Woodturning Design (Mike Darlow's Woodturning Series, Number 4)

My wife can take three rocks and put them in the yard, and they look great! There's something intangible but satisfying about the way she orients and places them. I do the same thing with the same rocks and it's just a pile of rubble. I ask my wife, "How do you do that?" And she says "it's just a sense of proportions.. aesthetics... i really don't know.. I just do it"If you're a woodturner, and I strive to be one, you may have struggled with the same thing for your turnings. Some turners make things that arrest you. You feel compelled to stop and look, and stare; there's something satisfying about that thing and you don't know what it is. You want to make things that people stop and stare at (and not because they're so bad either.) You can make great coves, beads, cyma reversa, etc... but once you've made them all, they just look like a stick with a few curves. They're interesting but they're not *arresting*. Not even close.It turns out... that there's a huge body of knowledge around this exact topic. What is beauty? There are more than a couple of philosophies about this, each with their own guiding principles. Mr. Darlow explores the history and summarizes it down to something usable: some basic shapes and principles. He then provides some very useful examples of variabilities inside those guidelines. Having no art background, I found this to be very informative. It begins to explain why my rocks were rubble, and my wifes was a rock garden.In one of the later chapters, several examples of woodturned pieces are analyzed. You can tell by looking at them that something's not quite right. After reading the previous few chapters you have a few hints, but the author goes through each piece and identifies the reasons why the piece does not arrest... and makes corrections. The differences are huge.The author reinforces, in more than one place, the importance of careful, thoughtful design and the importance of turning deliberately. He takes you through the design process for something he made, and discusses the whys and wherefores along the way. Again, very useful. I'd feel overanlytical if I did this on my own. Not so much now.If you just like puttering on the lathe, don't buy this book. But if you want to attempt to make something arresting and don't have an art or design background you should consider this book - it'll affect the way you look at made things.

came in on time and it works there was not much help in it but it is a good read

Book arrived in excellent condition. Surpasses expectations.

Great book. Clear instructions from a real expert.

This is the most in depth book on design that I have found so far. It is obvious that Mike Darlow has carefully researched and written this topic. I was impressed he included a chapter on the history of design. Although the book is targeted to woodtuners, any woodworker or any artist/craftsman working in 3D will find a lot of info to boost their designs skills.

Good book. He is a very knowledgeable turner and a good writer. I hope to acquire all of his books.

Arrived quickly and just what i needed. Thanks.

I rarely write reviews, but this book completely changed the way I turn wood. I used to go by trial and error, but could never figure out why some of my work ended up looking better than others. Now I know. I know what works and what doesn't, how to transition from one shape to another, how to use beads and coves, how to form elegant curves, how to handle "straight" lines (hint: they're also curves), how to manage proportions, how to use and break the rules of classical design--no more guessing. Just beautiful, confident forms.Along with the collected works of Richard Raffan, this book is a game-changer. The chapter on columns alone will change how you see everything from turnings to buildings to furniture legs. Get this book! You won't regret it.