Speaker Meeting - Woodworking

Club member John Walden gave us an informative talk about working with wood including a detailed explanation of wood turning. Although John is self taught he had a boost along the way when he inherited a set of excellent tools.

He explained the intricacies of woodturning and the various wood turning chisels needed to achieve the various shapes when using a lathe also the use of the chuck to grip the wood as well as the purpose of the faceplate.  It showed that a degree of skill and ingenuity is required.

Getting the finish right with whatever you are doing is extremely important. Start with the roughest sandpaper, sanding until all marks are gone. Change to a finer grade to get rid of the rough sandpaper scratches. Finally, use an even finer grade to get the wood glassy smooth. Although it takes time this enhances the finished object and is vital to obtain a finish to be proud of.

He also explained some of the joins used to make pieces of furniture. His presentation included slides of the various objects that he has made over the years for himself and other people including many for his local church. Many of them very challenging but achieved with a high degree of skill.

The correct choice of wood is extremely important and John explained that with the bottom dropping out of the "brown furniture" market this provided an excellent affordable source of seasoned timber.

Wood is very tactile and it is very rewarding to see the end product. John's enthusiasm clearly showed that working with wood is a wonderful pastime, one of life's pleasures not to be missed.