We had another great Hands On night for our July meeting, with an excellent attendance and plenty going on in the village hall.
Here is video of a quick walk round the village hall on the night showing you just what was going on, or what you missed if you didn’t manage to get along.
The idea of every club night is to educate, help, support and develop the skills of all woodturners, regardless of age of experience. On Thursday night we had a range of activities taking place that are designed to do just that.
First up, Bruce kindly agreed to guide the new and novice turners through the process of turning a Spurtle. If, like myself, you had never heard of a Spurtle, it is actually used to stir porridge (you learn something new everyday). Throughout the evening he had a number of members lining up to get on the lathe to have a go.
We also had Tom back with his sharpening school. Keeping your tools sharp is always important as blunt chisels can ruin your final piece and at times be dangerous. Tom is an expert and is always willing to pass on his hints, tips and skills to getting the best edge on your tools.
For something new this month, club member Peter Taylor brought along tools and items that he had 3D printed which will help in your workshops. 3D printing is something entirely new at the club, and all came about during a conversation we had at Coombeswood after Peter brought along a bowl sander. It was therefore good of him to come along and share what you can produce using a 3D printer . Peter had the items that he brought along for sale, and also took a couple of bespoke orders from members on the night. If you missed the evening and want to look at what is available, check out the ad in the classified section of the website and please feel free to contact Peter or speak to him at one of our meetings.
And the evening did not stop there, Trevor had the club pole lathe set up and was guiding members through the intricacies of turning wood the old fashion way.
We will be taking the club pole lathe to a couple of outdoor events later in the year so it is always good to get a bit of practice in before hand.
As we have learnt, the trick is to turn freshly cut timber as it makes it that much easier.
On the other club lathe, Mike Crockett was getting club members to have a go at texturing their work using tools.
It can always be a bit daunting when you come to use a tool on a piece that you have just spent time getting a finish on just to add texture. Used to create a variety of effects, texturing tools, like everything else, require practice and where better to have a go than at the club.
Hopefully members found the chance to have a go helped their confidence to try it in their own workshop.
Away from the lathes we also had 3 tables full of timber, tools and equipment for sale with plenty of bargains to be had. The club raffle was well supported and there were plenty of prizes for members to win.
Of course it would not be a Hands On night without our members work table. This month we also had the entries for the Chairman’s Challenge, that was set in May, to judge. Richard’s first challenge was to turn a bowl and it was pleasing to see the number of members who entered their work. The judges were impressed with the high standard of work that was displayed and the chose their top four that will be taken to Woodworks at Daventry next year.
The four that the judges chose were turned by Bryan Newman, Jake Dunn, Roger Street and the overall winner was turned by Stuart Lockey. A big thank you to everyone who had a go and entered their work
You can find out about the next challenge Richard has issued by looking at the Chairman’s Challenge page under the events menu. Let’s see everyone turn on their lathes and have a go.
And finally, we had a visitor in the shape of Bruce the Burcot Gonk!!!
Complete with chisel and bowl, little Bruce was a nod to club member Bruce Turley. Bruce is always on hand to help and support the club at anything that we do. Whether is it controlling the cameras on a demo night, guiding new and inexperienced turners at Hands On evenings, or coming along to one of the outdoor events, Bruce is there. He is a fair turner as well, and has shared many of his pieces over the years. 
Without members like Bruce, the club would not be what it is today. So on behalf of the club I would like to say a big thank you to Bruce for everything he does.
