Club Night Report

Wednesday 11th December 2013

Club Night Report for 11th December 2013 - observations by Vernon Hughes

The Christmas gathering proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable event despite a late change of format.  Our own Ron Headon had been scheduled to demonstrate the making of Jewellery but had succumbed to a disabling seasonal lurgy.
   
   

Not for the first time the Membership rose to the challenge and filled the gap with a static display of seven Members' work and design capability, augmented by some unusual tooling and a very informative display of the effect of the drying process in timber.
The photographs incorporated into this report paint the picture and serve as a useful reminder of all that could be learned from the extensive and well-presented displays.  The informal mood generated by this approach was most enjoyable with Members milling and circulating around at will, amidst a constant buzz of animated chat.  The 'magnificent seven' were Ian Full, Ian Hooker, Ian Murray West, Roger Jones, Arthur Kingdon, Ken Crittle and Joe Kerrawn.

The other aspects of the evening's entertainment went according to plan and were enhanced by the generous provision of light seasonal refreshments by several dedicated trusties; a hearty "Thank You" to them!
 


Best Item of the Year - in Boxwood
by Ken Crittle



The 'Best Item of the Year' table was impressive and presented Members with some degree of challenge in deciding where to place their votes.  Not surprisingly, in the end Ken Crittle carried off the title with a superb entry of outstandingly original design (a 'Saturn' Box in Boxwood).









 By contrast there was only one entry on the 'Show and Tell' table but the pendant in Yew tabled by Alan Dean was well made and very pleasing to the eye.

There was also a wood recognition challenge - which defeated everyone, but proved to be Magnolia (highly recommended for turning if you can lay your hands on some).








   
   

The highlight of the evening was the unveiling of Ian Hooker's secret project for which many of us had been working on components 'in the dark' over a good chunk of the year (see photographs).

Ian's Project:  We had somehow sensed that magnificence was in the air but even so, few if any of us could have imagined the concept that Ian unveiled.  In studying this - keep in mind that all the 4" and 2" diameter spheres were hollow to obtain a lightweight superstructure.  Ian showed how the main body could be removed easily from its magnificent stand and base.
The piece is destined to be a trophy - to be competed for annually at Royal Wootton Bassett School.  It will be awarded to the top student in the Design and Innovation stream, the inaugural presentation being at Speech Day in Spring 2014.

Ian also told us that this challenge had led to an idea that something 'majestic' be made for Royal Wootton Bassett Council Chamber - so we look forward with some excitement to that enterprise as it unfolds.  Full marks are due to Ian for his own Innovation and Imagination and determination in bringing forward such challenges!

The design came from America and is by Malcolm Tibbetts, "The Tahoe Turner" (see his website here: www.tahoeturner.com).  Malcolm's Gallery will more than take your breath away!  For those of you with internet access, I strongly recommend a visit.
You have to get a long way into the website to find the original of our project, but it is there in all its glory under the title 'Platonic Molecule' and stands 28" tall.  It carries this explanation "The inner sphere is a turned icosahedron (one of the five Platonic solids).  Platonic solids (named for Plato) are three-dimensional shapes constructed from identical two-dimensional shapes".

Personal Footnote:  I had asked Ian whether the design was abstract or representative, i.e. of an atom complete with protons and neutrons, etc.  It is gratifying to find that I was not far out.


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