Why do some bowls feel balanced and others feel awkward? Why does one curve satisfy while another unsettles? These questions have occupied me for years, and they became the foundation of my book "Woodturning: Form and Formula."

Catches happen. Sometimes the kind where the wood stops spinning, and your heart doesn't. A moment of inattention, a lapse in technique, and suddenly the piece has a deep gouge across its surface..

There comes a point in every bowl turner's journey when the question arises: what's inside?

There's a question that haunts makers: when is a piece finished Not technically finished, sanded, sealed, polished. That's measurable. I mean the other kind of finished: when do you stop refining and accept that what you have is what it's going to be?

As spring turns to summer, the workshop calendar shifts. Longer days mean more turning time. Warmer temperatures make the workshop more comfortable. And the rhythm of the year offers natural pauses – holidays, garden time, outdoor life – that can paradoxically make workshop sessions feel more precious.

As winter gives way to spring, the woodworking calendar fills with opportunity. Shows, events, and the longer days that make workshop time more appealing.

Our new Bite-Size Workshop is a library of focused woodturning video lessons, hints and tips. No padding, no ads, no waffle, no hour-long rambles. Just the thing you need to know, properly explained, then you're done.

I've spent the last few months doing something I probably should have done years ago: stepping back and looking at how we do things around here. Not the turning itself (that bit I'm reasonably confident about) but everything that surrounds it. The website. The booking process. The little details that make the difference between a good day and a great one.

We’re pleased to welcome Henry Taylor Tools as a valued supporter of The Woodturning School. Their six new Hamlet bowl and spindle gouges are now part of our workshop, helping us continue to offer an exceptional learning experience for our students.