Journal

Skew Chisel Masterclass by Richard Findley

Wow! What an evening! It did exactly what it says on the tin. Richard served up a treat for members of all levels of ability to apply to their own work.

In a logical progression he took us step – by – step through the various tools you can use – explaining the merits of each and ways to sharpen them. Using a planing cut he went through the do’s and don’t’s of each as well as correct stance and tool presentation etc before progressing on to peeling cuts for tenons.

In the second half he introduced us to V cuts which progressed through to the techniques for turning a bead and how to avoid the many pitfalls. All the time he was answering questions and giving us tips and tricks from a lifetime in production turning.

And finally he gave us some exercises to practice our ‘new found skills’. A brilliant demo all round. Thanks Richard!

How to make a Pepper Grinder by Alan Pattison

Starting with a 70×70 beech blank Alan first took it to round with his roughing gouge and followed this by making his tenons and parting off to suit the dimensions of his grinding kit (Prokraft).

With the body of the grinder now in the chuck he squared the end off before boring a 42mm recess with his Forstner bit. A second hole (38mm) and a third (25mm) completed the drilling to accept the mechanism and ultimately the pepper corns. This done, Alan reversed the piece using a jam chuck – first reducing the size of the tenon to accept the lid section and then shaped the body as per his design.

Work then began on the lid section by making a recess to fit the tenon on the body section before drilling a precise 11mm hole for the tip of the mechanism. Shaping the top was the last job before assembly. Well done Alan. A really interesting and practical project for us all to try!

Show and Tell

Tonight’s theme of something round or spherical certainly got the creative juices of members flowing. Experienced and not so experienced hands contributed to the evening with tales of joy and tales of woe. Derry began with his items (not made by him as it transpired!) before Peter treated us to a lecture (complete with drawing on the board) of how to turn the perfect egg.

Contributions followed from Steve Moore, Brian and Ian.

Rob’s pens proved a good discussion point for the some of the problems suffered in a cold workshop at this time of year before Geoff took the floor with his accomplished and varied items.

Russell’s similarly varied collection of work introduced the next section followed by contributions from Andrea, Keith and Steve Martin.

Mark Warren and two of our newer members Alex and Phil brought a very entertaining and informative evening to a close by sharing their work with the group.

Chairman’s Surprise

For tonight’s traditional end to the year – The Chairman’s Surprise – we were split into 2 teams and tasked with producing enough skittles and balls to hold a contest at the the end. After a tense count up team 2 were the narrow winners! A great evening for all so thanks to Alan P for organising everything.

A very Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to all members new and old.

Xmas Ornaments

In our new format for internal demos 4 demonstrators showed members projects on the central theme of how to turn Xmas ornaments. To a packed audience Alan E, Russell, Alan P and Phil had a series of approaches to this – inspiration for everyone with the big season coming up!

Members were able to move between the various demos and ask questions about process and technique. Some more experienced members were even able to offer guidance to the demonstrators!

Finally here is a range of items produced or displayed with a big thank you to all our demonstrators.