Our demonstrator for the evening was Steve Kearvell, visiting us for the first time from King’s Lynn. In addition to his demonstration, Steve brought along a selection of sanding and finishing materials, which proved especially helpful for members who may find it difficult to source these supplies themselves.
During the demo, Steve turned a sycamore bowl measuring approximately 10 inches in diameter and 2.5 inches deep. The finished piece featured an attractive metal leaf decoration applied to the rim.

To begin, the blank had a hole drilled into its base, allowing it to be securely mounted on the lathe using a screw chuck. The lathe was then operated at speeds ranging between 800 and 1200 rpm throughout the turning process.
Using a bowl gouge, the rim was initially trued to form a clean, round shape. A draw cut was then used to create a flat surface. A 54 mm mortice, approximately 5 mm deep, was cut to allow mounting on the chuck once the main body shape had been completed. Within the mortice, a domed detail was formed, and a dovetail profile was cut using a skew chisel to ensure a secure fit. The external form of the bowl was then shaped into an ogee profile, using a combination of push and pull cuts. Once the desired shape was achieved, the surface was sanded progressively through grits ranging from 120 to 400 to achieve a smooth finish.

A sanding sealer/thinner, mixed at a 60/40 ratio, was applied to the wood. Once dry, it was burnished back using the shavings produced during turning, and this process was repeated to build up a smooth surface. A gloss wax was then applied to the underside of the bowl and polished, with the application repeated to enhance the finish.

At the halfway stage of the evening, Steve paused to answer several questions that had been raised during the demonstration.

The blank was then reversed onto the chuck so that the front face could be worked during the second part of the evening. The face was trued to a flat surface, after which a bead was formed around the inner edge of the bowl opening. The surrounding rim was left approximately 5–6 mm lower than the bead, creating a defined step. The rim was then sanded using progressively finer grits, and a sanding sealer was applied at this stage.

Once dry, a layer of size was applied to the wider area of the rim and allowed to become tacky. Metal leaf was then carefully laid over this area. When the surface was fully covered, a soft brush was used to remove excess leaf and smooth it down to achieve an even finish. The piece should then be left to dry for approximately 24 hours before proceeding. A spray varnish was applied over the metal leaf to seal it, as the size does not fully harden on its own. Drying was then accelerated using a heat gun. The bead was then painted with black gesso while the lathe was running, ensuring the paint was worked down to the base of the bead.

This was left to dry before proceeding to hollow the bowl.
Once the waste material had been removed and the internal shape completed, the same finishing process was applied as before, using progressively finer grits, followed by sanding sealer and a wax finish.

The bowl was now complete, and Steve kindly donated the piece to help raise funds for Mary Stevens Hospice. Thanks were extended to all those who assisted with setting up and taking down the equipment for the evening. Appreciation was also given to Steve Hackett and Sam Paskin for managing the audio and video equipment, and to Mike for organising and running the raffle.

For our evening’s entertainment, we enjoyed a demonstration from our very own member, Robert Hackett.

Rob demonstrated how to make two different wands, using only skew chisels throughout. The first was an 8” very thin wand, followed by a 16” off-centre wand, both turned from cherry. These are excellent projects for developing skew skills.

He began with an explanation of the wood choice, the type of skew he prefers, and his main skews are round bar, and all have a flat cutting edge, ground at 90° to the shaft.

Rob started with an explanation of how to turn the wood whilst supporting the wood blank with his hand.

The first project was a very thin, straight wand. Rob began with the blank mounted between centres, roughing it to round using only a skew chisel. He worked with the thin end facing the headstock, maintaining excellent control throughout.

The handle was shaped first, with decorative details added while the blank was still thick enough to remain stable. This area was then sanded before moving on, ensuring there was no risk of whipping between centres. Rob then worked progressively down the shaft towards the tip, using a controlled planing cut with the skew. As the wand becomes finer, care is essential—the thinner the wood, the more flexible it becomes. Once the wand reaches its final delicate thickness, the lathe must be kept running. Stopping and restarting at this stage can introduce sudden torque, which may cause the wand to snap.

After sanding, the chosen finish can be applied, typically Tung oil, linseed oil, or a polyurethane finish, depending on the desired look and level of durability.

For the second wand, Rob used three different skews and worked at a speed of around 1600 rpm.

One end of the blank had previously been shaped down on a bandsaw so it could be mounted securely in the chuck—this reduced section being about half the length of the blank. As before, shaping began with the handle positioned at the tailstock end.

Due to the increased length, Rob used his hand as a steady while turning, helping to maintain control of the skew and minimise vibration along the wand.

For the off-centre work, the end nearest the tailstock was offset by approximately 5mm from the centre to begin shaping. Sanding was carried out at each stage as sections were completed, after which the blank was returned to its true centre position to continue forming the next part of the handle. These steps were repeated several times along the length.

As the wand progressed, it was moved further out of the chuck to allow continued shaping, repeating the same process as the piece became longer and thinner. This created a series of flowing coves along the wand. When less material remained held in the chuck, a wedge was introduced to maintain the off-centre effect as the diameter reduced.

Much of the process is deliberately repetitive, making it an excellent exercise for developing skew control. The offsets become progressively smaller towards the tip, requiring increasing precision as the work advances.

Thanks to everyone who helped set up and pack away at the end of the evening, and to those who looked after the audio and video systems.

For this evening’s demonstration, we welcomed Andy James, 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

For the clubs’ entertainment this evening we have Ian Ethell who is a member of Trent Valley Woodturners and has been turning for a number of years now but still works full-time.

Off-centre honey dipper

For his first project, Ian will be turning an off-centre honey dipper and stand, and for this he produced a handout diagram of how to mount the piece between centres. The piece of wood was 200mm long by 30 mm square with the position being marked at 6mm each side of the centre line on each end of the blank, so we now have three points marked on each end of the blank.

Tools used were:

• 1” oval skew with a 15-degree angle
• 3/8 bowl gouge with 40 degree bevel and no wing
• Parting tool

The speed of the lathe was set to 3200 rpm.
Ian used the skew using the toe to mark the first area to be cut, these are marked first by using a story stick with all measurements on. By cutting in, only 40% of the blade and bevel must be in contact.
The skew was used to produce the shape of C, and then the bowl gouge for the shape of A. You must start in the centre of the area to be shaped and as you move along the shape open the flute of the gouge up. When sanding, you must keep the strip of abrasive tight across the turned section. To make the shape crisper, you need to go back to stage C.

Stage B
This is to cut the area for the honey itself again we use the long side of the skew and then with a peeling cut produce the required shape cut with the point whilst rolling the skew, the parting tool was then used to produce the slots on the end of the shaped blank, these slots are then sanded to remove any roughness

.
Shape G The thin spindle
Using a gouge again to remove some of the unwanted wood, work towards the headstock for this. Ian used the gouge laid over on it’s side to produce a type of skew cut, the shape of the spindle should have a slight taper to it.

Shape I
Sharp tools and clean cutting is essential for this, this is the first cut, using a bowl gouge cut the curve to the required depth.

Shape H
Same cut as for I

Shape F

Same cut again for this bevel

Shape D

The very end of the tail stock.  Take this down to about 5 to 6mm, at this point we still need the offset positions.

Shape E

We need to watch the amount of pressure being applied to the item now so that it does not flex.

Cut the handle back towards the headstock.  Take it down to a thickness that is still sound, as the other end still need to be finished.  At this point, go back to step D for removing this additional waste. The ends need to be finished off by using a carving knife for each end, then sand to the required finish.

Yoke now which is made out of Cherry

A flat piece of cherry is held between the square jaws of the chuck.  Then a slicing cut across the end with a spindle gouge.  Hollow out the centre from the end so that a hollowed out section is all the way through the wood.  The tool rest is now turned square on to the side of the wood and run down the side of the blank, then curve the cut into the blank to form a Y shape.

At this stage it pays to have a plain colour background which helps you see what you are cutting.  A bowl gouge was used for the side.  Produce a chamfer prior to parting the yoke off the wood.

Now for the base, again use the flat stripe of wood used for the yoke, this is used to mount the yoke into to form a bed for the honey dipper to be mounted on.

Bottle Stopper 45mm square

Produce an inverted cone, now a dome is formed on the end which is the widest part of the cone.  This is then textured on the end by using an elf texturing tool and also frame this texture with the point of the skew. At this stage apply sanding sealer to the end grain and then apply wax into the created pattern.

Now tip the blank within the chuck and re-tightened, this will produce the off-centre effect.  Slice off a section of the wood at the chuck end whilst using a skew, the blank can now be put back into the chuck so that it is running true again, at this stage remove any surplus wax that may be present.

Remove the waste at the chuck end so that a plastic bottle stopper will fit, this reduction being done by the use of a parting tool.  Remove the item from the chuck and affix the plastic end onto the turned item.

I have never needed one of these as the bottle is always empty.

Ian was able to answer questions throughout the evening.

Once again we must offer our thanks to all those who make the night run smooth, without them, we would not have a club.

Report by Barrie Fisher & edited by Steve Hackett

This year’s all-day professional demonstration event for the Black Country Wood Turner’s is with the very talented Jason Breach.

Jason will be demonstrating the following:-
Simple box – Pagoda box – Decorated box using the Axminster Eccentric Spiralling Chuck and finally a Decorative Owl head.

Jason has developed his reputation for woodturning over several years and has been teaching the subject for over 25 years now, and he lives near and works for Axminster Tools.

Links to reports on Jason’s projects for the day.

• Project 1 – Simple Box
• Project 2 – Pagoda Box
• Project 3 – Decorated Box using an Axminster Woodturning Eccentric Spiralling Chuck
• Project 4 – Owl’s head

Jason had a display of his work, some of which he demonstrated how to turn during the day. 

Jason had several special tools made to his design, for sale during the event.

Henry Taylor Jason Breach Box Refinement Tools

During the day we had a display of member’s work and a member’s tool sale. The cost of the event of £15.00 for the complete day, in this reporter’s opinion, was well worth the value and the members who did not attend missed out on a very enjoyable day. We would like to thank all club members who brought in items for the display table.

The club thanked Jason for his input on the projects and tips as he worked through them, and also for answering all the questions asked throughout the day. Jason demonstrations went down well with all who were there, with a lot of new ideas and tips to use. It was well worth the cost of the day.

We would like to thank Ian’s wife Kim for the preparation and presentation of the food at midday.
Thanks also go to all who helped set up the event and in taking everything back down, also Ian and Kim for helping set some of the work up on Friday night.

I would like to say it was nice to get our rooms back again without the animals and the jumble junk. So we must also thank the new administrator that we have for making sure we had a clean room and kitchen area with all rubbish removed and also for having a good supply of chairs

Report by Barrie Fisher & edited by Steve Hackett

The idea of the day was to get as many club members involved in the process of turning two sets of mini Skittles for 2 games that will be raffled off at events that the club has coming up later this year, with all of the proceeds going towards the Mary Stevens hospice charity.

In total, there were 28 mini Skittles to make for the two games.

We had all three of the club lathes out for the turners to use, in addition to having various sharpening systems available. Some of our more novice turners took their turn on the lathes, with experienced members helping them to develop their skills.

Whilst the turning was taking place Ian Brown took the opportunity to carry out an electrical PAT testing process on all of the electrical equipment that we use regularly, thankfully all items were passed as being safe.
During the day there was a tools sale along with other items, this went down well with a good amount being sold off.
There was plenty of tea and coffee on tap during the day, with biscuits, cake and pork pies available for everyone.
It was a great day for the social side of the club, with lots of chats between members.

The committee would like to thank all of the members who took part in the event and are pleased to say that the turning project was a great success with the many different members taking part and producing the Skittles.

We would especially like to thank Robert Hackett for adapting the game design and making the templates used during the day, and also Ian Brown for making the game-playing boxes and carrying out the PAT testing.

Thanks to all who set up and took down the equipment for the day.

An evening demonstration from club turners Barrie Fisher & Andy Dore.

First up was Barrie Fisher with a demonstration on decorating turnings with Jo Sonja iridescent paints & marbling with drawing inks.

Here is a description written by Barrie on techniques, he used during the the demo with added photos from the evening.

Development of decoration on either a bowl or vase will always depend on what
effects that you are trying to achieve and the shape of the object to be decorated.

One of the most basic is what is known as a string pull to form a decoration, this can
be either a solid colour or a mixture of several colours.
Either way I tend to use a piece of plastic tube which has been cut through length
ways and fixed on to a flat base. This will hold the paint even with a flow medium to
thin the paint down, and still keep it from running away.
Any new designs are always tried out on a flat piece of smoothed plywood first to see
if they would work. For myself I find that the Jo Sonja paints work the best, which is why I stick with them.

Different effects can be used throughout with differing types of paints, dyes and
inks, all being available. For the vase the paint would be applied first by fingers after putting on a pair of
plastic gloves, the vase is covered in this way to cover the complete surface area, Then, still at this stage still with the plastic gloves that have on, pat the point all round the vase to form a pattern that you are happy with.

• Cling film
• Bubble wrap
• Air blowing
• Feathers
• Wool or string
• Rolled cling film

Feather Effect string pull

• Step 1 – Lay a length of wool which has had Jo Sonja paint along the length as shown, then pull in the direction shown in picture above.
• Step 2 – Repeat the process along the opposite side, this then forms the main body of the feather.
• Step 3 – Lay the wool along the centre and pull back to give the effect of the quill.

Flower Effect

• Take a length of wool and load it with Jo Sonja paint.
• Lay the loaded wool line out in a pattern similar to that shown.
• Put a piece of tape at the base of the design to take up the overload of over-spill paint.
• Always pull through at the same point.
• You may need to wipe off any excess paint at the base.

Other effects

Other affects can be achieved using real Feathers or Artists fan paint brush.

Water Ink Dip (Alcohol ink)

This can produce some good effects on the blanks, but you have no control of the
pattern. This is an expensive process due to the waste of ink.
You will need a water bath for this, deep enough for your requirements, then drop
some ink dyes onto the water in a random manner and cause a gentle swirl.
With using water for this method the blank needs to be smoothed down twice, once
dry and the other wet, in this way you will get a smooth bowl.
Then carefully dip the bowl into the water and again carefully remove, at this point
you can see the effect that the inks have produced on the bowl. This then needs to
dry prior to final finishing.

For the second half of the evening, we have club member Andy Dore who demonstrated his process for inside out (involute) decorations.

Andy explained to the group how first came across inside out turning. He read an article in a wood turning magazine many years ago, and the process intrigued him so decided to have go to see what he could do. This developed into the we saw on the night.

Andy turns the decorations from white wood 34mm x 34mm from Wickes. He finds the wood clean to turn, it sands well & is not gummy like most pine woods. He cuts pieces 120mm long, and reduces them down to the 30mm x 30mm using the band saw and had a hand plain, making sure all sides are square. The centres are marked on the end using the corner cross method. The centres were punched accurately & then placed on the lathe between centres.

• Step 1 – Andy turned a cove into the piece (see pic above) to the sizes in his plan, then its sanded using a round block. The coves then has finishing oil applied with a cloth. Some times up to 3 coats.
• Step 2 – The block is the accurately cut into 4 pieces. Then turned around and glued back together with PVA, making sure that they don`t move. This leaves the coves now on the inside. They are held together with rubber bands until dry.
• Step 3 – The centres were the punched accurately again on the ends & then its placed on the lathe between centres. Andy then turned the block round. (see pic above).

• Step 4 – The round block is the placed in a chuck on the lathe, he the turns the decoration to shape looking to keep an even thickness around the windows, Finally it is sanded, and then is parted off to a point. As before it is finished with finishing oil applied with a cloth.

The club and committee would like thank Barrie & Andy for an excellent entertaining evening. It was enjoy by all present.

Report by Steve Hackett