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Tony Handford received the award for turning of the month from Chris Eagles, Pat Hughes got the highly commended certificate and Brian Love and Mike Windsor both received commended certificates for their entries. Today we had a return visit from Chris Eagles who had Paul on his hands and knees last time splitting logs with a big hammer and a splitter. His programme was different this time and he got us involved in a different way. But he started off his day with a discussion on the history of hollowing tools and how they have changed over the years (and how they get more expensive with each design!) He first used a hook tool that had been made from cast steel and although it looked a bit crude it cut well but took some controlling. He then moved on to ring tools emphasising that they should be tilted over no more than 5 past 12. Next came the VCT which basically uses a round scraper tip and finally he ended up with the very expensive Rolly Munro tool (the small one costs around £130) which can be used for quite aggressive cuts and are man enough to turn deep hollow vases. Chris’s first object of the day was to make a necklace stand and this is where he got us all involved. The design of the spindle was down to us and we had to tell him where we thought the position of the high spot on the large diameter and the narrow of the trough should come so that they both flowed with a graceful curve. “Nothing should have straight lines because these don’t occur in nature, just take a look at any tree” said Chris. Also the base. The ladies decided it should be dished so that rings could be laid in it. The spindle was turned and then the base came next. This was cross grain and a hole was bored to accept the spindle and faced off to form the bottom. It was then reversed and held in the bore and the top face turned with a recess as the ladies suggested. If you are using a gouge and you are getting a lot of bounce try a smaller tool with less bevel in contact. He also showed us that a ring tool can be used on cross grain. Finally the top was turned. The design here was to create a set of small arms that necklaces would hang from and this was achieved by drilling holes around the face after it had been turned and faced off. The holes were drilled by holding a pistol drill in a drill wizard that was mounted in the tool post and set in to meet a centre line scribed around the face. After drilling the holes using the indexing ring to get them equally spaced the face was dished and the outside rim was turned to cut through the edge of the holes and so creating the arms. Chris had a small problem as you will see in the photo but luckily he had another one he made earlier!! The final touch was to make a finial to top it off. Chris rounded off the day by making a hanging pomander with a cylindrical body that was perforated using a Dremel machine with a small cutter. The top and bottom had a 6mm hole drilled through them through which a long ribbon with a tassel at one end (made by Chris’s wife who does patchwork quilting and embroidery etc.) was passed so that it could be hung up. That was it for February. Our next meeting is on the 8th March and Les Thorne will be with us for the day. Les has been on the demo circuit for several years and his repertoire is quite varied. Graham
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