To combine woods for ornamental turning does not require a great deal of skill. The object should be to combine them so that the effect will be pleasing rather than novel.

There are two ways usually employed in preparing such work for turning. The one more often used, and probably the better, is to glue together thin boards of two or more varieties of wood, making a block sufficiently large to allow of ripping across the glue joints after the boards are all in place. This will result in a block having a cross section as indicated in Fig. 212.

The block is then ripped across the glue joints, as indicated by the vertical lines, making a number of boards equal in thickness, after being smoothed, to the thickness of those first used. These pieces are reversed and glued together, making a block. The end of this block will be a series of exact squares, as shown in Fig. 213, if the work has been properly done.

Fig. 212. Combining Woods.

Unless the pieces are all made of exactly the same thickness, the squares will not meet exactly, and the turned piece will not look well when finished.

The joints must be very perfect, or they may open after the piece has been finished. This blank is then turned in the lathe to some shape that will show the combined woods to the best advantage. Fig. 214 is an illustration of a goblet made in this manner.

Another method is to select a piece for the central portion and glue to it such shaped pieces as are desired. The pieces may be of almost any shape or size, but should be in pairs or groups, so that the object, after being turned, will show a well defined pattern. In all this work, be very careful to have the pieces of exact size and their surfaces in perfect contact. In the box, Fig. 215, the small pieces were glued around a central piece.

Fig. 213. Combining Woods.

Fig. 214. Fancy Goblet.

Fig. 215. Fancy Box.