BOWLS ON THE SPRING POLE LATHE

In this brief introduction, you’ll have an opportunity to learn one-on-one from the teacher and turn a prepared blank into a hollow shape that will be more or less of a bowl (results depend on what kind of skill and experience you bring to the process, which also requires a modicum of physical strength and stamina). At some point your mind, hands, and body all harmonize, resulting in an immensely satisfying, rhythmic, powerful dance: shavings fly off the cutting edge, and beautiful shapes flow from spinning wood.

The lathe goes back thousands of years, and was the first belt-driven machine. Ancient Egyptian wall paintings illustrate an early version in which one person pulled a strap wrapped around a wooden stick while another person cut the stick as it spun. The Viking model tied the strap to a treadle; the operator’s leg powered the cut on the downward stroke, while a bendy branch provided return power. Perhaps it all started with the ancient process of using hand- and bow-drills to make beads and fire?