-shaft on the left-hand side of the headstock, i.e. the opposite side to the bed. Relative to the turner, the workpiece will revolve in the opposite direction as compared with turning over the bed; as a consequence, the drive spindle and attachments, such as a faceplate, require reverse threads.

Parting tool – For parting off, ie cutting off the waste, or dividing the workpiece into sections.

Pin chuck – A chuck with a wooden or, more usually, a metal pin which is jammed into a hole drilled in the workpiece.

Pith – The narrow channel in the innermost part of the tree, its trunk, each branch and twig,

Precision Combination Chuck – A popular proprietary chuck with attachments which can perform many of the functions performed by the chucks listed here. It works on the basis of expanding or contracting collets. Nowadays, scroll chucks are preferred.

Pummel – A section of the workpiece in spindle turning which is left square, eg when turning legs for chairs or tables.

Ring centre – A live or a dead centre in the tailstock which has a small point set in the middle of a ring. The point locates the centre whilst the ring bears on the surface of the workpiece, thus limiting the penetration of the wood. This helps to prevent splitting and is particularly useful for built-up or split turnings. See also centres

Roughing out gouge (or roughing gouge) – Used in spindle turning for reducing square stock to round section. It has a semicircular section and is ground square across. The bevel angle should be around 35° to 45°. A roughing gouge is for spindle work and should not be used for face turning, e.g. on bowls.

Ripple – Figure found in wood which has wavy grain, eg ripple sycamore. See also fiddleback.

Rough turning – There are two possible meanings for this expression.

• The reduction of a square piece of timber to a round section. This is done with a roughing gouge.

• The preliminary work on turning a bowl. A beginner should never use a roughing gouge for this.

Sapwood – This surrounds the heartwood. It transports the sap from the roots to the leaves.

Saw cuts – When a log is converted to boards, it may be cut in a number of ways. The three terms most commonly encountered are:

• Back sawn. The log is converted in such a way as to provide the maximum number of cuts tangential to the growth rings.

• Quarter sawn wood is usually more stable, i.e. less prone to warping, shrinking and splitting, than that produced by other cuts. Often, it also has a more attractive figure because of the oblique way in which the medullary rays are cut, particularly in oak, sapele, London plane (lacewood), and sycamore (fiddleback).

When back sawn When quarter sawn the log is converted in such a way as to provide the maximum number of cuts radial to the centre of the log. Through and through (often abbreviated to T & T or T/T) refers to boards produced by simply sawing through the log in a series of parallel slices. A log sawn this way will produce some back sawn boards, some quarter sawn boards, and some in between.

Sawtooth machine bit – A special type of bit only used for drilling wood. It makes a hole with a flat bottom except for a small centre mark. Sawtooth bits will cut end grain and cross grain.

Screw chuck – A chuck with a single screw fixed in the centre to which the workpiece can be attached.

Scroll chuck – A four-jaw chuck, now very popular amongst woodturners. So named because the teeth on the underside of the jaws engage in a raised spiral (i.e. scroll) on the back-plate. Movement of the back-plate causes the jaws to move in or out in unison.

Sealing – The first step in the finishing process. A sealer is applied to the bare wood to act as a barrier to the ingress of moisture and dirt. It also serves as a grain filler and as a base for further finishing coats.

Seasoning – Drying green wood to a serviceable level.

• Air dried: dried by exposure to the air without the use of artificial heat.

• Kiln dried: dried in a kiln (or oven) with the aid of artificial heat.

Shell augur bit – Used for drilling long holes on the lathes, eg in electric lamp stands.

Skew chisel – A chisel on which the cutting edge is not square to the sides of the tool.

Spalted wood – Wood which is in the first stages of fungal decay, ie rot. Very often it is made manifest by irregular dark, or black, lines which run through the material. It is most common in beech but is found in many other hardwoods. The fungi require damp conditions in which to grow; when the wood is dried (below about 20% MC) the fungi die, and the process ceases.

Spigot – A parallel projection on the end of a workpiece which is made to fit into a recess of some kind, eg a socket in a chair seat or in a spigot chuck.

Spindle gouge – Used for shaping spindle work, eg for turning beads and coves. It has a cross section with a shallow arc; so is sometimes referred to as a shallow fluted gouge. The cutting edge is usually ground to a finger nail shape with a 30° – 40° bevel angle.

Split / Shake / Check – A longitudinal fissure in the wood. Terminology may vary from place to place but there can be said to be two types of split: namely, shakes and checks. Shakes can occur in three main ways:

• in the living tree, possibly due to wind stress;

• at the time of felling, due to impact; and

• shrinkage in the log before conversion.

Checks occur after conversion of the log and are due to shrinkage whilst the material is drying. See also: cup shake, heart shake, star shake, end check, surface check, through check and honeycomb.

Split turning – A technique used where two identical semicircular items are required. One method is to make a complete turning from solid stock and then saw the piece in half. A better way is to glue two pieces of stock together with a leaf of paper in the joint and then make the turning. When the turning is complete, the paper allows the pieces to be separated.

Square (wood) – A sawn piece of timber which is roughly square in section and ready to be used in spindle turning.

Square nose chisel – A chisel on which the cutting edge is square to the sides.

Star shake – A group of splits running away from the pith in the form of a star.

Surface check – A split on the surface of the wood.

Tailstock – The movable assembly to the right of the headstock which slides along the bed.

Tang – The tapered end of a woodturning tool which fits into the handle.

Through check – A split which extends through a board from one surface to the other.

Ticketer – A round piece of metal used to form a burr.

Toolrest (or T rest) – An adjustable part of the lathe (usually a ‘T’ shape) that fits into the banjo and supports the turning tool whilst work is in progress.

Waney edge – A natural edge left by the outside of the tree on a sawn board.