1.  What’s the first project you recommend for brand-new turners—and why? A small bowl, because it gives you a chance to explore design and proportion as well as the basics of woodturning. And a bowl is practical.

2. What are the most common mistakes beginners make at the lathe, and how do you fix them? Not holding the tool at the proper angle, so its cutting edge slices into the wood. You fix that by twiddling the angle of the tool until it leaves a smooth surface on the wood.

3. If I can only buy three turning tools to start, which should they be? A 1/2 inch bowl gouge, a 1/2 inch spindle gouge, and a parting tool. If you can spring for two more, get a spindle roughing gouge and a curved-end scraper. And if you still have a couple of bucks left in the kitty, buy a slow-speed grinder and a Oneway Wolverine sharpening system, to keep the tools sharp.

4. What wood species are most forgiving for learning, and which should beginners avoid? In my experience, soft maple and mahogany are very forgiving and can be finished beautifully. Woods to avoid are very soft species—like pine or basswood—as well as exotic tropical hardwoods like rosewood or ebony, which are hard in every sense of the word.

5. How do you choose the right speed for different blanks and tools? There’s no one correct speed for every woodturning situation. The rule of thumb for bowl-making is 100 rpm for every inch of diameter, plus 100. BUT, if the wood is green, or heavy or very out-of-round, start the lathe at a slow speed and gradually increase the speed just until the lathe begins to rock.  Once you’ve made the piece round, you can turn up the speed. When turning spindles, like chair legs or candlesticks, you can run the lathe faster—to 1200 rpm or more. BUT, before you go all supersonic, be very sure the wood is firmly anchored to the lathe at both ends. If you’re making a wood-bodied pen, you can go hypersonic; pen-turners run the lathe at 2000 rpm or even faster. Whee!