One of My Biggest Regrets in Woodturning (And What It Taught Me)

When I first started woodturning, I thought I could figure everything out myself.

At the time I was already an apprentice carpenter, so I was comfortable working with wood and using tools. Because of that, I assumed woodturning would come naturally enough if I just spent enough time at the lathe.

Looking back now, I can see that I was a bit arrogant. I thought I knew more than I did.

The truth is that woodturning is its own discipline, and it took me far longer than it should have to realise just how much there was to learn.

In hindsight, one of my biggest regrets is that I didn’t take a proper woodturning lesson much earlier in my journey.

I have written before about why many woodturners give up early, and looking back, I can see how easily I could have gone the same way. Enthusiasm will get you started, but it will not always get you through the frustration, the catches, the ruined wood, and the feeling that everyone else seems to understand something you are missing.

A catch mark I had to repair on one of my early pieces. I didn’t fully understand tool control at the time, and it shows.

To make the point clearer, I am going to use three early pieces I made back in 1996 as examples. I will briefly explain what went wrong with each one, why it matters, and what I would do differently now.

Catch Mark Visible on This Piece Above

What went wrong: A catch caused a tear in the surface that had to be repaired (badly).

Why it matters: Poor tool control or presentation can quickly ruin a piece.

What I’d do now: Focus on controlled cuts, proper tool angles, and sharp edges before committing to the shape.

How I Got Started

I was first introduced to woodturning by a friend who showed me, very briefly, how the tools cut. That was enough to spark the interest, but not enough to give me any real foundation. I do not remember ever hearing the words bevel contact, or getting a proper explanation of what was actually happening where the tool met the wood.

His main advice was simple: “Get an auld fella to teach you.”

Looking back, he was probably right. I did not do that, however, and I paid for it in wasted time, ruined wood, frustration, and bad habits that took years to undo.

The pieces in the photos in this post are part of that story. They are not there because they are impressive. They are there because they remind me how much I was guessing in the early days.

What These Early Pieces Taught Me

Not every woodturner will admit to their early mistakes, but I have kept pieces like these for a reason.

They’re part of the learning process. I wasn’t always a competent woodturner, and I try not to forget that.

I use them as show and tell with students, especially when someone is struggling with a technique or starting to lose confidence. It helps to see that these problems are normal, and that most of them come down to a few fundamentals that can be corrected with the right approach.

We all start somewhere, and most of us make the same mistakes along the way.

Learning the Hard Way

Like many beginners, I learned mostly through trial and error.

I ruined plenty of pieces of wood, struggled with tool control, and spent hours wondering why things that looked simple when my friend did it but felt so awkward when I tried them myself.

Over time, I learned to recognise when a tool was cutting properly, but at first I was mostly trying to copy the feeling rather than understand it. If the cut worked once, I tried to repeat the same movement again and again.

What I did not understand properly was why the tool was cutting.

I did not fully understand bevel support, presentation angle, grain direction, edge contact, or what was really happening at the point where steel met wood. I was learning by result rather than by understanding.

That approach does work eventually, but it is a slow and frustrating way to learn.

Many of the mistakes I made early on are the same ones I now see beginners making today. Some of them are surprisingly common, which is something I touched on in my post 8 Things New Woodturners Forget When Setting Up Space for a Lathe.

Sometimes the tools would catch. Other times the finish wasn’t right. Often I simply didn’t understand why something worked one day and failed the next.

Those early years were valuable in their own way, but they were also slow and frustrating. A lot of mistakes that I eventually corrected could probably have been avoided with just a little guidance at the beginning.

The base of this piece tore badly when parting off. I hadn’t left enough waste wood, and at the time I was working between centres, which made clean separation much harder.

This Base Tore Out When Parting Off

What went wrong: The base tore badly when parting off. I hadn’t left enough waste wood and was working between centres, which made a clean cut much harder. Also using a blunt tool.

Why it matters: Without enough support, the fibres tear rather than cut cleanly, especially in end grain.

What I’d do now: Leave extra waste at the base and remove it later once the piece is properly secured and supported.

The Moment I Realised I Didn’t Know Everything

My first proper lesson was a real eye-opener.

Within a short space of time I was shown things that completely changed how I approached the lathe.

Small adjustments to tool presentation, body position and sharpening made an enormous difference.

Proper sharpening alone can completely change how tools behave at the lathe. I’ve covered this in more detail using a spindle roughing gouge as an example in my post Sharpening a Spindle Roughing Gouge.

It was one of those moments where you suddenly realise how much you didn’t know.

I remember thinking afterwards that I had probably wasted years trying to figure out things that an experienced turner could have explained to me in a few minutes.

That realisation was both humbling and motivating at the same time.

This early bowl cracked along the heartwood. At the time I didn’t understand that including the pith in a bowl like this almost guarantees movement and splitting.

This Bowl Cracked Along the Heartwood

What went wrong: The pith (centre of the tree) was left in the blank, and the bowl cracked as it dried.

Why it matters: The pith is unstable and almost always splits as the wood dries, especially in bowls.

What I’d do now: Cut either side of the pith and discard the centre before turning, so the blank can dry more evenly and remain stable. This piece was too small for a bowl.

Lessons Save More Than Time

One of the biggest misconceptions about lessons is that they’re an unnecessary expense.

In reality, a good lesson can save you far more than it costs.

When you learn the fundamentals properly, you avoid wasting timber, tools and time. Timber choice and preparation alone can make a huge difference, something I learned the hard way in my early days. I’ve written about that topic in more detail in my article Can You Really Dry Hardwood Fast? Here’s the Truth.

Safety is another area I was exposed to during that lesson, and one that beginners often underestimate. Woodturning tools, spinning timber and power tools demand respect, and understanding the risks early on is extremely important. I’ve written about this in more detail in my post From Dust to Disaster: Common Workshop Hazards and How to Prevent Them.

Woodturning might look simple when you watch someone experienced, but the small details of technique make all the difference.

Those details are much easier to learn when someone can stand beside you and show you what’s happening in real time.

Why I Teach Beginners Today

These days I teach beginners in my own workshop during my woodturning tuition sessions, where I try to give people the foundations that took me years to discover on my own.

People often arrive with enthusiasm and curiosity, but they’re not always sure where to begin, what tools to buy first, or whether they’re doing things correctly.

That is one of the reasons I also put together my guide to beginner woodturning tools, because buying tools without understanding how they are meant to cut can send you down the wrong road very quickly.

When someone leaves the workshop with a better understanding of tool control, safety and technique, I know they’ve avoided some of the mistakes I made when I started out.

Looking Back

If I could give my younger self one piece of advice, it would be simple.

Take a lesson earlier.

Not because woodturning is impossible to learn alone, but because a little guidance at the right moment can accelerate your progress enormously.

Getting the basics right from the start, from tool control to workshop setup, can make the entire learning process far more enjoyable. It’s something I often emphasise when speaking with beginners, and even something as simple as lathe speed can make a big difference, which I’ve covered in more detail in my post What Speed Should a Woodturning Lathe Run?

Who knows where my own woodturning journey might have taken me if I had taken that plunge sooner, and how much time and money I might have saved along the way.

But like many things in life, some lessons are only fully understood in hindsight.

Conclusion

If you’re new to woodturning and wondering whether lessons are worth it, my honest answer is yes.

A good lesson won’t just teach you how to use tools properly, it will give you confidence at the lathe and help you build good habits from the start.

Looking back now, it’s one of the things I wish I had done much earlier.

If you’re starting out or trying to improve, I’ve grouped more practical posts like this together in my Woodturning Guides & Articles section.

Thanks for Reading,

David

About the Author

I’m David Condon, a woodturner and small business owner based in Tralee, Co. Kerry. I’ve been working with wood for most of my life at this stage — 11 years as a carpenter and over a decade running my own woodturning business.

Over the years, I’ve learned that woodturning is as much about patience and problem-solving as it is about tools and technique. I work mainly with Irish hardwoods, teach woodturning full-time, and spend most days learning something new in the workshop myself. On this site, I share the same practical knowledge I pass on to my students, shaped by experience, mistakes, and time spent at the lathe. If you’re interested in learning in person, I offer woodturning lessons in Tralee, with details available on my Woodturning Tuition page.

© David Condon Woodcraft – All Rights Reserved.

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More Woodturning Pages to Explore​

● Hampshire Sheen - Fine Finishing products that will highlight your project pieces

● Hamlet Tools - Fantastic Woodturning Tools from a well trusted brand

● Woodcraft Hub - View my woodcraft creations for inspiration of gift buying.

● Sanding Essentials - Essential sanding products for Woodturners & Woodworkers.

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● Woodturning Pen Blanks - A huge assortment of Acrylic & Irish Hardwood Pen Blanks.

● Crafter's Haven – A vast range of craft supplies for crafters and gift givers!

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