Woodturning – Issue 369 – April 2022
English | 110 pages | pdf | 39.28 MB
Being asked to be the guest editor has made me stop and think about what I’ve been doing in woodturning recently. As old age takes over, I’m obviously not as involved as in the past when I was AWGB chairman and International Seminar organiser, so I’ve fallen back to being a hobbyist exploring different aspects of turning.
One area I’ve moved into is ornamental turning, which is a confusing term as a lot of turning is ornamental. What I’m referring to is turning using an antique ornamental lathe and a variety of cutting frames to decorate the work. However, it is very possible to use an ordinary or ‘plain’ turning lathe with
attachments now available, eccentric chucksetc. Try experimenting.
There is one project which started when I was chairman and which I’m still very involved with – that is the Worshipful Company of Turners certificate and diploma
in woodturning. This was initiated by the then master, Peter Ellis, who asked for my support.
The development and roll-out of the certificate has involved a lot of work, the majority being carried out by Peter Bradwick who was employed as a lecturer at a FE college in South Wales. Peter has continued with the project as a liveryman in the Worshipful Company of Turners. Ensuring that the standard is maintained between different venues is one of the many problems.
A much more comprehensive qualification, the Diploma, has now been launched. Elsewhere in this issue there is an up-to-date position of both qualifications.
Please forgive me for concentrating my editorship on the certificate but you will see that a tazza is the test piece required –
I have got my own interpretation in my project, which is a tazza dish mounted on an ornamental box.
I’ve also profiled Jay Heryet: Jay is the professional who teaches the certificate and diploma for the Max Carey Trust at the Mill in Portishead, one of the venues involved at present.
Something I’ve come across recently is Men in Sheds. An ex-work colleague came to me for some basic instruction as his shed had two lathes but no one who could turn. So, if you want to get into turning and there is no club in your area, try investigating your local Shed and see if they have a lathe. If you are an experienced club member you might consider seeing if your local Shed has a lathe and offer some assistance.
Reg Hawthorne
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