Club Meeting: 18 June 2025
Report by: Ian Connelly

The demo started in only a way that it would start with Mr Veitch, where he started by talking about cleaning the lathe bed, do not use oil on the bed it attracts dust, use dri-glide or wax. First clean the bed with 0000 steel wool, then apply the product and spread it over the lathe bed. With wax leave it for a short time and buff the surplus off.

Several years back Dick attended a demo in the USA that showed the emphasised the use of the grain in the wood to look wonderful in every way. Rather than colouring, texturing and other ways to try and make work stand out.

Dicks first piece of wood was a graft from an apple tree, he mounted it on a screw chuck, with the tailstock up.

He then cut a bowl profile using draw cuts, removed the tailstock support and cleaned up the bottom of the bowl.

After examining the bottom Dick declared it to be a bit sappy, so took some more off and reformed a spigot.

He the formed an ogee at the bottom of the bowl to give it more “lift”.

With a couple more cuts, refining the shape it revealed the beautiful grain that had formed around the graft.

Dick then talked about a couple of blanks he had, and questioned how to make the most of the woods features.

A piece of juniper he had, was ideal as a box blank, but with the contrast of sap wood and heart what would make a suitable lid?

A large flat piece of swamp kauri had another piece of wood glued to it to use as a spigot to maximise the use of the available timber.

An important point was if you are planning to carve or pyrography a piece then you need to design the piece with that in mind. Embellishment should not be tacked on, in need to be part of the piece.

Then Dick took two pieces of fir and turned one with the grain cupping up, the other with it cupping down to show the contrast in grain patterns.

As always an interesting and thought provoking demo for Dick.