Another Good Club Night - December 2005

What a busy time I had before this evening. I don't want to detract from the other people who put an enormous amount of effort into tonight but I seem to be leaving everything to the last minute these last few club nights. Tonight is a social night so there's eats and drinks to organise, in addition are the paper games, tables and chairs and most importantly three lathes to set up. Not by me you understand.

I of coarse, only had my competition piece to design, make, decorate, polish and fix the tile, a cheese board was the task, and what a meal I made of it, more on that in another article. In addition I had to remember to polish and present my standard lamp for the gallery, and write a piece for it. Remember to take the wife, chocolate brownies, camera, fliers for Innovations our latest advertiser in the magazine and of coarse my A4 pad for taking notes plus some black bin liner's. Two texturing tools so kindly lent to return and not forgetting the tea roster. I think that was all. Lost a few points though, I had to go back for the wife, I shan't hear the last of that.

So there I am at last arrived at the hall, as predicted everything was set up apart from the odd tweaking here and there. I placed both turned items and found a table to leave my box of bits. Placed a couple of fliers on each table and handed over the bin liners. Met and had a chat with a guest that contacted me through the web site, and bought some raffle tickets. Welcomed a few members and their wives to our table and the evening started.

Don welcomed us all and explained the evenings entertainment, with a few wise cracks we where off and the hall very soon sprang into life. It got quite noisy because Bill was trying to round up enough guys to form three teams to turn, other people where just sorting out what to do and how to do it. I think there was four different games on paper plus the woodturning plus my "How many pieces made up the standard lamp" I didn't want to get tied to the paper games so I moved down to the lathes to watch Bills demonstration explaining the turned apple competition. Looks easy apart from the gouge going into the end of the apple, it put me off to be honest, its not a move I'm confident with on my own and certainly not in front of a crowd. I spent the next part of the evening trying to avoid the laths despite having put my name down for a go, I went out to the kitchen and helped set up the tea & coffee, checked out the competition pieces and took loads of photo's. Went back to the kitchen only to be called to a lathe, I'd blown it, I was called to turn and had left it so late that when I got to the lathe I was the only one there and everybody in the hall seemed to be watching me! Fortunately it had been turned to a round so I just had one end to shape, the gouge in the end bit, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

So there I was with this spindle gouge in my hand and nervously talking ten to the dozen when Bill came over, as I started the cut he held my arm and guided it right round and into the end, easy, well I always thought it would be! What? I signed it Bill Thorne and put it with the others in our group. Thanks to the guys who swept and put the lathes away. So then it was time for some eats, we had a very good spread as always and many thanks to Don and Aileen, they did the preparation at home then the last few bits here. We are very lucky to have as these two as they serve us very well at all catering functions throughout the year.

The novice competition was to turn a group of Toadstools and present them on a log; well Steve as inventive as ever presented his on a Yule log, very clever, and a nice piece to. So it was at this time that it was cut into slices and eaten, fortunately I took a photo first. I caught the judge eating a piece and I smartly said, "You are not allowed to eat the exhibits" he thought for a while and replied " Oh yes I am, the judge said I could" you cant argue with that can you.

With all the food away we moved onto tea and coffee while Don gave out the results of the turning competition, our judge Eric won best apple and guess who won worst, yes it was me, well the tools where blunt and the timber was rotten what can you expect? There was a deciding question for the paper quiz and the results of the two galleries read out. Ken made a presentation to aileen for her efforts in the catering department and I explained how many pieces in my standard lamp. Last but not least there was the raffle, the top/first prize was three hours tuition from Paul Nesbit a professional turner who did a demonstration for us in July 2005. New member Steve won this prize, it couldn't have happened better, Paul is based up near Reigate somewhere, just minutes from where Steve works, he was well pleased. I had a ticket come up and took a pack of nylon, steel and brass wire brushes; I tried to swap it with Eric's callipers but to no avail. With that over Don wished us all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year and the tidying team went into action.

Thanks go to the half a dozen or more people who set to and ran the tea/coffee; it was nice to see guys volunteering, it was presented, poured, put away and money counted very efficiently. Also thanks to those who put the effort in to make tonight the success it was, it's very much appreciated by all those present. Very quickly the hall was clear and carpets vacuumed, we all picked up our bits and pieces and the lights went out. And there goes another good club night.

Boots - December 2005