Club Night Report

Wednesday 11th February 2026

Club Night Photos for Wednesday 11th February 2026 - Guest Demonstrator: Robert Till

The demonstrator for the February 2026 meeting was the welcome return of Robert Till (see website: https://www.roberttillwoodturner.com), who last visited us in March 2025.

Tonight's demonstration was the making of a Tazza - basically, it's a shallow bowl on a stand. The bowl would be end-grain hollowed - made from a part-seasoned (approx. 1-year old) yew log, and the stand/ pedestal from a piece of yew branch wood.

Robert started by mounting a screw chuck adaptor into a 4-jaw chuck - then drilling an 8 mm diameter hole in the centre of the blank. The drilled blank was then mounted on the screw chuck along with tailstock support. The end face was cleaned up with a bowl gouge. The tailstock was removed and a recess, to suit the chuck jaws, was cut into the end face with a parting tool, and cleaned up with a round skew. Tailstock support was re-applied, and the outside shape of the bowl was rough and finish turned. Great care was taken to keep the bark intact on the edge of the bowl - considering that it was 'spindle turning' the cuts were made from the large diameter down to the centre. The outside of the bowl was power-sanded through the grits.

The bowl was remounted to hold it in the recess on the chuck. The bowl was then hollowed in a series of steps - leaving a 'pyramid' of timber in the centre to provide support. This support was reduced as the bowl was hollowed deeper and the wall thickness of 10 mm was achieved. The bowl was finish sanded through the grits via power and hand sanding.

For the stand - a section of yew branch was mounted between centres (a ring centre was held in the 4-jaw chuck). The recess in the base of the bowl was measured and a tenon was cut at the tailstock end to suit. The part was reversed, and held on the tenon, in a 4-jaw chuck. The shape of the stand was roughed with a spindle gouge - the bark was retained for the foot section. The end face of the foot was slightly hollowed to remove timber from the base - this was done to help prevent splitting as the timber dried.
Note, the stand could have been finish turned at this point, but Robert chose to show an alternative method by fitting the tenon into the recess in the base of the bowl. The assembled components were then mounted on a (home-made) felt faced pad, held in the chuck - and supported by the tailstock. This method provides a clearer view of the overall design shape and proportions of the stand. The stand was finish turned and sanded.
To complete the Tazza the two parts would be glued together. Robert's choice of finish would be multiple coats of finishing oil.

Tonight, we were treated to an evening of making something different - a Tazza - showing end grain hollowing - and maintaining a bark edge. Once again, we witnessed precise, accurate and effective tool techniques in the production of a very attractive item. Thank you, Robert!

The Display Table was well supported and showed a number of interesting items...

Don Webster showed a large shallow bowl made from wet-turned birch and finished with WoodWax 22, along with a spalted rowan (aka mountain ash) bowl - that required several applications of wood-hardener on the softer sections - with a scorched rim. Tim Mortimer presented a small bowl and a 'coffee' scoop - both made from sycamore. Dave Branscombe had three items on display - a small dish made from resin - that looks like stone (?) - he said it turned well with standard tools, was finished with a scraper and was very dusty to work with. Also, a square edge bowl, and a shallow bowl - both made in pine - which, of course demands sharp tools to achieve a finish. Frans Brown showed a round hollowed flask made from sapele, with spalted beech disks set into the faces and a threaded beech stopper. Frans also showed a completed bud vase - that would be the exercise piece scheduled to be used on an upcoming training event. Roger Blake presented a platter, made from beech, with a wide decorated rim - achieved with a Crown spiralling tool and finished with oil. Paul Kohn placed three items on the table - a large, tall clock on a stand with finial decorations, a mushroom group, with a turned pen and a smoke house. Martin Barrett had been busy, and showed six items - a small 'coffee' scoop, four honey dippers in different styles, a small bowl, a tall vase made in cherry with an African blackwood stopper and an oiled finish, another vase, made in oak, also with an African blackwood stopper and a burr oak shallow bowl finished with lemon oil.