Club Night Report
Wednesday 13th July 2022
Club Night Photos for Wednesday 13th July 2022 - Guest Demonstrator - Les Thorne
Les's demonstration for the evening was entitled: "The completely useless boxy, hollowey, formy thing, with a totally pointless finial with a point". As a description for an item of woodturning - that is going to be pretty hard to beat! Les showed a couple of finished examples of "The completely useless boxy…" piece so we knew in advance, we were in for a treat of woodturning expertise and techniques.
The starting point was an oak blank approx. 4 inches diameter by 7 inches long - held between centres. Les turned it 'round' and showed how an equivalent 220 grit finish could be achieved purely from how you used/ presented a spindle roughing gouge. A spigot was turned and the piece was mounted in a 4-jaw chuck. The 'lid' to cover the base of the 'vase' was made - woodturners decorative grooves added and parted off.
Les proceeded to carry out the end-grain hollowing of the part - mainly using a spindle gouge - then showing the use of some different carbide tipped tools - explaining the good and bad points of each. The Simon Hope Pro hollowing tool, equipped with a 6 mm diameter carbide tip was particularly effective at removing material quickly. The open end was finished to be a close fit on the 'lid' made earlier.
The outside shape was then turned - starting as a deep cove, then turned into a smooth ogee curve with particular care taken with the transition point between the two shapes - with added tailstock support. The part was reversed onto a soft (pine) jam chuck - extra security was added via some wide masking tape. The neck shape was completed and then the tailstock centre was withdrawn whilst the end was 'trumpetised' to accommodate the finial. A 5 mm diameter hole was drilled in the end.
The masking tape was removed and Les decorated the outside - very unconventionally - with a precisely applied 20-tpi hand thread chasing 'texturing' tool - very simple and very effective!
The part was coloured with water-based stain and highlighted with embellishing wax.
The finial was made from beech, held in a 4-jaw chuck - and turned in one-piece - parted-off to fit the 5 mm hole in the top of the part.
In conclusion, Les delivers a constant flow of explanation and advice throughout his demonstrations, always in teaching mode - often referring to and showing why something happens and then how to avoid it - e.g. a 'catch' when hollowing or when using a scraper.
At all times he displays faultless technique and efficient working. An excellent, engaging evening, full of humour and interaction with the audience.
Thank you, Les!
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The Display Table was well populated -
with an array of interesting items.
Bill Savage showed his 'golf-ball' presentation bowl -
made in oak with an African blackwood finial and a hand chased threaded
lid, acorn box made of boxwood.
Tim Mortimer presented a large urn made in sapele with
a dyed rock maple finial.
Ken Crittle showed a 3-lobed dish made in apple wood.
A large shallow bowl made in rippled ash was shown by Bob Wells.
Phil Lawrence replaced the plastic scales on a Swiss
Army knife with ones he made in birds-eye maple.
Martin Barrett displayed a holm oak bowl along with a
platter made in sycamore and a pot-pourri bowl with a cast lid.
A shallow, wide rim bowl with a textured rim, produced with Dremel
tooling and stained a brilliant blue was displayed by Roger
Blake.
There were several other items on the table, but unfortunately, not
photographed (sorry) from: Arthur Kingdon, Richard Balmforth and Richard
Branscombe
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