Club Night Report

Wednesday 8th August 2018

Club Night Photos for 8th August 2018 - Guest Demonstrator - Jason Breach

The demonstrator for the August meeting was a welcome return to Jason Breach (see website: www.jasonbreach.co.uk) - whose subject for the evening was: Eccentric Turning and Inlaid Decoration on a Box.

Jason started with a pre-prepared blank (Masur Birch) with 'C'-jaw spigots on both ends - and proceeded to part off the lid portion. What followed was fairly standard technique in making a large diameter, shallow box with a precision fitted lid. This was combined with loads of advice and tips for getting a good fit on the lid - and utilising some of Jason's own design tools - an unhandled skew and box scraper. The box was sealed and sanded as the work progressed.

The design on the lid was accomplished via a jam chuck mounted on an Axminster Eccentric Spiralling Chuck (Axminster Tools Code: 900093 - £45) held in a 4-jaw chuck. A precision toolrest assembly had been created to accurately position the thin parting tool that was used to cut 12 intersecting grooves in the lid.

At this point Jason displayed his 'magic trick' - he was not about to cut and fit African blackwood rings into the intersecting grooves!
Instead, he made a thick paste of epoxy resin mixed with African blackwood POWDER!  This was pressed into the grooves. In the workshop - this would have been allowed to harden overnight. Considering that this was a demonstration - Jason produced 'one he had prepared earlier'. This was fitted to the jam chuck and the excess epoxy was turned off the face of the lid. He actually used a lid that had been 'treated' twice - once for a 'red' (Paduak) set of circles and secondly for the black set of rings - very very effective!

The base of the box was re-mounted, the spigot was removed and then finished with a few decorative grooves - sealed, sanded and buffed.

An excellent evening with techniques not seen before at the Club - and what a stunning result Jason! Thank you.

The display table contained items from Steve Body and Roger Blake.
Steve had made a large bowl in plywood (laminated to get the desired thickness) and Roger showed a (handmade) spiral twist lamp holder.