Well before the industrial period brought us mechanized power lathes, a foot-powered lathe was an important tool for making round and hollow objects such as bowls, cups, plates, furniture, and farm tool parts. These wooden objects ranged from simple and easily replaceable to finely crafted, treasured works of art. Join bowl turner David Susag for a three-day introduction to the foot-powered spring pole lathe with an emphasis on creating Nordic-style bowls common from the Viking period through industrialization. Students will work through the process of preparing bowl blanks, hollowing, and shaping bowls while learning about the mechanics and designs of this simple but effective tool.
This class will be taught by Veseterheim Gold Medalist David Susag who grew up near Hawley, Minnesota, watching a Viking ship being built in an old potato warehouse, and it made him think about his Norwegian heritage. In 2000 he started taking folk art classes at Vesterheim in Decorah, Iowa. In 2014, he took his first class turning on the spring pole lathe. He has continued taking more pole lathe classes, including traveling to the UK in 2024 to improve his spring pole skills.
Scholarships including local standby option are available. Find information here.
