Club Night Report

Wednesday 14th August 2019

Club Night Photos for 14th August 2019 - Guest Demonstrator - Paul Sweet

The demonstrator for the August meeting was Paul Sweet - who showed the making of a natural edge bowl in very dry ash, with a pre-cast pewter lid to produce a potpourri bowl.

Paul started by using a Forstner bit to drill a recess in the bark side of the blank (approx. 8" diameter) to enable mounting on a 4-prong drive centre - supported by the tailstock. The outside diameter was cleaned up from the bark side down to the base - which was flattened and marked out for a tenon. A foot for the bowl and a 48 mm diameter tenon was produced.

The bowl was reversed and mounted on the tenon. The shape for the inside, up to the bark rim and the diameter to match the pewter lid was turned. A hole was drilled to set the depth of the recess. The recess for the potpourri material was turned - with an undercut rim and decorative bead. The 'top' of the bowl was sealed and sanded.

The bowl was reversed on the chuck and held in the lid recess - supported with the tailstock. The base and foot were completed with some decorative grooves - plus sealing and sanding.

Paul provided an interesting and innovative demonstration of excellent tool control and technique. The design incorporating a natural edge along with the inner turned face plus undercut recess was a refreshing and different approach to 'standard' bowl turning. Thank you Paul!

The display table showed a number of interesting items.

Ian Full showed a rosewood box with a pewter ring in the top and a pewter base, along with a pewter rimmed bowl and a pen with cast and machined pewter body. Richard Branscombe presented a small paduak bowl with a pewter rim and a small crotch bowl made from 'tree wood' from his garden. Peter Smith brought along a nicely made segmented wine bottle coaster and Ken Gately showed an interesting spalted horse chestnut bowl that appears to show a bird in the grain/ spalting. Sean Snook showed three birds in different timbers.

There were a number of items on the table that had been contributed to the Prospect Hospice - from Vernon Hughes, Ian Full and Richard Branscombe.