The Association of Woodturners of Great Britain

Chairman: Ken Rodgers

Secretary: Paul Sharman. Treasurer: TBA Events Secretary: David Ritchie.

THIS MONTH’S PROFESSIONAL DEMONSTRATOR

Shaun Clifford

This month’s professional turner is Shaun Clifford. He is renowned for turning "wet" wood and enhancing

its appearance by incorporating any imperfections into the finished piece and adding his signature ring

decoration where possible. Shaun describes his work as organic and particularly enjoys statement pieces.

Examples of Shaun’s work

He is based in Suffolk, close to the Village of Bildeston, where he works full time as a professional

woodturner from his permanent workshop. Tuition is available and accommodation can be provided

locally.

On the evening he was using a half

log slice which he intended to turn

into a similar winged bowl as one

he produced previously.

He showed it to members so they

could see what he was aiming to

create.

He had a faceplate screwed to the flat edge and mounted the piece on the lathe, the first object being to

flatten the bottom. With an irregular shape such as this he started with a slow speed and only built it up as

the piece became lighter and more regular in shape.

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The Association of Woodturners of Great Britain

Using a standard bowl gouge the base was

flattened and he started to take away unwanted

wood leaving the central section that was to be the

bowl. As the top edge had a crack in it, he decided

to leave about 1½in thick wings that will be

reduced once the piece was turned around.

When a lot of the wood had been removed it

looked rather like a hat. (Now there’s an idea).

Using a swept back bowl gouge he took heavy cuts

to reduce the bowl shape and shear-scraped the

wings to get a smooth finish.

A large spigot (90mm) was formed on the base as

Shaun likes to have a really good grip on large

pieces. Because of its size the spigot could be

incorporated into the curve of the final bowl shape.

On the underside he used a negative rake scraper

which he feels produces a finish equivalent to

using 800 grit abrasive paper.

He completed the underside with his signature

ring decoration.

He then showed an example of stippling that he would

finish the end grain edges with.

At this stage they were still rough cut.

One thing Shaun did emphasize was how he hated sanding and would avoid it wherever possible hence the

careful shear scraping and use of the negative rake scraper.

The piece was taken off the lathe and the spigot mounted into the large

gripper jaws. He pointed out the crack in the surface and explained how he

likes to incorporate faults in his work by enhancing them with decoration or

colour (black only), or repairing larger cracks using things such as Ebony

biscuits or “butterflies” to create unique features.

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Using his trusty bowl gouge

Shaun reduced the top down to

roughly 12-15mm and took out

some of the bowl area.

He believes in leaving the

central core as it adds strength

to the piece which would

otherwise move due to the

stresses in the wood, in

particular large long pieces.

Shaun mentioned how he uses a heat gun to dry the surface of wet wood down to 2-3mm depth prior to

enable sanding (his pet hate) where necessary.

The outer edges where finished

using the negative scraper

before a raised ring around the

bowl was produced which he

decorated using a Dremel and

small ball cutter.

To highlight the texturing he

used a blow lamp to scorch the

surface which brought the

texturing to life.

All that remained was to finish

taking out the remaining core

with his bowl gouge and a

heavy duty scraper. He then

sharpened the scraper simply

by rubbing a cheap diamond

hone on the upper flat surface.

The end grain edges were then

planed using a small block

plane and textured again with

the Dremel and ball cutter.

It was a very interesting session that clearly shows how working with “wet” wood is possible as opposed to

seasoned wood that is more commonly used.

The finished article.

The Association of Woodturners of Great Britain

THIS MONTH’S TABLE ENTRIES

CHAIRMAN’S

CHOICE:

This month’s choice is

Roger Groom’s super

little vase in black

with a textured bowl

and pierced flared

rim.

AROUND THE CLUBS: Check out these woodturning clubs around the country.

http://ddwc.co.uk/ http://www.devonwoodturner.co.uk/ http://www.didcotwoodturners.co.uk/ http://dougswood.blogspot.co.uk/2013_11_01_archive.html http://info.dumgal.gov.uk/ClubsandOrganisations/Home/Details/4323

YOU TUBE: Check out these woodturning videos published this month.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvGhkvWOF7Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOyG2vyBnk4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOiJWZhBgBw

https://youtu.be/iLJqVchwYaw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=binB1oNLM7w

The Association of Woodturners of Great Britain

FUTURE EVENTS:

Simon Hope All Day Workshop Saturday 8th October 2016

The Senior Citizens Club, Recreation Ground Road, Sprowston, Norwich. NR7 8EWOr visit:

http://www.norwichwoodturners.co.uk

NEXT MONTH’S DEMONSTRATOR:

Paul Howard on 8th September Paul is a master of jigs and innovation, so if you fancy trying some of them, make sure you have a good few

pounds in your pocket as he will no doubt have some with him.

TRAINING

Next “Improvers Night” - Monday 26th September at 7.00pm Because we do not have a training night in August and have one new member who is trying to finish his

course and need to accommodate this, a few sessions are being held in my workshop.

Should anyone else need help please contact me: David Ritchie.

WOOD CHOPPERS BALL ARRANGEMENTS Over the next 2 months we will need to formulate what we intend to do for the next Wood Choppers Ball at

Christmas. Please discuss it with your partners and should there be anything you would like to include then

let me know by the August meeting. David Ritchie

FINALLY - SADLY MISSED

Both John Robinson & Terry Merry had been club members for a number of years, and

we will all miss John's dry humour, big smile and tales of the one that got away. Terry's

(nic name mole grip) frequently smiled at our attempts to undo things he had done up by

hand, also enjoyed his fishing and for the last few months did a great job as the club

treasurer. They were both great club members, friends, and top guys. They will indeed be

sadly missed.