Does anyone do woodturning?

[Untery]

Looking for hobbies for teenage son who wants to do woodwork and wondering if this might work

I've tried it out. One word: expensive! I went with my two kids and if you were serious and bought a lathe (£££) but even to try it out for the half day was about £100 each.
We really enjoyed it and eyed up a stool making one but it was about £200pp!

I imagine it quite therapeutic. Maybe I could do it too. I wondered if we could get a second hand lathe. Is it easy enough for a teen to manage do you think?

It does seem to be quite a niche hobby that not many people do

I know someone who does - they've had a few bits of wood from us when we were given logs too good to burn, and a couple of people that do scroll-sawing. It is a bit niche, and can get expensive. Wood turning lathes are quite large, heavy, and you need to think about the safety aspect. Your son would definitely need tuition before leaping in and buying a lathe and tools for home. Maybe there's a local evening class?

How much space do you have?

If you have enough room, and access to wood, you can make a traditional foot-powered pole lathe yourself very cheaply (some people use a bungee rather than a 'spring pole' attached with a cord) which is good for working with green wood.
There are also loads of designs for diy powered lathes, which involve using an electric drill as the power/ drive source, which would be a better option for working with seasoned wood.