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Ryedale Woodturners
Dennis Wake returned for another demonstration, following his visit last May, and an interactive remote demonstration in May 2021.
He planned to do three small projects - a hinged trinket bowl, a post-box shaped money box, and an apple.
Hinged trinket box
Dennis started with a square blank of ash. It was turned to round with a roughing gouge. Some safety pointers - start a little way in from the corner and turn away from it, leaving a shoulder near the chucking end. This reduces the chance of a catch on the corner if the tool was presented right at the end. You can then take off the shoulder formed by reversing your hands and turning carefully towards the chuck. Test the hinge for a good fit.
The exterior of the bottom of the box was shaped and the inside was hollowed first with a bowl gouge (or perhaps a spindle gouge), and then refined with a scraper, which had been sharpened all the way down the blade on the left side. The inside was sanded, sealed and finished with a Hampshire Sheen wax. A thin chucking band was added inside so it could be reversed and held by the chuck in expansion.
With the box base reversed and held with expanding jaws, the spigot was turned off, and a slightly concave base made. The outside was then sanded, sealed and finished. Dennis was using his Axminster chuck. He pointed out that Axminster now make their jaws so that their outer radius matches the radius of the chuck body when they are at the ideal holding diameter.
The bottom finished, Dennis then mounted the second part of the ash block and turned this to form the top of the box. Essentially a repeat of the base - checking the hinge fitting, sanding, sealing, finishing, reversing to take the spigot off. The grain needs to be checked for matching top and bottom before the hinge is glued in place
Post-box money box
For his second project, Dennis chose a money box shaped as a post-box. This was a Tony Wilson project, and Tony had given his permission to use it.A slot had been cut while the block was still square - much easier than when it is turned to round. As with the trinket box, the block was turned to round with a roughing gouge.
The box was shaped, turning to round, with the box parted off into two parts. The inside was drilled out using a forstner bit. With time running out, Dennis explained that the top would be shaped and sized to fit. Spirit stain would be used to turn the box red, two or three coats. Then it would be sealed and finished. A finished version is below, with some pyrography adding to the post-box effect.
Apple
With a few minutes remaining, a 3 x 3 x 3" cube was mounted between centres, and turned to an apple shape. This would then be mounted on a screw chuck and the top turned, then reversed for the bottom. A stalk would be turned to fit the top hole, a clove would go in the bottom.
Finished items
Hinged trinket box
Finished trinket box
Finished trinket box
Post-box money box
Apple
Dennis Wake selection