People are drawn to the woodturning lathe because it is the quickest way
to go from raw wood to a finished object. Most projects can be finished
in an afternoon, and many can be completed in less than an hour. Unlike
most woodworking machines, the lathe grips and whirls the wood while the
woodworker attacks it with a hand held chisel or gouge. This makes the
chips and shavings fly into the air as the blank takes on its new shape.
This is also what makes woodturning so much fun: simple machines, easy
skills to learn, fast results.