Ornamental turning is a type of turning, a craft that involves cutting of a work mounted in a lathe. The work can be made of any material that is suitable for being cut in this way, such as wood, bone, ivory or metal. Plain turning is work executed on a lathe where a transverse section through any part of the work comprises a plain circle. Ornamental turning, also called Complex turning, is executed on a lathe with attachments which convert that plain circular section to variants of outline; these range from a simple series of cuts taken at intervals around the work (so producing grooves or bumps on the surface) to non-circular movements whereby the whole of the circular shape is removed to give a completely different form. Such shapes are achieved by various means, the principal ones being:
- Cutting with a fixed or revolving cutter while the work is rotated on a non-radial path, e.g.- eccentrically, elliptically, epicyclically or, following a path determined by a template or reciprocating device
- Cutting with a revolving cutter while the work remains static, then partially rotating the work and holding it in each new position (using an indexing device) so as to produce a series of cuts at intervals around the cylinder or surface
- Cutting with a fixed or revolving cutter while the work is rotated on a radial or non-radial path and the cutting apparatus follows a linear, circular or non-circular motion, the two motions being synchronised by gearing.