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Welcome

The purpose of this website is to provide you with some basic information about the club – when and where we meet, what meetings are like details about membership and other club activities. It’s not meant to be a gallery of resources about woodturning, simply an introduction to the club.​

​​The Club has been running for over 20 years and has always been affiliated with the Association of Woodturners of Great Britain (AWGB).

Our Roots have always been set in the heart of the Midlands known as the “Black Country”. The Black Country is a defined area steeped in industrial history. For a flavour of its early days follow the link, you may find it interesting:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Country

The club home is located at Dudley College, a super venue with easy disability access, and plenty of free parking, “Club Nights” are usually held on the third Thursday of the month. 6 pm to 9 pm. (see events page for full details).

Since the start of the 2020 pandemic the club has had to rethink and redefine how it pilots the future, we now embrace technology as best we can, mixed with good old hands-on learning. We were able to remain open throughout the Pandemic period by hosting across the Zoom platform, However, we are delighted to state that since October 2021 we are back open at Dudley College.

We host a variety of meeting types informal online monthly “Chinwags” via Zoom plus monthly club night events, made up of Hands-on, Club turner or professional demos.

All are welcome, from those thinking of taking up this fabulous hobby to those already giving it a go you will meet and enjoy the company of a friendly bunch of folk, sharing your venture to learn more about this historic craft.

If you are interested contact us via the website or simply come along and see what goes on. Details of the costs involved are shown on the  Mission Tag “Joining the Club”. as well as Organisation & Documents where you will find our policies on Safeguarding & Health & Safety matters

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August 2025 – The Monthly “Give it a Go”

This month’s submissions for The Monthly “Give it a Go” Zoom meeting. The theme will be Any Project incorporating Off Centre” work + any other items made by members this month

Next month’s Chinwag & Monthly “Give it a Go” Zoom meeting is on Tuesday, 5th of August 2025. The theme will be – Freestyle Hollow Form Pot / Vase + any other items made by members this month

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Black Country Wood Turners exhibits at the Wolverhampton Art Gallery

Over the next few months (July 2025 – October 2025), the Black Country Woodturners are proud to be part of the “Come As You Really Are” exhibition at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

Presented by Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Artangel, an award-winning artist (and Spider-Man enthusiast!) Hetain Patel

Come As You Really Are showcases hundreds of objects created or collected by hobbyists from across the Midlands and beyond. Alongside a brand-new film by Patel, the exhibition celebrates the creativity and individuality of people who dedicate their valuable time to pursuing passions outside of consumer-driven culture.

On display are unique handcrafted works loaned by hobbyists in diverse disciplines: knitters and needleworkers, woodturners and model makers, potters, painters and illustrators, costume and cosplay creators, model engineers, origami artists, and many more. You’ll also find fascinating collections – from vintage football programmes, kitchenalia, milk bottles, painted eggs, gnomes, and stones, to comics, action figures, and toys including Goo Jit Zu, Transformers, He-Man, and dollhouses!

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July 2025 – The Monthly “Give it a Go”

This month’s submissions for The Monthly “Give it a Go” Zoom meeting. The theme will be Any Project incorporating Some / All Segment Turning + any other items made by members this month

Next month’s Chinwag & Monthly “Give it a Go” Zoom meeting is on Tuesday, 5th of August 2025. The theme will be – Any Project incorporating Off Centre” work + any other items made by members this month

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June 2025 – The Monthly “Give it a Go”

This month’s submissions for The Monthly “Give it a Go” Zoom meeting. The theme will be Straight or Shaped Box + any other items made by members this month

Next month’s Chinwag & Monthly “Give it a Go” Zoom meeting is on Tuesday, 1st of July 2025. The theme will be – Any Project incorporating Some / All Segment Turning + any other items made by members this month

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Demo Report – June 2025 – Andy Jones

For this evening’s demonstration, we welcomed Andy Jones, who covered the fascinating process of segmented turning.

Andy began by displaying a selection of his completed segmented pieces, along with various templates showing the degrees needed to form rings with different numbers of segments. These templates are used with a specially designed cutting sled, which Andy also demonstrated. The sled features adjustable sliding sections to ensure the correct cutting angles.

The required angle is calculated by dividing 360° by the number of segments, then dividing that figure by two to give the individual segment’s cutting angle. For assembly, Andy uses PVA Titebond glue for larger items, and CA glue for smaller work.

For the demo, Andy had prepared a glued-up segmented blank, which he mounted on the chuck. He began by hollowing the inside of the bowl, blowing away waste using a balloon-inflating unit. Once the interior was complete, he shaped the exterior, filling any visible gaps with CA glue. The turning was carried out at 1590 rpm, and the outer surface was sanded through the grits from 180 up to 1200.

Next, Andy carefully prepared the opening to receive a contrasting wood insert for the bowl’s neck. In this case, he used a black wood insert, which had been turned separately before being fitted neatly into the main body and fixed with CA glue.

When working on smaller segmented projects, Andy often makes his own custom turning and cutting tools from modified Allen keys — a tip that drew interest from the audience.

Once the insert was secure, he turned it to match the main body’s profile, adding a fine bead detail around the neck. The inner part of the neck was then shaped so it flowed smoothly into the bowl.

Throughout the demonstration, Andy answered questions from the audience, assisted by his wife, Beasy.

Thanks go to everyone who helped the evening run smoothly — from the audiovisual setup to the raffle and refreshments.

Report by Barrie Fisher & edited by Steve Hackett

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May 2025 – Birmingham Botanical Gardens Craft Fayre

We were invited to take part in one of the Botanical Gardens’ organised day events. Originally, the plan was for us to be outside, but with the weather turning a little chilly, we were thankful to be set up indoors instead.

Several of our members arrived bright and early at 8:00 a.m. to help prepare the room and move the boxes containing our displays and sales items. A big “Thank You” goes to everyone who pitched in – your help made the setup run smoothly. By the time we were ready to begin, most of the tables and chairs were in place. In total, we had 21 tables and Steve’s lathe set up neatly in the corner.

Nineteen people took part in the display, with some members’ wives also showcasing their own crafts, which added extra variety and colour to the day. Their contributions were very well received and we hope to see them again at future events. The Botanical Gardens kindly kept us supplied with tea, coffee, cakes, and biscuits throughout the day – for which we were most grateful.

A number of members were selling their own pieces, offering a great mix of different items. We also had Nikki’s cross-stitch, Georgie’s felt work, fabric containers made by Bill’s wife, and Kim’s “Krafts” of handmade cards and other creations.

As usual, we had our two charity tables in support of Mary Stevens Hospice.

New for this event was a gallery of members’ work destined for the Wolverhampton Craft Gallery Exhibition, where it will be on show for the next three months.

The event ran from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with a steady stream of visitors passing through. Steve and Brian took turns on the lathe, making spinning tops for the children, who were delighted to choose their own colours for decoration.

The Botanical Gardens were very pleased with how the day went and felt our presence was a welcome addition to the event – a sentiment we are happy to share.

Report by Barrie Fisher & edited by Steve Hackett

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May 2025 – The Monthly “Give it a Go”

This month’s submissions for The Monthly “Give it a Go” Zoom meeting. The theme will be Freestyle Hanging Wall Decoration + any other items made by members this month

Next month’s Chinwag & Monthly “Give it a Go” Zoom meeting is on Tuesday, 3rd of June 2025. The theme will be – Straight or Shaped Box with Freestyle Decorated Lid + any other items made by members this month

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April 2025 – The Monthly “Give it a Go”

This month’s submissions for The Monthly “Give it a Go”. Theme will be Any Size Bowl “Plain / Textured / Decorated” + any other items made by members this month.

Next month’s Chinwag & Monthly “Give it a Go” Zoom meeting is on Tuesday, 6th of May 2025. The theme will be – Freestyle Hanging Wall Decoration + any other items made by members this month

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Demo Report – March 2025 – Rick Dobney

For the evening’s demonstration, we welcomed Rick Dobney on his first visit to the club. Rick demonstrated the making of a lidded ash pot with a fitted metal handle.

The project began with a blank of ash measuring 150mm x 75mm square. After marking the centre points at each end with a brad point, the blank was mounted between centres. Rick covered the essential safety aspects before spinning the lathe up to around 1300rpm.

Using a spindle roughing gouge, he turned the blank to round and then created a square tenon with a parting tool, checking its size with callipers. The blank was then mounted in the chuck, and its roundness confirmed.

Rick marked out the blank and turned the lid from the tailstock end. He carefully shaped the top of the lid, reducing it to a diameter of 65mm so it would later fit snugly into the pot. He reminded everyone of the importance of getting the bevel to rub before making a cut.

A Jacob’s chuck was used to drill a 7.5mm hole, 7mm deep, for the aluminium handle. With the tailstock supporting the workpiece, Rick moved on to shaping the main pot body with a skew chisel, achieving an elegant form. The lid seat was undercut, and the base defined with a parting tool.

After shaping, the piece was sanded to remove tool marks, and a brass brush was used to bring out the grain. Rick then applied Chestnut spirit stains with an airbrush – blue for the base area, blending into purple towards the top and onto the lid – while the lathe was spinning. Once dry, he applied sanding sealer and liming wax, working it across the grain to highlight the texture. After allowing 15 minutes to dry, the excess wax was removed with lemon oil, and the surface was buffed with a paper towel. A coat of Wood wax provided the final sheen.

The lid was parted off and set aside. Rick drilled out the pot body using a 13mm drill in the Jacob’s chuck, then hollowed it with a ring tool at 750–800rpm. The inner surface was sanded using locking forceps to hold the abrasive paper.

To finish the lid, Rick used a homemade Sycamore chuck with a cut slot that allowed it to grip the lid securely. He turned a decorative domed profile, taking care not to cut into the pre-drilled 7.5mm hole for the handle.

For the aluminium handle, Rick turned a 7.5mm tenon and shaped the outer profile using standard woodturning tools (suggesting older tools for working metal). He used MCC cutting compound with graphite grease for lubrication and sanded the aluminium to 1200 grit before polishing it with Auto polish. The aluminium used had a hardness rating of 60.82/60.83 and was sourced on eBay, 20mm in diameter.

Ricks Display Pieces

Club Updates

During the evening, we also welcomed guests from Wolverhampton Art Gallery, who spoke about the wood turned pieces being prepared to exhibit at the gallery later in the year. Steve Hackett is coordinating this effort, though members can submit their items directly with his support.

In addition, the club received £300 from the AWGB, presented to President Roger Cheshire by Barrie Fisher. This grant will go towards upgrading our audiovisual system. The AWGB also expressed their thanks for the club’s efforts during last October’s seminar and for supporting the gallery.