Knowledge You Can Build On — Est. 1998
Why do we call it turning
John C Lucas
Potters call it throwing. Based on what i read here due to improper chuck usage which throws bowls we should also call it throwing. 
Or what about Wood Spinning. Maybe Wood Launching. Based on my wood pile we could call it wood cracking.
Because Woodchuck was taken
How about Pirouetting or Bodgering?
Re: How about Pirouetting or Bodgering?
John C Lucas
Ive always wondered what Bodgering means or where it came from. I did some research when i built my spring pole lathe but didnt get very far.
I was going to try and link the video some students made of me turning o. He spring pole lathe but just couldnt figure out how to do it from my phone. Im still in Atlanta. If your interested go to youtube a d tyoe in Appalachian Woodturner and it usually comes up on the first page.
Spinning
John K Jordan
"Spinning" is historically firmly entrenched in the animal and plant fiber world. Some people even spin bamboo fiber into yarn. I haven't heard of anyone spinning cherry or purpleheart.
Re: Why do we call it turning
Alan Zenreich
Turning is just one of the techniques done on a lathe.
Turning refers to a cut that reduces the diameter of a piece (parallel to the rotational axis)
Facing is a cut reduces the length of a piece (perpendicular to the rotational axis)
And of course, there is drilling, boring, and many other ways of removing material that may not have been named.
My wife calls it "latheing"
Ken Vaughan
Maybe she is on to the core of it because that is where it all begins. Who knows where or how the ends of the processes will happen.
Re: My wife calls it "latheing"
Gbalock
I guess that's why my wife calls me a lathe-y bastard. I think I heard it right?
Gyreting
Jorge Castaneda
Would be adecuate
Metal Spinning
Jorge Castaneda
Spinning is also used when making metal pots out of a flat sheet
Re: Why do we call it turning
ebd
My nephew's wife calles it whittling. She's from Texas and considers any cutting of wood whittling.
Very rapid whittling
Re: Metal Spinning
john lucas
I took up metal spinning before I moved. Hope to get back into it shortly.
whittled
John K Jordan
I once gave one of my magic wands to the director, the top dog of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, told him maybe he could use it on difficult government regulators or annoying press.
A couple of years later during an extremely rare visit to his office suite I noticed the wand displayed on a shelf and said "I see you still have the magic wand!" He said, "yes, some woodcarver whittled that for me."
Ha! It was somewhat satisfying that my turning was valued long after I was forgotten. :-)
JKJ
