Our meeting on Thursday 23rd May 2024 was our 2nd Shield Competition, it was organized by Nick Simpson and Nick’s theme for the competition was Spoons, Ladles and Scoops. The Novice category had a Scoop to make, the Intermediate category had a Matching Ladle or Spoon to make, the Open category had a matching set of 4 Ladles or Spoons to make.
The number of entries was again very poor with the Novice category failing to have any entries at all. The other 2 categories faired a little better with 2 entries in the Intermediate category and 2 entries in the Open category. We have tried all sorts of pressure to get the number of entries for the competitions a bit better to no avail, it appears there is a reluctance with the members to take part in any of the competitions.
In addition to the competition Susan Drew had arranged for some of the lathes to be working whilst the judging of the competition entries was taking place, the turners were Susan Drew, David Hutcheson and Alan Ross.
The judges for this competition were David Ross and David Hobson.
I took a few pictures of the competition entries and of the turners working the lathes, here are those pictures along with a little bit of text.
First the competition pictures, as there were no entries in the Novice category we are starting with the Intermediate category.
Barry Cumming took 1st place in this category with a pair of Oak spoons, in 2nd place was Geoff Potter with his pair of spoons, made from various hardwoods.
Now for the Open category.
Alec Mutch took 1st place in this category with his matching set of 4 spoons made from Sycamore, in 2nd place was Daniel Stewart with his set of 4 matching spoons made from mixed hardwoods.
After the judging David ross addressed the members and told them the judging in both categories was very close, they were all so well made as to make picking of the winners very difficult.
Here are a few pictures of the turners at the lathes.
Picture 1, is Susan Drew the organizer of those working the lathes, her own project was to make a small vase in Beech wood, here she is setting up to start. Picture 2, sees Susan making headway in shaping her vase.
Picture 3, Susan with her finished vase. Picture 4, the show table had a few exhibits, this was one of them a very nice bowl made from Holly that Susan made and decorated the inside with this floral arrangement, and yes the floral arrangement is real not painted on.
Picture 1, Alan Ross starting to work his project, Alan was to make a Quaich from a piece of Beech. Picture 2, Alan has shaped the outside and is sanding to a finish.
Picture 3, Alan brought in a Quaich that he made earlier, this one was made from a piece of Burr Elm and used as an example. Picture 4, is Alan with the one he made at the meeting, the wings on the Quaich have still to be shaped and cut.
Picture 1, is Dave Hutcheson working on a bowl made from African Padauk, a dark red wood that can be quite spicy when being cut. Picture 2, here Dave can be seen sanding the outside of his bowl.
Picture 3, here we see Dave with his finished bowl, the richness in colour can now be appreciated. Picture 4, the show table items brought in by our members, there is always room for some more, don’t be afraid to bring something in, we all like to see what others are making.
I had some enquiries at the meeting about the way I made the 4 winning spoons with the offsets top and bottom. So much so that I have made a couple of pictures with the equipment required and a little bit of the turning as well.
Pictures 1 & 2. This is the chuck I used to create the offset spoons. Picture 3, shows the Wobble chuck being held in the jaws of my Vicmarc chuck, any chuck that can hold a 2 inch diameter will do the same job. At this position the work would be in line with the chuck, and be turned as normal. l Picture 4, shows the chuck rotated 180 degrees, the position it needs to be to get the full offset.
The spoons were made in 2 sections, I am only going to give you a taste of what this chuck can do by only showing how the handles of the spoons were made. Picture 1, the wood blank mounted on the chuck, you will see 2 pencil lines, the 1st (left) is the extent the wood screw penetrates, the 2nd line is the extent of the turning allowing for the parting off. Picture2, turn as normal to this shape and include a small short tenon at the right hand side. Picture 3, The Wobble chuck has been rotated 180 degrees, this picture shows the extent of the wobble by the ghosts created when switched on. Picture 4, the turning of the handle shape almost complete. Picture 5, the handle almost ready to be parted off. The cup section for the spoons was done in just the same fashion, and it would have a mortice to fit the tenon.
All the winners were given a show of appreciation as were the judges and the turners manning the lathes.
Our next meeting is on the 6th June and it’s our Pub Style Quiz, it is being handled by Alan Smith, the membership will be split into several small groups to answer all the questions, most will be about wood and related items including tools, turning and other woodworking items, some general knowledge may creep into the programme, we hope to see you all there.