Textured vase

The photo sequence below shows the stages of making the hollowed, textured and coloured vases that I have been working on recently.

I begin with an ash log straight from the tree, still wet.

Rough out to remove the bark and cut a spigot for the chuck.

Shape the outside and drill a hole through the centre.

 Hollow out the centre, sand the inside and outside.

 Scorch the outside.

Brush away the soot to reveal the grain of the wood.

This one was coloured with green acrylic wood dye before sealing with sanding sealer.

 Rub liming wax into the grain.

Remove the excess liming wax with finishing oil.

 Take off the chuck and finish the base.

The completed vase, finished with a coat of wax.

Shaping the back of a bowl

My second attempt! Getting the hang of the editing process now and uploading onto Youtube / sharing to my blog. This is practise before working with other members of my club to produce some short videos to make available to all club members.

Inside of bowl final cuts

I've been having a go at making a video! This is my first attempt! A bit of a learning curve!

The end of 2014!

Thank you to everyone who came to my stand this year, particularly in the run up to Christmas! All the fairs are now over and I am reviewing what items were popular and attracted most interest.
I really enjoyed the weekend fair at Lyme Regis, particularly as people could wander between both galleries, the shops and café at Town Mill. There was a real buzz and Christmas atmosphere; there was a good range of hand made items available, giving lots of ideas for Christmas presents! We were also entertained all weekend by the band playing in the courtyard who bravely kept going despite the cold and sometimes wintry weather!

I have really enjoyed practising making hollowed vases and also making the large fruit bowls. Both attracted a lot of interest and so I will definitely be developing both ranges for next year!

Here are a few photos of my table at the fairs, some vases and a large 14" diameter Ash fruit bowl.

More demonstrating!

I've really enjoyed all the demonstrating this summer, mostly outside in a gazebo! Luckily the weather has been fantastic this year as its definitely more fun than being indoors in the summer! The added bonus of being outside is that there is less sweeping up to do!

The photos below were taken at the Chard Reservoir Nature Reserve open day and Ferne Animal Sanctuary summer fair. At both events I demonstrated and sold small rustic bowls made from wet ash or oak from the reservoir, donating the proceeds to both causes.

At the beginning of September I demonstrated at Yandles show as part of Martock and District Woodturners Club. The club stand included a large display showcasing a range of club members' work. The following photos show a view of the stand and the club demonstrators in action.
The stand is always popular with show visitors, whether they are fellow woodturners or those interested in other crafts on show.

Rolly Munro Demo

Better late then never... here are some photos from the Rolly Munro demo in Burnham on Sea in August. A great demo, worth a reminder even if it was a few weeks ago!

In the first four photos Rolly is showing the versatility of his tool in bowl turning. He uses the ring cutter with the cover attached in the usual way but also his smaller cutter which is used without the cover.

These photos show Rolly making a double bowl by turning a hollow form and a circle of wood turned from the same piece of wood; the hollowed section is cut in half on the bandsaw then joined with the circle of wood to give the double bowl. Very technical and expertly made by Rolly! He made it look easy (well almost!)

Club demonstrations

I was very pleased to be invited to demonstrate as part of Woodbury Woodturners Club "Yandles" style demonstration night last week. I demonstrated adding various types of colouring and texturing to the rims of bowls. Other demonstrations included pen making and turning a basic bowl. I really enjoyed the evening showing the techniques I use and also meeting new turners! Club member Keith West took these photos and has kindly allowed me to use them in my blog.

On Tuesday I demonstrated at one of my clubs, Martock and District Woodturners, along with two other turners. Dave Appleby gave an excellent talk and demonstration on how to prepare a blank for turning from freshly cut logs and how to rough turn a bowl ready for drying. Myself and Colin Lawes showed a range of techniques we use to try and achieve a quality finish on our turnings. Between us we included the finish cut with the gouge on the inside of a bowl, sheer scraping, sanding and buffing. It is definitely more nerve-racking demonstrating formally in front of the whole club rather than a small group! However, overall I think it was well received!