A Modest Start

Turnings: shavings of wood or metal resulting from turning something on a lathe.

Truing: to bring an object, wheel or other construction into the exact shape, alignment or position required. (For a good example, read William Carlos Williams' poem, "Fine Work with Pitch and Copper.")

So as I turn some things on the lathe--metaphorically and otherwise--these are the acts that take place. The shavings fall away onto the ground and are ephemeral, but they signify the way into what is being turned. The truing is an act that must take place often as the work progresses.