How much do you plan your work ?

[Graham]

Being as new to turning as I am I have to plan out what I am trying to make, maybe have a picture of something similar to plot the curves, work out what chuck holds I will need and where ( and sometimes when ). If things go wrong ( as they always do ) I have to stop and rethink it all.
I am wondering if the pros and more experienced hobbyists plan as well or are you like sculptors that just let the hidden content out ?

[bodrighywood]

Both. If I am commissioned to make something then planning and measurements are essential. When I am making more 'artistic' things or pieces for general sale then apart from having a rough idea to start with I let it evolve.

Pete

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

As the comments that Pete has made. Have a look at the Font on my website, chucking that took an awful lot of thought. The top support for the bowl was a nightmare to work out because of the weight  and the joints I wanted to use. It looks straight forward now but at the time...........

[Bryan Milham]

Something else you need to consider. For repetitive turning (several of the same item - matching candlesticks etc) you need a storyboard with all the transition points etc marked out on it.

I'd also add that copying the design of another turner from a picture/magazine article etc., is a great way to perfect tool control. Just 'letting it happen' means you get what the tools give you and you'll progress more slowly on your turning journey.

[Les Symonds]

Just 'letting it happen' means you get what the tools give you and you'll progress more slowly on your turning journey.

....that's an extremely pertinent fact about learning to turn. I recall Bryan (dr4g0nfly) saying something similar a year-or-so ago and it took quite a while for the reality to sink in, but he's so right to say that. It's all too easy to ge with the flow of the way in which the tool dictates the form. Far better that you 'read' the wood and your predetermined plan and cause the tool to give you what you planned for it.
Les

[Graham]

BHT, the font is a beautiful bit of work, I can only imagine the amount of planning that took.
'Letting it happen' was a bit tongue in cheek, I do not believe anyone actually does that unless they are after an artistic pile of shavings but it must get to the stage where you can look at something, or get a picture in your mind, and just make it without having to give any thought to 'how' you will do it.

[Les Symonds]

....'Letting it happen' was a bit tongue in cheek, I do not believe anyone actually does that...

Hi Graham....this is precisely the approach that we see from absolute first time turners who proudly post their first piece of work on the forum gallery. I know for a fact that it happened to me and we see it from time to time with others. A lack of understanding of the tools and the way in which they can be used in experienced hands, tends to result in quite awkward shapes that don't 'flow'. Square sided bowls are a classic example of this. Thankfully, there's lots of patient guidance on this forum to help the newbie out.

Anyway....getting back to the main point. My design process works in two ways. firstly I get inspiration from something that I see, then I mull it over in  my mind for days on end, sometimes weeks ore months. I find that the shape evolves in my mind, as does the process of turning it, and by the time that I mount the wood onto the lathe, I've got a pretty good idea of how it's going to turn out. There may be slight variations dictated by the piece of timber itself, especially by some beautiful feature of the grain that would be reduced to shavings on the floor unless the plan is adapted to accommodate it.

Les

p.s. ... incidentally, there was an excellent thread on this subject several months back, initiated by Mark Sanger. If you go the General Discussion area of the forum, then open page 10, you'll see it listed.....hopefully this link will take you there.. http://www.awgb.co.uk/awgbforum/index.php/topic,1795.0.html

[bodrighywood]

That thread is really useful and informative and well worth continuing I think. Personally I believe that planning isn't just sitting down and thinking it through, it is something that is done through out lives as we see, hear and experience things. I spent a lot of time out east and saw crafts people and artists making things that were amazing using very basic tools and also fell in love with oriental and eastern design. I find both influence my turning a lot e.g. keeping shapes simple, using basic tools and being prepared to adapt as I go along with the arty stuff. Obviously none of this applies when you have say a commission for16 table legs of a fixed size as I had recently  . Most important I think is to try and keep your mind open when both planning and turning as you are working with a natural medium that can surprise you. Recently turning some bone dry lime and right in the middle were splits, not visible from the outside. I was going to turn a pair of goblets but had to change my mind to adapt.

Pete