Your mom has always been crafty, but now that she has mastered the basics of woodworking, she is ready to start turning out more detailed projects. Adding a few new skills to your mom's repertoire is all it takes to help her start turning out gorgeous new crafts, such as salt shakers and bowls, to go along with the larger projects that she already makes. As your mom gets ready to try her hand at the lathe, follow these steps to make sure that her first projects are a success.

Sign Her Up for a Class

Before your mom starts to turn wood, you want to make sure that she knows how to stay safe. Classes are available for beginners that will help your mom get started by teaching her the basics of using a lathe, such as how to operate the emergency stop. As your mom progresses in her skills, most shops also offer advanced classes that give her a goal to strive for as she learns. Taking a class also adds a social component to your mom's favorite hobby that allows her to increase her knowledge of the craft by working with advanced wood-turners.

Pick a First Project

Learning how to turn wood opens up your mom's choices for adding to her craft collection. For instance, she could choose to make a bowl that goes along with a salt-and-pepper shaker set. Alternatively, she could focus on making pens or even a baseball bat to give as a gift. The ideal project for a beginner should be fairly simple and provide fast results. Consider encouraging your mom to make a basic bowl or a wooden spoon that will give her a boost to keep learning.

Get the Basic Equipment

Wood-turning is a fairly fast hobby to get started in since only a few basic pieces of equipment are required. First, your mom will need to choose a lathe based upon the size of the projects that she plans to complete. She'll also need turning tools to begin shaping the wood, and a chuck to attach the wood to the lathe. Keep in mind that the turning tools your mom needs will vary according to the purpose. For instance, she will need a different tool for making bowls than she might use to create rounded table legs. Choose the tools to fit your mom's preferred first project, or you can get her both types so that she can keep working as she gains more experience.

Now that your mom is adding to her woodworking hobby, you can enjoy knowing that she has a productive way to spend her time while learning new things. Help keep her interest up as she gains new skills by staying on top of new classes and tools that you can suggest she add to her growing skill set.

To learn more, check out sites like sumachillcreations.com.