30 Jun 2020 – Demo by Chris Parker & 2020 Revised Programme

A really good turnout for our first online professional demonstration, it was very satisfying to see old faces again in a club night setting and be able to catch up. It was evident from the beginning that although our audience was not physically present that he would conduct his demo within the same way he would if we were actually there. His workshop now setup for online demos still had all the safety gear with air extraction etc. We were able to interact, ask questions, engage in our usual banter and chat between ourselves, albeit via text chat as during the turning as our microphones were turned off.

Chris Parker well known for his texturing and colouring started by explaining his plan for the evening; firstly he would demonstrate the techniques of the Simon Hope and Robert Sorby tools that he uses to add texture and interest to his pieces of work. Firstly he mounted a piece of ash, turned a round bowl shape and proceeded to apply different effects with his spiralling tools to various areas of the work; explained that you would not add all those shown to one piece but that you could mix and match to suit your preference.

We then had a short comfort break with most staying glued, not literally, to our screens whilst Chris mounted a second blank which he explained he would turn, texture and colour to a finish. This was a piece of sweet chestnut that was nicely figured on the inside. Once turned to a curved bottom he moved onto a mini angle grinder with a texturing tool and proceeded to carve random deep grooves into the outside.  A deep blue spirit stain was then airbrushed to cover the whole area, it was encouraging to see that not everything goes to plan and after a little jiggle and some comments from another Chris it covered well. The high points on the texture were then highlighted by dry brushing black and silver acrylic paint; this really brought out the texture and gave the piece a real depth.

The bowl reverse chucked onto a set of Cole jaws to then remove the original chucking point and then show to us as a finished item. All through the demo Chris explained the tools he was using in great detail regarding how they are sharpened and how they should be presented to the work, he showed great care in getting a good finish to the piece, without sanding, and used the correct protective gear when needed. All in a very good night which we hope everyone enjoyed and which we hope will encourage others to join us again for our workshop nights and future exciting demonstration nights that we already have planned.   Courtesy of Ian ‘Zak’ Flack.  Pictures courtesy of Chris Parker.

PLEASE NOTE: All Zoom meetings will open at 6:30 pm with a prompt start time of 7:00pm.  If you know you are going to join late, please let us know, as we will may lock the meeting after its started.

IMPORTANT: For the security of the meeting, we are using the “Waiting Room” function to monitor who is entering the meeting, can you please ensure that your full name is displayed, not your email address, not your device name or anything else.

On entering the meeting if you have not previously created a Zoom account, you will be asked to enter your name. If you have a Zoom account, check in your profile and amend as necessary if its not displaying your full name.  Why do we need this?  If we don’t recognise your name when you appear in the waiting room and its not on the members list who have previously said they want to join these meetings, as the saying goes: If your name ain’t on our list, you ain’t coming in.

All 2020 Zoom meetings are being provided free of charge to our Club members only.  If you have not already paid the 2020 membership fee of £15, contact the Membership Secretary, Alan Selden, via the Form on the Contact page, selecting Membership Enquiry.

Meeting details with the link to join the meeting will be emailed to you 2/3 days before the event, please check your email and if possible place a flag against it when received, that way it will be easy to find on the day.

All Club demonstrator meetings, the microphones will be turned off during the demonstration, however if you have a question please use the chat feature in Zoom to send the question or alternatively use the “Hands Up” function and your microphone will be turned on.

Never used Zoom before or having problems? Have a look on the Zoom website for help, click HERE.

I have now created a dedicated Zoom Meeting Information page that all the above info will be placed, to make it easy to find in future. Go to the Information menu item and you will find it there.

If you have not joined us for a Zoom demo yet, have a look at our revised 2020 programme below, as you will be missing some world class Turners if you don’t!

28 July 2020 – Pat Carroll – Making Shavings – Pat is based in Southern Ireland, check out his website. Pat delivered a one day demo for our club which was greatly received, we welcome him back.

25 August 2020 – Stewart Furini – Turning, Colour and Texture – Stewart is based in Southern England , he enjoys using colour and texture to enhance his turning,  he was a turner at the Chestnut Weekend, he has many videos on “YouTube”.  Check out his website.

29 September 2020 – Richard Findley – Woodturning – Richard is based in Leicestershire, and has demonstrated at our club. Check out his website.

27 October 2020 – Cindy Drozda – Boxes and Finials – Cindy is based in Boulder, Colorado, USA  and is one of the top turners in the world.  Check out her website.

24 November 2020 – Emma Cook – Subject TBC – Emma is a favourite of our club and has delivered a number of demonstrations that have been well received.  Check out her website.

Next meeting is the Workshop Activity Night via Zoom on the 14 July and these will then be every month on the 2nd Tuesday as normal.  These nights are an opportunity to show your woodturning success and failure, have a chat, there is a wealth of knowledge in our club, why not use it?  Also, show us your interpretation of the skills gained from previous demonstration.

Hot of the Press – We are also pleased to tell you that on the 8 Sept meeting, Terry Smart, from Chestnut Products has agreed to do a question and answer session during the evening, so if you have got any questions on how to complete your project, he’s the man to ask.

We are also enquiring with the likes of Record and Robert Sorby to see if we can get them to come along to these meetings to hopefully give some tips etc on the use of Bandsaws and the Pro Edge Sharpening System.  All to be confirmed, but fingers crossed.