I've been in my workshop over the last couple of days tidying up, putting things away putting shelves up and getting nails and screws and other fittings into labled containers so that I can find things easier.
I have just fitted in my latest tool, a combination grinder with wire brush one, end and polishing mop the other. I have recently made myself a tool sharpening jig for my turning chisels.
I saw it on You-tube video being demonstrated by the designer John Robertson and it was so simple to make out of a couple of pieces of ply and a few nuts and bolts and it works really well, please look out for photo's of jig soon.The link for this item:www.tinkerjohn.com.
I went to a wood turning show recently at Harogate 19th & 20 th Nov. in my camper and stayed on site it was great, it was two very busy days, first day arrived at 11am about an hour after the doors opened and it was packed solid I had trouble finding a parking space until I saw one of the parking marshalls and had a word, showed him my blue badge he got straight on his radio then directed me to the other side of the car-park where his college was waiting to direct me into a space closer to the venue.
I got to the door handed in my ticket and started to wonder around. I bought some wax polish, finishing oil, and a set three extra long wood bits ideal for boring when makeing table lamps, I got a bargain all three bits for £3.00. I went and watched some of the demonstrators turning and woodcarving.
I came out of the show first day at 5.pm as it closed but I was shattered, I got into my and got the kettle on and made a brew, and cooked something to eat,I felt much better after something eat and drink then I made a few phone calls and got settled down with a book. There was no signal on my tv so I could not watch that, looked on my laptop until the battery went flat, so I read a bit more of my book and then tucked hoping for a good nights sleep.
It was not too bad and the next morning I was awakened by my mobil alarm at 8.00am got up washed, shaved, had a drink and my breakfast by 9.00 am and sat reading my book until the doors opened at 10.am. For my second day at the show.
My first port of call was a stand was selling extraction systems and I needed some for my workshop, by buying at the show I saved about £18.00 the system yhat I had in was all bits and pieces of differant size piping, now I have box of all the right fittings to put full system right around my workshop with blastgates (Openings) at differant points where I can use a tool at another part of the workshop to take away saw dust and shavings. I bought great sanding grinding and polishing set that fits into a drill, and some great varnish two coats and it leaves a mirror finish, it's heat resistant to.
I went to my son's school christmas market last Friday and I had a table with some of my wood turning on show. There was quite a lot of interest in my work, sold a couple of pencils, and a bowl. The school are now interested in having me back to demonstrate wood turning, to the 5th & 6th year pupils, I am really looking forward to that some time in the new year.
Amongest my latest projects are refillable perfume bottles, I made some mistakes at first, but once I get things into the right order, everything started to go ok.
On the first one I tried to turn the item, then put the hole in for the bottle, and blow the first one to pieces. Then I put the hole into a piece of stock, turned the shape that I wanted, then sanded and polished to finish after that it seemed to be all plain sailing and there dont seem to be a problem.
If anyone would like one of these perfume bottles as a gift please click the contact link and let me know by Email.
Boxing day 2010 we have been down to our local beach this morning where people gather every year to take part in the boxing day dip. It's all done for charity, some people get dressed up into differant costumes some bought some self made and then they race across the beach on the signal from one of the organizers jump up and down in the sea for about 2-3 minutes, and out to the cheering of the crouds, and then get dressed in one of the coaches provided by a local company.
Iv'e been to our Davids school recently and met with the Head & deputy Head to show some of my clocks, they bought one for the office and I spoke with the head misstress after, about giving a talk to her class about wood turning, I should be getting a call about end of Feb begining of March and speak to 6th grade. I'm quite looking forward to it.
I have recenly spoken to the head mistress at David's school and she said that they are looking to having me there to demonstrate wood turning just after half term, which is 28th Feb when the children go back to school so I think I'll be going in 1st-2nd week March keep looking thanks.
I sent for some pieces of yew, just after the new year break never turned yew before I found it quite interesting, and the shaveings peeled off like cheese I found it a very easy wood to turn. A few cracks have apeared so I have turned, sanded, and polished the outside then I have left it to see what happends with the cracks over the next couple of weeks, before finishing the inside.
The piece of Yew turn out to be a disaster it split realy bad, and ruind the piece of work so I have put to one side in just case it was not completly dry, and in about three months time I will remount it on the lathe and see what I can do with it.
I will be getting a video done over the next few weeks, so hoping to show some of my woodturning skills on YOU TUBE please look out for it, and leave your comments, and feel free to ask any questions.
Went to my 1st craft show on Saturday at Guisborough about twenty miles away took my camper and my wife Joan and we stayed over night so that we did not have race around in the morning, just got up when my alarm
went off I got up and made tea and breakfast then we got ready to take things into the show at 9.am and people started to come in at 10am.
There was quite a busy flow of people all day untill 3.30 and we quite enoyed it, did not expect to take a fortune but we took enough to cover the the stall money, and my fuel to get there and back.
We had quite a lot of interest in my work, and lots of questions about how different things were made so I have booked a room in Sunnyfield house where the craft show was, and will be doing a wood turning demonstration on the 11th June from 10 am untill midday, we will be holding a raffle in aid of Air Ambulance.
I am looking forward to the day because I love what I do, and love to tell people about it.
I still haven't been invited to my sons school to talk about wood turning, but hoping that I will be soon.
Nothing has happend yet this year regarding my visit to East Whitby School to talk to the pupils in year five about wood turning, and it's almost a year round since I was invited, there will be a Christmas fair on the the 4th of Dec at the school maybe I'll mention it again then.
I have some inturnal repairs to sort out in my workshop this year, a few months ago i dropped something down the back of a work bench, when I got on the floor to retreive it I found that part of my floor had rotted away, and needed replacing.
Two months on and I have now got a complete new floor in the workshop, and two benches, a 9ft one to the left and a 6ft one to the right for my lathe to go onto. I was given a shelf unit by a friend and i have put that up on the left side wall to take some clear plastic boxes that I keep screws, nails and other bits in.
I have just fitted in my latest tool, a combination grinder with wire brush one, end and polishing mop the other. I have recently made myself a tool sharpening jig for my turning chisels.
I saw it on You-tube video being demonstrated by the designer John Robertson and it was so simple to make out of a couple of pieces of ply and a few nuts and bolts and it works really well, please look out for photo's of jig soon.The link for this item:www.tinkerjohn.com.
I went to a wood turning show recently at Harogate 19th & 20 th Nov. in my camper and stayed on site it was great, it was two very busy days, first day arrived at 11am about an hour after the doors opened and it was packed solid I had trouble finding a parking space until I saw one of the parking marshalls and had a word, showed him my blue badge he got straight on his radio then directed me to the other side of the car-park where his college was waiting to direct me into a space closer to the venue.
I got to the door handed in my ticket and started to wonder around. I bought some wax polish, finishing oil, and a set three extra long wood bits ideal for boring when makeing table lamps, I got a bargain all three bits for £3.00. I went and watched some of the demonstrators turning and woodcarving.
I came out of the show first day at 5.pm as it closed but I was shattered, I got into my and got the kettle on and made a brew, and cooked something to eat,I felt much better after something eat and drink then I made a few phone calls and got settled down with a book. There was no signal on my tv so I could not watch that, looked on my laptop until the battery went flat, so I read a bit more of my book and then tucked hoping for a good nights sleep.
It was not too bad and the next morning I was awakened by my mobil alarm at 8.00am got up washed, shaved, had a drink and my breakfast by 9.00 am and sat reading my book until the doors opened at 10.am. For my second day at the show.
My first port of call was a stand was selling extraction systems and I needed some for my workshop, by buying at the show I saved about £18.00 the system yhat I had in was all bits and pieces of differant size piping, now I have box of all the right fittings to put full system right around my workshop with blastgates (Openings) at differant points where I can use a tool at another part of the workshop to take away saw dust and shavings. I bought great sanding grinding and polishing set that fits into a drill, and some great varnish two coats and it leaves a mirror finish, it's heat resistant to.
I went to my son's school christmas market last Friday and I had a table with some of my wood turning on show. There was quite a lot of interest in my work, sold a couple of pencils, and a bowl. The school are now interested in having me back to demonstrate wood turning, to the 5th & 6th year pupils, I am really looking forward to that some time in the new year.
Amongest my latest projects are refillable perfume bottles, I made some mistakes at first, but once I get things into the right order, everything started to go ok.
On the first one I tried to turn the item, then put the hole in for the bottle, and blow the first one to pieces. Then I put the hole into a piece of stock, turned the shape that I wanted, then sanded and polished to finish after that it seemed to be all plain sailing and there dont seem to be a problem.
If anyone would like one of these perfume bottles as a gift please click the contact link and let me know by Email.
Boxing day 2010 we have been down to our local beach this morning where people gather every year to take part in the boxing day dip. It's all done for charity, some people get dressed up into differant costumes some bought some self made and then they race across the beach on the signal from one of the organizers jump up and down in the sea for about 2-3 minutes, and out to the cheering of the crouds, and then get dressed in one of the coaches provided by a local company.
Iv'e been to our Davids school recently and met with the Head & deputy Head to show some of my clocks, they bought one for the office and I spoke with the head misstress after, about giving a talk to her class about wood turning, I should be getting a call about end of Feb begining of March and speak to 6th grade. I'm quite looking forward to it.
I have recenly spoken to the head mistress at David's school and she said that they are looking to having me there to demonstrate wood turning just after half term, which is 28th Feb when the children go back to school so I think I'll be going in 1st-2nd week March keep looking thanks.
I sent for some pieces of yew, just after the new year break never turned yew before I found it quite interesting, and the shaveings peeled off like cheese I found it a very easy wood to turn. A few cracks have apeared so I have turned, sanded, and polished the outside then I have left it to see what happends with the cracks over the next couple of weeks, before finishing the inside.
The piece of Yew turn out to be a disaster it split realy bad, and ruind the piece of work so I have put to one side in just case it was not completly dry, and in about three months time I will remount it on the lathe and see what I can do with it.
I will be getting a video done over the next few weeks, so hoping to show some of my woodturning skills on YOU TUBE please look out for it, and leave your comments, and feel free to ask any questions.
Went to my 1st craft show on Saturday at Guisborough about twenty miles away took my camper and my wife Joan and we stayed over night so that we did not have race around in the morning, just got up when my alarm
went off I got up and made tea and breakfast then we got ready to take things into the show at 9.am and people started to come in at 10am.
There was quite a busy flow of people all day untill 3.30 and we quite enoyed it, did not expect to take a fortune but we took enough to cover the the stall money, and my fuel to get there and back.
We had quite a lot of interest in my work, and lots of questions about how different things were made so I have booked a room in Sunnyfield house where the craft show was, and will be doing a wood turning demonstration on the 11th June from 10 am untill midday, we will be holding a raffle in aid of Air Ambulance.
I am looking forward to the day because I love what I do, and love to tell people about it.
I still haven't been invited to my sons school to talk about wood turning, but hoping that I will be soon.
Nothing has happend yet this year regarding my visit to East Whitby School to talk to the pupils in year five about wood turning, and it's almost a year round since I was invited, there will be a Christmas fair on the the 4th of Dec at the school maybe I'll mention it again then.
I have some inturnal repairs to sort out in my workshop this year, a few months ago i dropped something down the back of a work bench, when I got on the floor to retreive it I found that part of my floor had rotted away, and needed replacing.
Two months on and I have now got a complete new floor in the workshop, and two benches, a 9ft one to the left and a 6ft one to the right for my lathe to go onto. I was given a shelf unit by a friend and i have put that up on the left side wall to take some clear plastic boxes that I keep screws, nails and other bits in.