It’s been a busy and mixed week at The Woodturning Shop this week. There have been loads of students, weather warnings and a troublesome website. Read on for more….
Saturday 12th February
Students Galore!
Les had a very busy Saturday last week with five students coming on their one day beginners course.
The students enjoyed the day learning the basics of spindle and bowl turning and were also treated to lunch at the on-site coffee shop.
Meanwhile on Saturday, Martin had a one to one lesson in his own workshop using the Vicmarc VL300.
Tuesday 15th February
New Wood Burner
Winters get cold in workshops, and with the amount our teaching room is used, Martin and Les would get through two propane bottles a week which is very expensive!
This week though, a brand new 12kw wood burner was installed and brings the teaching room up to 20°
This makes working and learning in there a much more comfortable for everyone.
There will be a safety cage around it in due course.
Thursday 17th February
New Website Live
Our new look website was launched on Thursday after many hours of Martins hard work, often late into the night.
The new look features larger text and images, together with a brand new mailing list. Read more in Martin’s post HERE.
Weather Stops Play!
This week Les also was teaching another group of Beginners on his two day beginner course. Thursday went very well, but the second day of the course had to be postponed due to a RED Weather Warning for Storm Eunice.
All four students have had their second day rebooked. For safety reasons, the shop was also closed on Friday 18th.
Saturday 19th February
First Bowl Turning Improvers Course
Martin held his first Bowl Turning Improvers course on 19th February. Four students came to get to grips with more advanced bowl turning techniques under Martin’s instruction, leaving with a superbly turned and finished piece each.
They tidied up their usual technique and learned new things whilst having a great time doing it! Learning with us is a fun and informal thing to do! 🙂
Les’ Tip of the Week…
Always clean the shavings off your lathe at the end of the day as they can cause the lathe to rust, especially if they are wet or full of tannins like oak and walnut.
Having watched various videos of Martin I visited the shop for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Purchased various items including Yorkshire grit, which I’ve never used before. Wow what an incredible difference it made to the finish, I love this product. Enjoyed the visit, the curved tool rest is excellent and a good price. Excellent breakfast in the cafe 👍