WSWT Newsletter, May 2009

Meeting Report –Sunday May 3rd

In the temporary absence of Mark Hughes your chairman acted as a temporary, if inadequate, substitute as newsletter editor. This denied all of you the opportunity to enjoy the traditional and unfair comments about the chairman’s joke of the day. An attendance figure of 81, despite it being a bank holiday weekend and with a number of members exhibiting at Petworth, was a reflection on the attraction of our own and only professional turner Peter Coxall. Peter had not turned for some months but was soon feeling such enthusiasm that he claimed he had been turning for 40 years but admitted later that it was 64 years! Peter demonstrated the making of a condiment set (the subject for next months competition). I was fascinated by his use of the skew chisel as a scraper, shear scraper and a finishing tool of quality. Equally fascinating were the use of Forstner bits to speed up hollowing out, use of melamine as a finisher for the insides and the importance of using a base plug of a size that when the article is finished you can’t see the join. A really good day. Thank you Peter.

June meeting

Competition – all levels a condiment set.

Practical day. We will have three lathes working and demonstrators Alan Fielding and Jim Young will be wet turning. Ray Jackson will let sparks fly in grinding and sharpening tools. Please bring your skew chisels, learn how to sharpen them and then learn how to use them with Peter Coxall.

Situations vacant.

Our year will soon be coming to a close and we are looking for a replacement for Don Pollard as events organiser. Don is very willing to give support initially and much of next years programme is already in place. Talk to Don or any committee member (there are usually four committee meetings a year on a weekday evening by agreement at the previous meeting)