Ornamental Turning
The online resource for "OT" enthusiasts
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"As a pleasing diversion, ornamental turning is one of the most ingenious the world has contrived."
— Robert Austin, from the introduction to the Dover publication of Holtzapffel's "The Principles and Practice of Ornamental or Complex Turning" (1973)
Encyclopédie Translation
The Encyclopédie des Arts et des Metiers was the major achievement of the French Enlightenment whose aim, in Diderot's words, was to "change the common way of thinking" through the expansion of knowledge and the development of critical modes of thought. A project is underway to translate the 32 volumes with more than 70,000 articles on subjects ranging from asparagus to zodiac... and ornamental turning! Find out more
The Catalog of Holtzapffel Lathes
The provenance and specifications of 2,557 Holtzapffel lathes, including condition and configuration of each outfit, photos, sale information, location and more. Find out more
Books on Ornamental Turning
Which books provide a good intro to ornamental turning?
Which books provide the details I really want to know?
What other ornamental turning books do you recommend?
Ornamental turning books for enthusiasts and collectors
What other ornamental turning books do you recommend?
Some of these books listed here may be a bit difficult to locate but are worth the effort. They contain some of the best photographic examples of ornamental turnery and guilloché work ever published.
- Sovereigns as Turners, by Klaus Maurice, Verlag Ineichen, Zurich, 1985. 9' x 13", 157 pages. 133 illustrations. Parallel english/german text. Many illustrations of ivory objects. Details the history of court society's fascination with lathe turning in residences from Stockholm to Florence, Paris to Moscow, and the objects they made. Covers the history of the art of ornamental turning with numerous photos of turned ivories from the Pitti Palace. Includes photos of early rose lathes of Queen Sophie Magdalena of Denmark, King Louis XVI of France, Elector Max Emanuel of Bavaria, Nartov of Leningrad, Ernst Ludwig, Carl Gustav, Emperor Maximilian I, and more. Also details the early treatises on turning from Bergeron, Moxeon, Plumier, Teuber, Diderot, and Hulot. Educational and inspirational.
- Turned Treasuries, by Klaus Maurice, Georg Laue and Christiane Zeiller. 9' x 11", 92 pages, Text is in English & German, 2004. catalogs various lathe turned ivory and wood objects, including rose lathe turned items from the 1500's by the Zick family and Egidius Lobenigk up through the 18th Century. A beautiful book with many photos of ivory treasuries. Inspirational for those interested in ornamental turning.
- Boîtes — The Art of Guilloché 1880-1930. 140 pages, mostly in color, size is 8 & 1/2" X 11". Details various silver & gold boxes that have been engine turned & enameled. Boxes with different styles from all over the world are illustrated. Countries represented: France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, England, USA. Language is French. Also a chapter on the Guilloché work of masters, supplies, turning machines to do this type of work. A nice coffee table book, inspirational for those interested in guilloché.
- The Fabergé Case: From the Private Collection of John Traina, Harry N. Abrams Inc., New York, NY, U.S.A., 1998. Hard Cover. 11 1/4" x 8 3/4". 192 pages, 136 full color photographs. The first book devoted to the splendor of the Fabergé cigarette case and related accessories, illustrated with photographs of examples in the world's largest collection of these items. Detailed list of Fabergé cigarette case workmasters. Bibliography. Presented here for the first time, the Fabergé cigarette cases and related accessories are from the collection of John Traina, the largest such collection in the world. The photographs are illuminated by expert commentaries, informative essays, and technical details on crests, hallmarks, insignia, and Fabergé workmasters. A nice coffee table book, inspirational for those interested in guilloché. Purchase from Amazon
- Turning and Mechanical Manipulation, Vol. 4 – Hand Or Simple Turning: Principles and Practice, John Jacob Holtzapffel, 1879. Of particular interest to those collecting, restoring or operating a Holtzapffel or similar OT lathe. Paperback reprint currently available by Dover Press, 592 pages. 9' X 6" X 1". Illustrated with 771 figures and 22 plates. (ISBN: 0-486-26567-9 ISBN-13: 9780486264288) View on Google Books, Download from Internet Archive, or Purchase on Amazon
- Ovalturning, Johannes Volmer. English editor David Springett. 2nd ed. 2006. History of oval-turning, lathes and chucks. Covers ellipse geometry, work holding, various methods of ovalturning, ornamenting, and design. Includes photo gallery and bibliography. View on author's site
- John Evans & Sons Lathe Makers, by John Edwards, 2001. Published by the Society of Ornamental Turners. This book details the known history of the Evans family and describes the lathes and accessories that are known to survive. It includes a series of drawings and pictures of some of the special equipment made exclusively by Evans & Sons and in many cases invented by them. 85 pages with hundreds of illustrations. Supplement of information on the formation and liquidation of Evan's Limited Company also available. 28 pages. Purchase from author