Another Good Club Night

January 21st 2004 Meeting

Triangular Platter by Paul Nesbit

I arrived a little later than usual this week, the community hall was buzzing with activity and the club lathe was already in the hall along side a smaller lathe, the two cameras were up and running with Don testing the sound. The demonstrator was all ready to go and I just had time to enter my Bobbins in the competition, get my raffle tickets and chat to a few lads and get the list of club library books and video's from Jim Morris.

It was supposed to be a Robert Sorby demonstration tonight but due to matters beyond control he had to cancel, perhaps another evening. Thanks to Ken White a replacement was found a few days ago and after a few announcements we were into another good club night.

The Candlesticks separated...

The demonstrator was Paul Nesbitt, the subject was multi-centre turning and after a brief introduction showing us various drawings and turned pieces that were passed around the audience, he started working on the small lathe. Well it has to be said it takes a lot of thinking about. It was obvious that even he had to think what he was doing at every stage. I guess mainly because once the piece is turning you can't see what's going on. The basic idea is say for a candlestick holder you turn the top for the candle as per normal spindle turning. Then you re-grip the piece in the jaws of the chuck at a slight but calculated angle and then turn a section. You start from the top and work down.

...and joined

Any number of sections can be turned depending on the length of the timber. Can you imagine going to all that trouble and there is only one more centre to go having completed 5 and you've made the wrong cut and lost the piece? Now be honest how many times would you be prepared to start again before you decide there's something on the Tele you really shouldn't miss and gone back indoors? On top of that we are told it's just as easy to create a left-hand spiral to go with your right hand spiral. Well I'm sure it is but not for a while yet. Working on the club lathe now he showed us a whole new meaning to turning between centres and accompanied this with the relevant drawings. Well to prove it can happen to even the best the piece came out of the jaws of the chuck whilst being turned. Now I would put money on it Paul will put that in his next demonstration, because the reaction from the audience suddenly changed from quietly concentrating on this very technical method to a reaction the likes of Jimmy Tarbuck would get on a good night. Despite flying off a number of times the point was made and was well appreciated by one and all.

Competition Entries - Advanced level

Having now written this piece I am intrigued by multi-centre turning and may well try it. If I don't bring a finished piece in to show you then please do me a favour, don't ask how I got on. The usual refreshment break half way through brought to us by Ken and John, thank you lads and the evening finished with a round of applause for Paul. Then the results of the competition, the raffle and a quick chat to the judge about where I went wrong with my lace bobbins.

Another good club night!

The usual chairs away and sweeping up crew busy and home. I won a piece on green Robinia in the raffle. I will start a reference library on timbers for this Web site soon starting with Robinia. And as always there goes another good club night.

Boots 21/01/04