Carving vs. Turning: What Is the Difference?
People often say "carved" when they mean "turned." The two crafts work in opposite ways, and the difference explains why our pieces look the way they do.
Carving works from the outside in. Turning works around a line.
Summary
- Carving shapes wood by cutting away material with hand tools, in any direction.
- Turning shapes wood as it spins on a lathe, producing forms that are round around an axis.
- Our pieces are turned, then finished by hand, keeping the root's irregular outer shape where possible.
Key takeaways
- Turning gives symmetrical forms; carving gives freeform ones.
- Root wood invites a hybrid approach: turn the plate and base, leave the body natural.
- Understanding the craft helps you appreciate the object.
In casual speech, people use "carved" for anything made of wood by hand. Craftspeople are more precise.
Carving
Carving is the older and broader craft. A carver holds the wood still and removes material with chisels, gouges, knives, and gravers. The cuts can go in any direction, so the final form can be anything: a figure, a relief, an animal, an abstract shape.
The hand and the tool move around the wood.
Turning
Turning reverses the relationship. The wood moves, and the tool stays. On a lathe, the wood spins rapidly around a central line, and the turner presses a sharp tool against it. Because the wood rotates, the resulting form is round in cross-section: bowls, vases, spindles, candlesticks.
Turning is fast and precise for round forms. It cannot produce a form with no rotational symmetry, such as a face or a square corner, without additional carving.
Where roots fit
A root ball is irregular. It has no natural axis. If you turned it fully, you would remove most of its character, producing a round object with no trace of the original shape.
Our approach uses turning selectively. We turn the base, so the piece stands steady. We turn the plate at the top, so the candle sits firmly. In between, we leave as much of the original root as possible, shaping it lightly where needed.
That gives a form that is partly turned and partly natural. It is a hybrid that preserves the irregular silhouette while adding the precise, functional parts.
Why it matters
A fully turned piece would look more regular, even elegant, but it would lose the root's identity. A fully carved piece would require an enormous amount of work, and would probably lose the root's natural surface.
The hybrid is the best of both. It respects the material and gives it a job. See How a Root Ball Becomes a Form on the Lathe.
What the terms mean for you
If you ever see a piece described as hand-carved, ask whether it was actually turned. If it is described as turned, ask what else was done to it. The answers tell you about the object.
We say turned and finished by hand, because that is what it is.
Common questions
Are your pieces carved?
They are turned on a lathe, with the base and plate shaped precisely and the body left as natural as possible, then finished by hand.
What is the difference between carving and turning?
Carving cuts wood held still, in any direction. Turning cuts wood as it spins, producing round forms.
Keep reading
Every piece is one of one.
Browse the specimen archive and acquire the piece that speaks to you. Each is catalogued once and sold once.