Demos

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Demo Report April 2021 – Sue Harker

Sue started the demo by welcoming the members and explaining the project she would be demonstrating, an open segmented vase.

Sue started with the base and was faced off so that the segments can be positioned correctly.

Sue produced a segment jig which makes it easier to position and measure between the spokes at the outer edge of the project, 

Sue stated that we needed to use side grain and not end grain for these segments, (35mm x 7mm) the angle being 150, whilst cutting you will need to flip the wood over whilst cutting the required amount of segment, 

These were then sanded and glued into position.

The glue used was Titebond Quick and Thick.

Sue explained how to position each segmented section and how to glue each one for the build-up and cut down on the glue where the openings will be.  A pipe cleaner and water being used to wipe the excess glue out of the holes.  A thick piece of paper was used between the top and bottom, prior to the complete glue-up process being undertaken.

At this point, it is time to shape the vase to your requirements.

We now need to separate the two sections where the paper is holding the two parts together, these should be able to break apart where the paper is holding the two pieces together.  

At this point, we can hollow out the base to a depth as per the requirement.  You will need to be careful of the wall thickness at this point you will need a wall thickness of about 5 to 6mm.

Sue then hollowed out the top section being careful with the segments as there are gaps between the wood shapes.

Sue then put the two parts back together by using CA glue ( CA for the demo quickness, Titebond is usually used) and only apply on the segmented ends, pressure can be put on the two parts by the lathe as the CA glue dries.  When dry the final shape and sanding can take place to the required standard.  

The entrance to the vase now needs to be cut, as the top was drilled out we know that there is a reference point within the vase that will be close to the top opening.  By taking it carefully we can meet up with the drilled hole and shape the inlet part of the vase.

The complete vase can now be parted off from the waste wood.  We now need to consider the process of removing the parting tool marks, therefore we will need to produce a type of jam chuck that the vase can be mounted on and held in place by the tailstock drive center.  This jam chuck is not a tight fit as you will need to use a gripped mat to help with the holding.  The base can now be turned off. The nub will now need to be removed and sanded.

A finishing oil of hard wax oil is used to cover the vase but you need to remember to also fill the gaps between the segments for full coverage.

As the evening progressed, I think that we all should have been able to take something from the demonstration as Sue explained everything as she went along.

On behalf of the club, We would like to thank Sue Harker for this months demonstration. Report by Barrie Fisher and edited by Steve Hackett

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Demo Report March 2021- Steve & Rob Hackett

This month’s demonstration via Zoom was hosted by Rob and Steve Hackett in a role reversal from last month. With Rob being the turner and Steve the cameraman.

The evening’s demonstration is a Basket Weave Illusion on Hollow Forms and Boxes.

Sycamore is the chosen wood for the evening, and Rob emphasized the health and safety aspects of using the lathe prior to starting. The blank was turned around and a 50mm Tenon produced on the end.

Rob introduced his shop-made beading tools, one made from an old bowl gouge, and one from an old carving gouge.

And another made from a bolt.

Rob shaped the blank ready for the beading process.

At this point, Rob used his beading tool made from a bolt,  to apply three beads at a point where the blank was to be parted. 

The central one was then removed for the parting to take place, at which point a depth of 5 to 6mm on the rim was cut for when the blank would become one piece again, 

After parting the blank both ends were then hollowed out to the required depth, the shape of the lid part was taken down prior to parting with a small 18 or 19mm tenon for holding.

At this point, Rob introduced a Collet Chuck which can be found on Amazon’s website. 2MT ER32 Collet Chuck or 2MT ER25 Collet Chuck

After both parts had been hollowed out they were then glued back together with some CA glue in this instance for quickness, epoxy would be better. Being careful not to run the glue to the edge of the item as it could cause fumes when banding the item when dry, the beading then starts to take shape along the length of the hollow form.

At this point, Rob explained how he made a beading tool out of a normal bolt which worked very well, a slower speed was required for the beading of the hollow form with the tool being moved from side to side but it must be remembered not to go all the way to the bottom of the tool as tear-out could happen and spoil the artistic flair of the item.

At each point where the beads meet a wire was inserted with the lathe running to get a burnt line around the item, where the wire could not be used a small piece of Formica was used.

Drill out the top of the hollow form at this point with a 12mm drill to form the opening.

At this point, the complete project is sanded down ready for the decoration to be applied.

As Rob stated the basketweave required could be applied either by eye or by measurement depending on what you require the outcome to be, the upright lines are now burnt into the form being very careful not to touch the beads, work from both sides to aid in this aspect. 

When you are satisfied with the pattern you can start to think about the colors that will be applied and in what shape. The paint used was acrylic with a high pigment content, this will mean that you only need to color twice to get the depth of color that you would require.

All questions were answered throughout the session with good positive answers by Rob with additional information added also.

On behalf of the club, I would like to thank Rob and Steve for this month’s demonstration and for the bumping car announcement partway through. 

Report by Barrie Fisher and edited by Steve Hackett

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Demo Report February 2021- Steve & Rob Hackett

Our thanks go out to both Steve and Robert Hackett who were again able to come together via Zoom and put on the turning demo for those of us who are in lockdown and unable to move around.

The meeting started with Ian Brown going through some club information prior to the demonstration

The live demonstration for this month is being put on by Steve Hackett who is turning a Pool ball trinket

box along with Rob who was looking after the audio and video side, in addition to hosting the event.

Steve began the demo with a slide show talking about pool/billiard balls, their common sizes. The phenolic resin that they are made of, and the possible hazards in machining them. The importance of using a dust mask and dust collection.

Steve explained the process that he was going to follow and the tools he would be using.

8mm tapered tap

8mm plug tap

Tap wrench

6.8mm drill        

Centre drill

Doughnut chuck

8mm Screw chuck

Steve then showed a video on how he drills a centred hole in the ball using a jig on a pillar drill, ready for tapping an M8 thread 

Instructions on how the doughnut and screw chucks were constructed. The doughnut chuck was used to the pool ball was secure into the chuck with an 8mm bolt through in the centre of the doughnut chuck, this is then further secured by adding an additional top ring to the mounted base unit of the doughnut by three M8 flat head Allen screws that are recessed, these are 120 degrees apart.

At this point, a further hole is drilled into the top of the ball and again tapped with an M8 thread, which means that the holes are lined up 180 degrees apart and in line with each other.

The top of the pool ball is now removed by using a a homemade thin-bladed parting tool.

This is then smoothed flat and glued on to a piece of end grain elm. The glue normally used to do this is epoxy but in this demonstration CA glue was used for its quicker setting.

Whilst waiting for the glue to dry a hole was cut into the main body of the ball in various size bits to a depth

of 20mm. This was then turned to a smooth surface and sanded, Yorkshire grit was applied and then

polished with microcrystalline waxto an even shine.

At this point Steve started on the top of the ball by using a screw chuck with a 8mm bolt fixed into the

centre position. The wood was turned down to form a round shape, this was then put together with the

base to form a complete round sanded and finished item.

Steve Turned the base and the finial, also made out of elm. Both of them have a 7mm stem turned with

the aid of a spanner to measure the shaft size. These were then screwed into the pool ball threaded holes, in this case without the need for glue, but it is recommended.

Steve has stated that if anyone needs additional information, then please contact him.

Our thanks go out to both Steve and Rob for this demonstration.

Next month Rob will be doing the live demonstration. He will be turning a hollow form colour and pyography decoration.

Report by Barrie Fisher and Steve Hackett

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Demo Report January 2021- Steve & Rob Hackett

Our thanks go out to both Steve Hackett and Robert Hackett who were able to come together and put on the turning demo for those of us who are in lockdown and unable to move around.

Robert Hackett – Gesso Texturing Technique

Robert started by applying black gesso on to a pre-turned bowl shape, whilst this was still wet sawdust was added which adhered to the surface of the wet gesso.  

A second layer of gesso was then added all over to remove the color of the sawdust showing.  This technique when applied does not need to be perfectly smooth as it is covered and will allow for a better key for the gesso.

When this piece had dried a mixture of Hampshire Sheen Embellishing Waxes was applied by dabbing this onto the top of the gesso and then rubbed into the bowl surface by way of a cheap toothbrush. Robert was also explaining the process as he progressed through the complete process.

Steve Hackett – Twisted Three-sided Weed Pot – (Multi-Axis Turning)

Steve started with a blank that needed to be turned round.  When this had been accomplished the marking up process was detailed onto the blank.

This marking up process was shown both live and through the use of a slide show.

Steve started by dividing the blank into three equal parts by means of the indexing set up included in the lathe headstock.  Two pencil rings were added to each end of the blank, the first one 10mm in and then the second one, in a further 5mm.  The equal lines were then extended down each end so that we have three areas marked on the inner ring.  These were then numbered 1, 2, and 3 on each end so that they matched up, these are 1200 apart.

To get the twist the following number combinations were used;

1 – 2, 2 – 3, 3 – 1    these give a twisted shape

If you only require a three-sided item, match up the following numbers;

1 – 1, 2 – 2, 3 – 3

Additional multisided items can be developed by using the same method.

The blank was mounted between centers with a two-prong drive in the headstock and a pointed live centre in the tailstock.

At this point Steve started the process of turning the twist, this was done by looking at the ghost image at the top of the turning blank, following the curve to get an equal displacement along each side.  

Steve stated that the turning should be cut from the centre out towards the ends, this prevents an aggressive cut from being applied to the ends.  The speed of the lathe went up as high as was safe to do so due to cutting a lot of free air. If you only cut straight across, you will end up with a project that bulges in the middle.

This was then sanded and sealed, a tenon was cut onto the one end and remounted into a scroll chuck.

A hole was then drilled down the weed pot by using a starting point with the aid of an engineering centre drill.  The top of the jar was then trimmed by scalloping the top into the bored hole.

At this point, a jam chuck was mounted and the weed pot was inverted and mounted on the jam chuck, the base was then scalloped out and finished, this process allowed it to stand correctly on a surface.

The weed pot was finished by buffing with a series 3 of buffing wheels on the lathe, Steve explained and demonstrated how to use this system.

The buffing wheels used are available from  The Polishing Shop. 

https://www.thepolishingshop.co.uk/polishing-kits/horn-wood-polishing-kits/menzerna-horn-and-wood-kit-for-a-bench-grinder-750160

Steve commented on the process as he worked through it, during the demo, a Blue Peter moment was required when the blank voluntarily removed itself from the lathe.

With the way that the lockdown is developing at present, the next demo will also be put on by Steve and Robert Hackett.

Last but not least we must also thank Robert for operating all of the equipment that allows these demos to take place.

Report by Barrie Fisher & Steve Hackett

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Demo Report Oct 2020 – John Aitken

This month the club had a Zoom demonstration put together by John Boyne-Aitkin, better known as the Bowler Hatted Turner who is primarily a jobbing turner.

We want to say a big thank you to The Shropshire Turners who joined the event in collaboration with us. This made the event a lot better with respect to the cost of the demonstration.

The Zoom session opened at 6.45 pm for a 7.00 pm start time, the demonstration went on until 9.30 pm with a refreshment break in the middle, and John was answering questions throughout the evening.

Project 1 for this evening is a Sea Urchin Ornament for hanging.

The project was made out of Maple for the top and bottom areas of the project.

The bottom part was 1.5” sq x 8” long – Top part was 1.25” sq x 6” long

The Sea Urchin shells can be found on Amazon or eBay but a good link would be www.onlineshells.co.uk

John has a good method of explaining everything as he goes along and uses close-up camera work for this also, we did have a problem with one camera at the start when it stopped working, but John was able to sort it out with the help of his technology expert.

John mentioned the use of Health & Safety throughout the demonstration.

  1. First, start by making the hole at the top of the shell round by using a Dremel with a 10mm grinding cone.
  2. To make the shells stronger when using them, paint the insides with PVA glue and let it set.
  3. Turn the bottom section down to round with the speed set at 1330rpm.
  4. On the end of the spindle turn a 12mm tenon about 19mm long, this needs to be the full depth of the sea urchin and the shoulder needs to be undercut to take into account the shape.
  5. At this point, drill an 8mm hole down the centre of the tenon to a depth of 20mm
  6. Turn the spindle around in the chuck and start to shape, this can be any shape that you require, as John said it is your work and your idea as to the finished shape. John used his Skew chisel for this.
  7. At this point, John sanded the project and then used Friction Polish, and Carnauba Wax to give it a shine, the overall finished length for this being just over 6 inches.
  8. The second part of the Top of the project.
  9. Turn to round again and take the tenon down to 8mm, John showed a couple of methods of carrying this out.
  10. The shoulder again needs to be undercut for the shape, and then the top shaped as required.
  11. At this point, John sanded the project and then used Friction Polish, and Carnauba Wax to give it a shine, the overall finished length for this being just over 6 inches.
  12. The two parts now need to be put together carefully with the shell being able to rotate freely, this is required due to the possible movement in the wood as it may still be drying.
  13. At the very top end, a hole must be drilled through so that a ribbon can pass through and the ornament can then be hung up.

Project 2 for this evening was a mirror/picture frame.

Wood was 8.5“in diameter, and Mirror was 4” in diameter.

  1. Turn a hole larger than the 4” diameter mirror due to the possibility of the wood moving, which could put pressure on the glass.
  2. He turned the project around to cut the hole so that the mirror would not fall out of the front.
  3. To cut a hanging point on the back of the frame, drill a hole large enough for the screw head to go through then drill a smaller hole above for the shaft of the screw, this is then run into the larger hole.
  4. Take a screw and grind the head down so that you have a cutting edge, at this point insert this into the drill and you will be able to cut the slot at the back of the wood so that it will remain on the wall.
  5. A piece of hardboard was used to protect the glass at the back and keep it in place,
  6. Glazing sprigs were used at this point to secure the mirror into the frame.

John answered various questions throughout the demonstration whilst carrying out the demonstration, he showed some very useful techniques of how to achieve different effects for patterning also.

At the end of the evening, John showed us around his workshop area with all of the various machines in place.

The club would like to thank John for the demonstration.

This may be the first of additional collaborations with SAW when we can share a demonstrator.

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Demo Report August 2020 – Roger Cheshire

This is the first demonstration carried out by a club member whilst on zoom, this is a bit nerve-racking as there is no audience in front of you whilst you are explaining what is happening throughout the process and also a different type of how to ask questions, therefore this will be a steep learning curve for all of us in the use of the cameras and sound and recording of the process.

The Demo

The Black Country Wood Turners Club had one of their own, Roger Cheshire, to demonstrate how to use pewter within a wood-turned project for this evening. The pewter can be turned into cabochons, finials and rings, all of which can be decorated.

PPE requirements

Gloves – Mask – Glasses or goggles – enclosed shoes

Also, have a fire extinguisher on hand just in case you did not clean the area sufficiently first.

Tools

Scraping chisel – Parting tool – could also use carbide tools – patterning tools.

Roger started by explaining how to obtain pewter from various sources and demonstrated how to cut the pewter down and melt it. The melting pot was a standard milk pan to contain the pewter and then a camping gas single hob canister heater which is more than sufficient to melt the pewter, Roger has found over the years to melt the pewter and let it cool for a while and then reheat to melted prior to pouring. There is also the possibility of getting slag on top of the pewter which can be removed with a fork or spoon, at this point don’t tell the wife you have just used the best pan and utensils for this work. You will also need a level surface before you pour the pewter to get it level within the former.

Whilst waiting for the pewter to melt Roger mounted some wood onto the lathe to form a former for the pewter to be poured into, a steady hand is required whilst pouring, you need to take it steady but not too slowly for when the two ends of the molten pewter in the former a tenon was also turned into the former so that the solid pewter could be inserted into a chuck with gripper jaws ready for shaping. This was then turned to the required size ready to be inserted into the turned wooden item.

Prior to pouring the melted pewter, the former itself was warmed up to remove any moisture that might be present as this could cause the pewter to bubble and splash out of the former. Roger also warned against using oily wood as this would also react against the melted pewter.

During the session, there were various aspects of turning the pewter and inlaying a pattern which was explained along with the type of tools used for shaping the project.

The turned pewter is then polished down to 2000 grit with some wet and dry and then with the addition of T-cut to finish the polishing process. It was also stated that the use of Yorkshire Grit could be used (the White container type).

Our thanks go to Roger for being the first turner to be captured digitally by the new set-up.

I for one thought that the event went very well for a first-time event and was also a steep learning curve for both Rob and Ian to get to grips with the audio and video side of things, there is room for improvement to give a better viewing aspect and enjoyable experience. It is hoped that we will have learned a little more about the computer system for future demonstrations and be able to record them and use them on the club website for everyone to see again. At the same time, now we have the full complement of the Zoom facilities we are still getting to grips with the added aspect of what can be used.

Hopefully, by next month we will have enticed another club member who is willing to undergo the inspection of the lens and get used to talking through a mike and camera.

We will also be maintaining our chin wag sessions on a regular basis, so we can still discuss things as to what may be accomplished with the Zoom demonstrations.

Additional Information for Pewter.

Pewter can be beautifully crafted and is relatively easy to work with but!

********* Warning *********

Melt pewter in a well-ventilated area with access to incoming fresh air. Some pewter contains a high concentration of lead, which when melted can be toxic to inhale.
Never allow water to splash into your melting pewter.
A splash of water can cause a burst of steam to fly up onto your face or hands, potentially causing serious injury.

Step 1

Place your pewter pieces into a stove-safe pot or pan.

Step 2

Turn the heat on your stove up to its highest setting. Temperatures allowed by stoves vary depending on the make and source of heat; your goal is to reach the pewter’s melting point, Depending on the exact mix of metals, pewter has a melting point of 225 to 240 C (437 to 464 degrees F).

Step 3

Allow the metal to melt slowly. Remember that, unlike ice, pewter does not melt gradually. The pewter will not begin to liquefy until the full piece has reached its melting point. Be patient during the melting process. Melting times will vary depending on how much pewter you melt and the temperature of your stove.

Step 4

Gently stir the melting pewter with a wooden utensil. This will help the heat to distribute more evenly.

The cuttlefish bone can also be used to form a mould.

Tip

Pewter can also easily be melted over a fire, or by using a blow torch.

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Demo Report April 2020 -Wolfgang Schulze-Zachau

Project Fruit Turning

It’s that time again when we welcome a club member or members to carry out the turning demonstration for tonight’s event. The member is Wolfgang, he is producing a project of Apples, Pears, Lemon and a small box all made out of Yew.

Fruit Turning Demo

Wolfgang used a type of screw chuck that the members were able to produce back in Jan, instead of it being made out of pine this was a stronger and more stable wood Laburnum.

The Yew blanks had already been turned round ready for the demonstration, these were in two lengths for the fruits.

The Apple was turned first which can be turned to a apple shape that does not need to be perfect for every one produced as we do not get exact shapes in nature.

Wolfgang gave a commentary whilst turning and answered question that members had whilst the turning was taking place.

The Pear was next which was started basically the same as the apple but was finished with a differing shape to produce elongated section of the pear.

Both the apple and the pear were finished off by applying microcrystalline wax and then polished with a polishing mop which was dedicated to this wax, prior to inserting a clove into the base of each. The stalk was made from a small twig that Wolfgang had growing at home.

The next area of fruit was the Lemon which was turned without the use of the screw chuck but needed a spigot to work from to produce the shape required which is more symmetrical than the other fruits. All of this took place before the half time break. After the break A Yew box was started by using spigots and jam chucks to get the overall shape required.

It’s good that we have a large amount of expertise within the club and members are able to step in and deliver their knowledge for various projects.

Thanks must also go out to Rob who set up the camera and video set up which made the demonstrations clearer for those seated watching.

The members also bought into the clubhouse a selection of their own handcrafted items for other members to look at during the evening, and give them additional ideas for themselves.

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Hands-On Evening February 2020 – Led By Bob Mercer

Thursday 16th January 2020

Welcome to everyone that turned up for the Black Country Wood Turners event, the first for the New Year. We have had the pleasure of having Bob Mercer for this evenings demonstrations, which was a three part event.

The Black Country Woodturners put on a hand’s on event with two lathes being used for this process and two different projects on the go at once, the club members are invited to take an active part within these sessions so that they can develop their individual skills to a new level.

In addition to the practical aspect of this the other members can ask relevant questions to gain underpinning knowledge of other areas that they may be struggling with.

Project 1

Tool Sharpening

Bob Mercer will be taking the lead with evenings interest.

Bob will be bringing his own grinding station to the evening event and hopefully members will aid the event by bringing along their own tools that they need sharpening or if they require additional information in how to sharpen properly. Bob will give an explanation of the ins and outs to gain a good sharp edge with the correct bevel angle for the tool. Bob was using CNC grinding wheels for the demonstration.

Bob was kept busy for the duration of the night with other members taking an active part in developing their own skills, in addition to correcting poor techniques used by some members due to approaching the grinding station correctly.

Project 2

The next part of the demonstration was showing the correct techniques for stripping down and cleaning a scroll lathe chuck. Andrew Dore taking the lead for this part of the evening. In addition to demonstrating the cleaning of chucks, and what to look out for when putting them back together in the correct manner.

Andrew also showed some of his own made chucks for development of other projects such as pool-ball boxes.

Project 3

Rob and Wolfgang also demonstrated how to make a simple screw chuck. Other members were then invited to take an active part within this session, this also had a number of people around asking questions throughout the session.

The materials used for this are as follows:-

  • 65mm x 65mm x40 Pine blank
  • 50mm Woodscrew
  • 3mm drill bit
  • Countersunk bit
  • Screwdriver
  • Super glue
  • Members are able to use club tools for this small programme.

Bob hopes that the members will make their own screw chucks and bring them with them for the April event on the 16th where they will be used to make items of fruit or some other small item.

For each of the Black Country Wood Turners evenings, the members bring along their latest creations for the interest of the other club members, and will also explain how they went about turning them and putting them together or decorating them.

As normal the club itself has a number of wood blanks for sale which is a regular for the club, In addition to this individual members can use this time to sell on any unwanted tools or wood blanks that they no longer require, There is also a raffle with various items donated by members going on at the same time as having a mid-session break for a drink.

We also had the potential to take on an additional eight new members who turned up for the evening and from what was stated would be interested in taking up the hobby of turning, two have actually signed up on the first night.

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Demo Report November 2019 – Wessex Resins and Adhesives

Thursday 21st November 2019

For November’s meeting, we had the pleasure of Richard Ross, regional area manager from Wessex Resins and Adhesives, who are based in Romsey in Hampshire.

Wessex Resins and Adhesives have been developing and manufacturing high-quality epoxy products since 1981. During this time the company has worked with a large range of organisations that demand specialist formulations, including the Ministry of Defence, London Underground, Bombardier and BAE Systems, the company have in recent years been developing a range of general pouring resins, suitable for numerous applications including the professional and hobby craft arena.

Richard began the evening with a very interesting history of how the company Wessex Resins began by two brothers from humble beginnings in the early 1980’s, its continual development to, todays achievement where it has a substantial product range covering a worldwide market for many diverse industries.

Richard distinguished the differences between epoxy resins and polyester resins, describing their advantages and disadvantages; he described exactly what an epoxy resin is, being a bi product of the petro chemical industry, and highlighted to the audience how the industry in general is working very hard to make resins a “Greener” more sustainable product.

Richard then went on to discuss, demonstrate and mix a range of resins and adhesives, establishing and emphasising the need to measure the resin and hardener in the correct proportions and mix meticulously for at least two minutes allowing the chemical compositions to bond together properly. His demonstration of what happens when proportions are mismatched was an eye opener.

Richard encouraged and fielded a lot of questions from the audience throughout the whole evening who were eager to fill their subject knowledge gaps.

After the break Richard invited anyone to go up to the demonstration table and have a go at mixing and pouring and experimenting with the resin products.

Steve Hackett had kindly prepared some bowl/platter blanks by drilling holes around the perimeter to be filled with resin for the Christmas raffle where lucky winning members will take away to practice on.

Several other members also brought in items for discussion with Richard on how to progress with project ideas or simply fill with resin to have a go with at a later time.

Sadly the meeting had to be drawn to a close at around 8.45 pm with audience members still keen to gain product knowledge.

Richard was given a warm and appreciative round of applause for giving up his time to educate and entertain us all.

The club wishes to thank Richard for a great evening and hopes he will come back to entertain us at some future time.

Hopefully, in the months to come, we will see resin-based projects appearing at our meetings.

For product information, Wessex Resins company websites are

www.wessex-resins.com & wessexresins.co.uk/en

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Demo Report Oct 2019 – Les Thorne All-Day Event

Saturday 19th October 2019

For the 2019 all-day club event, Blackcountry Woodturners were very fortunate to have secured the professional services of the renowned National and International Woodturner Les Thorne, who travelled to us from his Hampshire home. 

This was Les’s first visit to Blackcountry Wood Turners, but hopefully not his last.

Les Thorne has been on the Register for Professional Turners since 2001 after spending the majority of his working life involved with the family wood business.

From his workshop in Old Alresford in Hampshire, Les is primarily a production turner and works on a huge variety of jobs and with many different clients.

To entertain and educate us today Les was treating us to a number of projects with and without decoration, covering box making, bowl turning and a candle stick. 

Doors opened at 09.00; the audience began to drift in and engage in the wood and tool sale areas, viewing and discussing displayed members’ work, hot drinks and general banter. 

At 09:30 the audience took their seats, Les was formally welcomed to the club by Mell Adams, Club Secretary, and the day began to unfold. 

Les began by introducing himself and described his woodturning journey to this point in time; he then began his first project and one that would then take up the morning and early afternoon sessions.

Project 1: A long curved lidded box, textured and coloured, this style is one of Les’s signature boxes, the audience were completely embroiled for the whole of the morning in listening, laughing and watching Les work his magic, each stage is well described, and demonstrated in great detail, his open manner prompted many a good question from the audience. 

Les has an instinctive knack of using tools gained over thousands of hours and many years of work, he is always in complete control of what goes on at the cutting edge, and portrays this in a relaxed, confident style and light-hearted banter.

Having had lunch the audience assembled for the afternoon treats, initially Les finished off the lidded box, describing each step of the texture and colour application.

Project 2: A decorated Ash bowl “au natural”…no colour on this one, to the delight of Elwyn in the audience!

Les demonstrated each step of the way from mounting the blank, consideration of design and tool usage. Les again described and demonstrated to great effect various types of cuts including pull & push cut, shear cut and scrape used to form the bowl profile detailing the pros and cons of each method and the best time and place for their usage. Once the back of the bowl was complete in profile, Les then demonstrated how to place several bead rows onto the piece without taking the tool off the wood, a feat none of the audience had seen before, earning Les an appreciative and enthusiastic round of applause. 

The bowl was turned round, and Les began work on the front outer rim decoration and hollowing techniques, again he very effectively described the tooling techniques used at each stage, going to great lengths to fully demonstrate and describe the inner lip undercut tooling sequence.  

Following afternoon tea Les treated us to the making of a candlestick; he did this in what he described as “working mode” we all were amazed at the detail speed and accuracy he was able to achieve this project from complete start to finish, all the way through describing why and what he was doing. 

His final half an hour is what he described as his “Play” time, demonstrating to us his bead forming skill with a skew chisel and a few other very unusual tools.

The day came to a close at around 16.30 with Les receiving a well-deserved and warm round of applause from all in attendance; we very much hope we can lure him back to the club in future.