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History of woodturning   At the beginning of the 20th century, the lathe was perhaps the last thing to be considered a tool for creating a bold new art form. Modern art was defined by experiments in painting and sculpture, not utility. Lathe work concerned woodworking and craft—worlds away from new art movements such as abstract expressionism and conceptualism. At the same time, the Arts & Crafts Movement had created a romantic and idealistic view of the craftsperson, in opposition to the “soulless” machine production of the Industrial Revolution. The lathe was a machine closely tied to industry and showed no promise as a means of self-expression. Despite these challenges, artistic woodturning grew organically out of the woodworking traditions and...

About burls Some of the most beautiful wood grain and patterning is found in what can best be described as a wart on the tree. There's no getting around the fact that burls (or burrs, as they are called in other parts of the world) look kind of nasty.I haven't seen a convincing explanation of exactly why burls form, but some suggest it's a tree's response to beetle damage, others say it's triggered by a fungus. Setting aside what the cause may be, the product is a bump on the tree trunk which may grow to be far larger than the diameter of the tree hosting it.Externally, it just looks like a big ugly bump.But open it up and look...