April 2014

12th April - I've just come back from a successful Yandles show, demonstrating as part of Martock and District Woodturners Club. Friday was very busy with a lot of interest in the club stand and a good number of sales of members' work. Saturday was slightly less busy but still interesting demonstrating and talking to people about what I was turning.
It was also great to meet up with old friends and talk about what they are up to in their workshops!
I'm looking forward to the next Yandles show at the beginning of September.

9th April - Today I attended a course on colouring and texturing, again at George Foweraker's workshop but this time with Mark Raby. It was mainly demonstrations of lots of ways to finish, colour and texture turnings but we did get to have a go with spirit stains! I got loads of ideas to use on my turnings, I just need to try them out!

March 2014

22nd and 23rd March - During this weekend I demonstrated at the Westcountry Game Fair at the Bath and West showground on behalf of the AWGB. The aim was to promote the art and craft of woodturning beyond the usual audience of woodworking shows.

There was a lot of interest in the demonstrations during the weekend and I thoroughly enjoyed talking to members of the public who were interested in seeing what can be produced on the lathe and also to those who were new to turning or considering taking it up.

The AWGB travelling exhibition (of mainly professional turners' work) and my own display provided a good opportunity for discussion and helped raise the profile of turned items.

A view of the stand showing the AWGB travelling exhibition in the background and my display in the foreground.

Me turning!

8th and 9th March - I attended a two day course on hollow turning run by Mark Sanger and George Foweraker. It was an excellent course and it was great that the other people on the course were also members of Martock Woodturners Club. We turned an open vase using wet walnut on the first day and a closed form from spalted sycamore on the second day. Hollowing through a hole of less than 3cm was a bit daunting but we all managed to produce two successful items!

 Intense concentration hollowing the open walnut vase on day 1!

 Shaping the sycamore hollow form on day 2.

 Hollowing through a small hole in the top.

 Group photo!

Ready for drying before applying a wax finish.