The Lockdown Projects - Page 5

On this page there will be displays of work created by Members whilst on lockdown. These are the 'Lockdown Projects'. This is the equivalent of the 'display table' from Club nights. This is Page 5 of the projects - click HERE to display Page 1 and HERE to display Page 2 and HERE to display Page 3 and HERE to display Page 4 or HERE to display Page 6

Here is some of the Members' work created in lockdown…

Paul Dance has been working on a large hollow form or is it a pot? The timber is actually ‘unknown’ – but, is believed to be Ash. It was rough turned when the wood was wet around 18 months ago – left to dry and then finish turned in October. The pot stands 7” tall and is 5” diameter at its widest point. The inside has been sprayed with ebonising lacquer with a red acrylic rim. The finish on the outside is both wax and oil! A product called “Brandon Bespoke - Wax Oil Treatment” (see here: https://brandonbespoke.co.uk/wax-oil-treatment/) was used. Two coats were applied – left overnight to dry and then hand buffed with a cloth to leave a satin finish.

Steve Body writes: "The father of a friend of mine mounts old clock mechanisms in 'interesting' pieces of wood - and also in less interesting plain-shaped round ones. I was asked if I could make an off-centre hole to take a particular mechanism and decided to use my button jaws to achieve this. I kept a 'work-in-progress' photographic record of the exercise and it was only when I looked at the pictures afterwards that I realised how the photo shown here has a likeness to a surprised frog. I thought it might be good for a bit of light relief in the serious world of Lockdown Projects."

Vernon Hughes has been practicing his copy turning skills to make 4 legs in Padauk - for a small table.


Arthur Kingdon has sent some photos of the making of "A Christmas Tree". The timber is apple wood - which turned beautifully on Arthur's standard Nova lathe to produce the initial cylinder/ cone/ tapered shape - it is approx. 7.5" tall when finished. This is the technical bit - the tree was created on a rose engine, pumping a six-lobe rosette, with a spear point drill in a homemade drilling spindle doing the wood removal. It took about three hours to make. The first photo shown below on the left, is a further example of the work produced via this rose engine 'pumping' technique and can be seen on the Lockdown Projects Page 4




Ken Gateley has been busy in his workshop making a variety of items - flat boards, routed shapes, display stands, decorative hanging snowmen and snow 'men' families, along with some Christmas Trees. Here is a single glass dome (approx. 6.5" diameter) cheese display and serving board with a natural edge. Made in Oak and sanded all over.

Two different styles of Christmas Tree in tubs - painted to look like terracotta and timber with metal bands. The green surface has been left 'rough' / unsanded to give the feel of 'foliage'.

Ken has made a display stand in Oak for his Christmas Tree/ hanging ornament snowmen. The horizontal bars were also turned (they are not plain dowel - that would be too easy!) - and have been left loose in the holes to allow for adjustment. In the display shown below - make note that the ribbons for showing the ornaments is intended to match the colours of the hats... Just a comment: when Ken's wife, Jane, first saw the display she said "They were all found guilty and hanged!"


Roger Blake has been busy in his workshop experimenting with a number of different techniques such as: multi-centre turning, bowl turning and wood staining. Some tealights with brass inserts - made in Iroko - finished with sanding sealer and wax - then buffed.

A twisted multi-centre (4 actually) bud vase with a glass 'test tube' insert. Made in Sycamore - finished with sanding sealer and wax then buffed.

A bowl made in Tigerwood - also known as - Brazilian koa, Congo wood, African walnut, courbaril, bototo, zorrowood, and muiracatiara (interesting?). The bowl is approx. 140mm (5.5") in diameter. The finish is sealed, woodwaxed and buffed.

A 300mm (11 3/4") diameter bowl in Bubinga - sealed, woodwaxed and buffed	A candle holder made in Ash. 160mm (6 1/4") tall - coloured with spirit stain and lacquered.

Bob Wells is showing a number of examples of his recent work. He writes: "A friend of mine asked if I fancied making another Ash pierced bowl with a rose wood plinth 220mm diameter x 90mm tall - similar or the same as the one I turned at the start of the year. When piercing the side wall of the bowl into a curved overall shape I made the wall between each piercing too thin - approximately 1 to 1.5 mm on the first bowl. This resulted in breaking through the wall a few times. On the second bowl I increased the wall thickness to 2mm and made the pierced holes smaller, and it all worked out rather well."

A pair of crush grind salt and pepper mills. 350mm (13 3/4") tall x 75mm (3") diameter in Ash with black and white nylon buttons at the top to identify each one. Bob says he has two more in progress at the moment.

A number of Christmas Trees in Yew
Bob writes: "I fancied a project of making an articulated hollowing tool similar to the Hamlet Big Brother System 2. I purchased from Axminster Tools the Big Brother 2 cutter and the cutter protector for approximately £45. I did try to make the cutter out of gauge plate, but couldn't quite get the hardening and tempering right. The first one snapped on a catch the second was too soft. The photos show the main steel shaft and side clamp-on handle - made from a modified cycle pedal arm. Three short articulated extensions two carbide cutter holders, one 10mm and one 8mm dia and the Big Brother hollowing cutter. It's quite a nice tool to use but the gap between the cutter edge and protector is very important and needs to be as small as possible" Additional information and photos on this project are shown on Page 6 of the Lockdown Projects.


Harry writes: "This sphere is made from ash and is 80mm diameter. Multiple, different species of timber inserts – 37 of them - have been inserted into the sphere surface. After turning the sphere, it was finish sanded and given two-coats of cellulose sanding sealer. This was intended to prevent staining the ash surface with the glue and the grain being contaminated with dust when sanding the different timbers. Offcut scraps of spalted beech, burr elm, purple heart, padauk, birch plywood, ebony, laburnum and yew – were accurately turned to different diameters (to match my imperial size Forstner bit cutters) and parted-off to about 3/8” long. Face grain – rather than end grain was used wherever possible – because face grain is ‘prettier’ and easier to machine! Forstner bit cutters of 3/8”, ½”, 5/8”, ¾” and 7/8” diameter were used. Initially, the holes – different sizes, were cut at random into the sphere surface. The inserts were PVA glued in place – helped with a few taps from a wooden mallet. When the glue had set – an overlapping hole was cut – and another insert glued in place. The part had to be re-turned a number of times so that the inserts were almost flush with the surface – otherwise, they were preventing the cup-centres – used to hold the part on the lathe - from aligning and holding the sphere correctly. This was repeated multiple times. The inserts were (eventually) finish turned flush with the sphere surface – a 1” wide skew chisel, laid flat on the toolrest – then used as a (negative rake?) scraper - was found to be the best tool for these interrupted cuts. The part was sanded smooth – and another coat of cellulose sanding sealer was applied. The part was buffed to a high shine – with a final coat of microcrystalline wax. The 2” tall stand is made from burr oak. Owing to the effort and time taken to complete this project – it is unlikely to be repeated" 😊



Mike and Heather Crawshaw have sent some photos of the items they have been working on recently. Mike does the woodturning (wide rim platters - typically 11" diameter) and Heather completes the item(s) with a combination of pyrography and gilding. Along with the platters and bowls Mike has made a collection of lovely Christmas decorations using gilded and painted sea urchin shells - with finely turned and painted finials, and some decoration hangers made from twisted aluminium wire. There are also Christmas trees - made mostly in yew, but also bubinga, walnut, box, olivewood and spalted birch. Finishing off with two small bowls with gilded centres. Mike and Heather are working on creating their own personal Gallery - this will contain photos of the stages/ processes involved in making the sea urchin decorations and loads of other 'interesting' items.






And finally, Dave Groves who admits he hasn't spent much time in his workshop recently - but has been pursuing his other long-time hobby - photography. A recent close-up photograph of an African or Cape Daisy (proper name: Ostospernum), has won him the "Swindon Photography Group - Photograph of the Year 2020" trophy.
	Ostospernum - African/ Cape Daisy (CLICK picture to enlarge)

Coate Water	Lechlade - River Thames

The photograph above on the left was taken at Coate Water (Swindon) and above right is a photo taken in Lechlade on the River Thames. Below, on the left photo was taken at the 'Adam and Eve Stones' at Avebury, Wiltshire. A total of 197 time-lapse exposure photos were taken - one every 25 seconds. They were then 'stacked' one on top of the other to produce a single photo - showing star trails, and the rotation of the earth. The photo on the right (below) was taken at Peatmoor Lagoon, West Swindon.

Something else that occupies a lot of Dave's time is training and exercising his 3 1/2 year old German Shepherd dog 'Buddy'. Dave got him as a rescue dog in September 2018.