Report on events in May
The auction of woodworking tools and equipment went very well with only one lot remaining unsold. The auction raised a total of £1540, with the Club retaining our commission of £586 for Club funds. Thanks to everyone who bought items and to those who organised the sale, especially Judith and David who did most of the work.
Spring Fling weekend. The demo by Margaret Garrard was excellent; she showed us some involuted turning, some straightforward spindle and faceplate turning and the process of making one of her signature 2mm thick pierced and coloured bowls. Only 24 tickets were sold, however sales of wood and raffle tickets meant that we made a small profit overall.
The Watch, Try and Buy days were a new venture for us – we had no idea how they would go. Overall, we think they went pretty well; Sunday was much busier than Monday and although we were never mobbed with visitors there was a good buzz around the workshop. We recruited at least one new member. We took a total of about £350 from Have-a-go fees, sales of wood, sales of turning, and teas. The Committee met on the Tuesday immediately after the weekend to review how it went and note down the learning points for any future event. Again, thanks are due to everyone who helped to make the whole weekend a success.
June
We have taken delivery of a new Jet 1221VS lathe for you to play with and have also ordered a Sorby ProEdge Plus sharpening system. The lathe has the same spindle thread as the big Jet lathe so you can use the Evolution chuck on either. To give us maximum flexibility we have ordered 2 exerts so that we can use the Patriot or SuperNova chucks on either of the Jet lathes as well. We also have two face plate rings for the standard C jaws on the Evolution chuck, and a couple of clamps for positioning extractor hoses on a lathe. These purchases mean that we have pretty well spent our Lottery grant.
The topic for this month is a demo of making Mallets with Phil J.
The competition item is a plate for FOOD use. When marking an item you need to ask yourself – would I be happy to eat my dinner off this ?? For example – is the wood species known to be non-toxic, is it infected with fungi i.e. spalted, are there any cracks or features which could hold bugs, is the finish Food Safe ?
The Wood of the Month is Yew.
The first of Roger’s have-a-go sessions for a local Scout troop was last Thursday, with two more scheduled. It went well, woggles and a pen were made and we have heard good reports.
July
Note that there is NO Club meeting in July. Turning Tuesdays will continue.
And finally . . .
A couple of dates for your diaries . . . .
Saturday 12, Sunday 13 July the Club will be at the Kirkcudbright Country Fair.
Saturday 2 August we will be at the Dumfries Show.
Volunteers to help at either event would be welcome.
When Phil J enabled the Register feature on the web site it was immediately hacked and loads of spurious registrations made, so it had to be disabled again. Phil has registered everyone for whom we have an email address and you should be receiving emails from the site. If you have an email address and haven’t received emails from the Club site recently, please speak to Phil J.
We are going to offer a Taster session for any one who wants to try woodturning, details are on our web site on the new Courses page. These will be held along side Project Mondays, which will start on Monday August 4.
Would you be interested in seeing a demo of the Kel McNaughton Bowl Saving system, probably as part of a Turning Tuesday ? If enough people are interested we’ll fix a date and post it on the web site.
A reminder that we have an extra Tuesday meeting in September, Nick Arnull will be demonstrating on the 23rd, 7-9pm. Tickets are available tonight, price £5. Nick will also be teaching a masterclass that day, 10am-4pm, price £75. This is a great opportunity to work with a highly regarded turner and get an injection of new ideas into your turning right on your doorstep. Otherwise to work with Nick you could always go to his place in Norwich ! Contact Roger Cutler to book a place.
Border Woodturners are hosting a demo by Irish woodturner Eugene Grimley on Sunday 22 June. Eugene is the Vice Chair of the Irish Woodturners Guild and will be demonstrating pieces that the average turner can make. The cost is usually £6, with lunch available for £2.