Stuart Batty is a third-generation apprenticed woodturner with over four decades of turning experience. Under the expert tutelage of his father Allan Batty, a world-renowned master spindle turner, Stuart began turning at the age of ten. By the age of 16, Stuart had become an accomplished production spindle turner and instructor and had gained wide notoriety for his technical proficiency and teaching abilities. Stuart has taught more classes and demonstrated at more clubs and symposiums than any other woodturner in history and is recognized as one of the world’s most accomplished woodturners.
Through years of production turning and teaching hands-on woodturning classes, Stuart developed a unique style of the European push-cut technique using fewer tools and simpler grinds to eliminate torn grain, requiring less physical effort, and enabling rapid, repeatable cuts. Stuart has pioneered many of the techniques and terminologies that all woodturners use today such as the push-cut, pull-cut, negative rake scraping, 40/40, and bottom bowl gouge grinds.
Stuart’s work includes balustrades and newel posts in Royal and Stately British Homes and a piece in the White House Permanent Collection. He is now focused on teaching classes to help students improve their woodturning technique.
Stuart’s methodology is focused on teaching a set of universal skills which can be used to make any workpiece on the lathe. It is not focused on the product but on the correct technique and process.
Demonstrations:
Bowl Turning Fundamentals & No Torn Grain.
Stuart developed the 40/40 and bottom bowl gouge grinds over 30 years ago. Stuart’s combination of these two gouges makes bowl turning more efficient, enabling large volume cuts using less physical effort, to create desired shapes with no torn grain and ready to sand with finer grit abrasives
The Only 4 Ways Wood can be Shaped on a Lathe: Peel, Slice, Scrape, Abrasion.
Stuart will demonstrate and explain the four methods used to shape and finish wood on a lathe, showing when and where each of these techniques should be used in both spindle and bowl turning.
Spindle Turning Fundamentals – Chisels Vs Gouges.
Stuart’s production spindle background has enabled him to evolve a style of spindle turning that is much more ergonomic and never creates torn grain. In this demonstration, Stuart will show when it is best to use a gouge versus a chisel to be able to create any shape with ease and repeatability.
Off Center Winged Bowl with Broken/Intermittent Surface Cutting.
Stuart developed his negative raking scraping technique for this kind of work over 30 years ago. In this demonstration, Stuart will show how to create an off-center winged bowl using a combination of his 40/40 grind compliment by negative rake scraping.
