Before I really started turning wood, I took a couple of night classes in wood turning. One of the first things I did was a potato masher. In my opinion it’s still a great beginner project and when I got back to wood turning a few years later, I did another one.

As you start to spin, you need to develop certain skills. The potato masher is a good place to start. Generally one starts with a square of wood about 2 3/4 “on a side and about 11” long. This is marked at each end to find the center and then mounted between the centers of the lug and tail stock. These operations are common to most spindles, whether they are chair legs or chandeliers.

The wood turning lathe is designed for turning wood. This square piece of wood should now be made round and the tool for this is the roughing gouge. Again, this is the tool that most spindle lathes reach first. Efficiently and effectively removes the corners of the square and rounds it off. With practice, it will give a smooth finish that requires little sanding.

Since most spindle turning begins exactly this way, each project requires its own peculiar measurements as it progresses. In this case we want to have two different areas of the finished piece, the head and the handle. This will give the beginner practice turning a large cylinder and then quickly removing the wood to get to a smaller cylinder. Now it is necessary to refine the form.

While a more experienced turner will often turn to an oblique chisel for refining cuts, a beginner will likely find a spindle gouge more to their liking. First, however, you need to establish the final sizes of the cleats and beads. Again, this is a skill that will be reused and honed throughout the life of a turner.

A set of forceps is opened to the desired diameter and held with the left hand. As a parting tool is held in the right hand, it is allowed to cut the wood until the collet slides over the cylinder. Fortunately, this is much easier to do than to consider.

With the diameters set, it is now necessary to connect them smoothly using the gouge on the spindle. This will establish the feel of the handle and the balance of the head. Finally, the face of the head is turned down as much as possible, the end of the handle is beaded to decorate and act as a stop if necessary, and everything is sanded if desired. At this time, a layer of mineral or vegetable oil could be added for cooking.

The last thing you need to do is separate it and trim the ends where the scrap wood is removed. Now you have a potato masher or, in my case at least, a carving mallet. These are great tools in the woodworking shop for gentle persuasion as needed. It may be that a potato masher is only in your future if you make another one.