Club Night Report

Wednesday 12th March 2025

Club Night Photos for Wednesday 12th March 2025 - Guest Demonstrator: Robert Till

The demonstrator for the March 2025 meeting was the welcome return of Robert Till (see website: www.roberttillwoodturner.com), who last visited us in February 2024.

Tonight's demonstration was the making of a Mushroom Smokehouse - complete with a chimney on the roof and doors and windows in the body. This is a wet-turning project - made in freshly cut yew - in two pieces. The stalk/ body is made from a log approx. 3 inches diameter by 7 inches long and the cap/ roof from a log approx. 4 inches diameter by 4 inches long.

Starting with the body - Robert mounted the log between centres, utilising a Steb drive. The tailstock end was cleaned up and a tenon to suit his 4-jaw chuck was cut. The part was held in the 4-jaw chuck on the tenon. The end face was cleaned up and slightly hollowed. Using tailstock support - the shape of the body was rough turned - leaving a natural edge. The part was drilled 0.5 inches diameter by approx. 4.5 inches deep. A chucking recess was cut in the end face. A carbide tipped boring bar was used to hollow the inside of the body - aiming for a wall thickness of about 7 mm.
The body was removed from the chuck, reversed and then held on the tenon turned in the base. The outer shape was finish turned and the 'excess' timber/ tenon was parted off - to leave a wall thickness in the top of about 7 mm. The end face was cleaned up - and a tenon to hold/ locate the cap was turned, along with a small recess in the end.
The body was then placed in a plastic bag with a good quantity of wet shavings - to slow down the drying out process.

The roof/ cap blank was mounted between centres, the end face was cleaned up and a tenon cut for the 4-jaw chuck. Mounted in the 4-jaw chuck, the end face (underside of the mushroom cap) was dished. A recess was cut in the end face and was sized to produce a tight fit on the tenon cut on the end face of the body. The roof was rough shaped. Once again, the part was drilled approx. 0.5 inches diameter by 2.5 inches deep - then hollowed/ undercut, to leave a 7 mm wall thickness - and parted-off.
The body was re-mounted in the 4-jaw chuck and the cap was fitted to it. Light cuts were used to complete the turning of the cap. The part was removed from the chuck and the end face of the body was drilled though - 5 mm diameter - about 6-holes to relieve the tension. Standard PVA adhesive was painted on the bottom face of the body and the underside of the cap - used to slow down the drying process. The body and the cap were assembled and then placed in a plastic bag with a good quantity of wet shavings. Robert recommended that they be left for about 1-month (in the workshop) and then inspected to check on the (slow) drying process. Leave the part in the bag until it has dried-out sufficiently to be used.

Robert turned the chimney component from a piece of 1-inch square beech - held in a 4-jaw chuck. The blank was drilled 5 mm diameter by about 4 inches deep. Using tailstock support - the outside was turned to 10 mm diameter - and the top section was shaped. The lower part of the chimney was parted off at 40 mm long. The upper part was parted off at about 50 mm long - then reversed in the chuck and the top section was slightly dished. A small sanding disc was held in the 4-jaw chuck and the ends of the two chimney components were sanded to produce an approx. 90-degree angle when fitted together (super-glued). The position for the chimney was marked on the cap and a 10 mm diameter hole was drilled through at an angle. The chimney would be glued in position.

Robert described how he uses a combination of drills, carving tools and Dremel mounted burrs to cut and shape doors and windows in the body of the mushroom. A multi-coloured, battery LED tea lights can be located in the body. A small heat proof dish - metal bottle cap (?) should be placed in the top of the body to hold a smoke pellet, to produce the smoking chimney. Try searching on eBay for "smoking incense cones" - to find suitable supplies. The final finish applied to the parts is just a personal choice - sanding sealer, oil, wax, lacquer etc.

Tonight, we were treated to an evening of different techniques - making a simple item from wet timber. Tenons, fitting parts together, turning and hollowing were all shown at expert level. Along with hints and tips on working with and drying wet timber. The result was a very attractive 'talking point' item - especially when it was smoking!
Thank you, Robert!

The Display Table was well supported with some interesting items on display...

Don Webster showed a Troika pottery inspired, wide rim bowl decorated with coloured paints and pyrographed lines, along with a blue stained and spin-painted beech bowl. Frans Brown presented a demonstration practice/ test piece made of oak, that had turned grooves (on the back surface) and piercing from the front - sitting on a rustic chair frame held together with dowelled joints. Martin Barrett showed a number of items to include a large thin-walled, hollow form and an ash, stained blue, beaded bowl. He also presented three small goblets turned in very wet laburnum timber, and a small cherry bowl. Martin Stanway displayed a variety of finely turned and finished pens made in acrylics and exotic timbers. Roger Blake showed an ash bowl that had been coloured and decorated with a burr, along with burnt lines, produced with a strip of Formica. Sean Snook presented a large multi-wood platter made from skip-rescued timber - comprising strips of oak flooring, a mahogany door frame and some walnut - held together with Gorilla glue. Tim Mortimer showed a large, thin walled, hollow vase made of elm - with a beaded, partly stained exterior and fitted with a large stained black finial.