Stuart King was our demonstrator for our October meeting and his theme this time was miniature/dolls house size items.

Before he started he couldn’t get his head straight until he realised he hadn’t got his straw hat on!!

Stuart’s first project was a bud vase, or he also called it a weed pot, made from a small piece of yew.
A simple outer shape and a hole drilled down the centre.
He had picked a twig from a bush outside and removed a few leaves but leaving the stalks.
Next he created some flowers from a small piece of hazel. He turned it till it was round, just below the bark, and then cut back along the length a short distance with the point of a skew chisel so that the shaving was curling back but not leaving the wood.
He made three or four cuts in this manner each slightly shorter than the previous one. A little dab of colour and a small hole drilled in to the end and then parted off. It was then pushed on to the end of one of the stalks that had had the leaf removed.
A few of these were made and fitted, the final one being the shape of a tiny Christmas tree.
Hazel is the best wood for these and it has to be wet.

His next piece was a Japanese doll with a mobile head (wobbly to you ‘n’ me).
He turned the head first and the neck had a small ball on the end. This he parted off using one of his many home made tools. This one from a dinner knife by Mappin and Webb no less.
The body was then turned and the end bored out with the hole narrower at the entrance than further in. This allowed the neck to be forced in so that the head can move but not fall off. He painted on a face and a few buttons and there you had it.

Stuart’s third item was a very small box made from alternative ivory. The box was turned using a spindle gouge but this material is best turned using scrapers or the gouge in shear scraping mode.
The lid was the interesting part though. He turned a disc to fit the box and then decorated it using another of his home made tools resembling a circular saw. Mind your fingers!!

Next came a very small goblet with a lid including a spice cup as a finial all made from boxwood.
First the goblet made entirely with home made tools, not sure what from but probably things like obo nails.
The lid was even smaller comprising a cup with a lid which in real life would hold a measure of spices.

He made another goblet, this time with a captive ring. (It broke but I won’t tell if you don’t).
The pound coin gives an indication of it’s size.

Project number five was an example of offset turning to create a bird sitting on a rock.
The head was turned from a dark piece of wood and shaped like a tear drop.
Then the body from boxwood offset to make the neck and legs stand back from the belly.
The rock was a rough turned piece of boxwood with a bit of colour added. Add a couple of bull rushes and wild whatevers all stuck on tooth picks and another talking piece is born.

Right. Item number 6.
There’s no stopping him now and we are into making lid inserts, buttons etc.
Small discs were turned and patterns created using either burrs held in a dremel tool or home made chatter tools.
The discs can be made using any kind of material and coloured, treated with wax and gilt cream.
Stuart used on one of them, yep, he made more than one,
interference paint which he seemed to enjoy smearing on with his finger and then waxed. Acrylic paints also work. Any excuse to get mucky fingers.

Finally his last piece of the day and he decided to make a chess piece including a captive ring and using only a skew chisel. “Just to show you only need one tool, not that box full you have because they are musthaves”
Yea? Try drilling a hole with one.

It was a fun and interesting day.
Many thanks Stuart.

Our next meeting is on Saturday 14th November and Tony Handford is with us for the day. Always a good day with him as he demonstrates his latest ideas on design and what can be done with what on some occasions have looked like really rubbish lumps of wood.
What will he do on Saturday? Come along and find out.

And now just enough room to mention the SAW competition. We are back on top and won the competition thanks to a lot of hard work by Dawn and everyone’s efforts in producing the winning pieces.

Howard Overton won the rosette for best piece on show.

David Reed won the rosette for third placed piece.

On the individual table Paul Hunt won a highly commended rosette for his mulberry vase.

Congratulations everyone.

Notice Board Charity Event
For whatever reason we are unable to have space at Elm Court in November for our charity event in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support.
Detling is also a no go next March so we had to look elsewhere for a venue.
A bit further away from home for most members but we have managed to secure a very nice space at The Woodlands Garden Centre at Ash. It’s about three miles before Brands Hatch on the A20.
We will be there on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd of November. We have a few items for sale but we would appreciate more if anyone has anything to donate.
All items big or small are welcome and if we could have them by the next meeting (The following statement is the words of our Secretary and does not represent a large number of our members) we will love you for ever!!

Graham