To assist complete beginners, GAW offer their novice members hands-on woodturning courses in basic turning which are held at Down Hatherley Village Hall. There are two courses, one in bowl turning and one in spindle turning. Even if you have been on these courses before, you are welcome to come back for a refresher course.
When possible, there may be space for ‘improvers’ to tackle more demanding topics (did anyone say “skew”…). If you’d be interested in something like this then please talk to Mike.
Your tutor will be an experienced club member who has attended and passed an AWGB Tutor assessment and is recognised as a AWGB approved trainer.
IMPORTANT. You must be a member of GAW to participate for insurance purposes.
Typical course consists of :-
- Start 9.30am finish 3.30pm.
- 2 pupils to 1 tutor.
- Spindle turning will be to make a dibber (or similar)
- Bowl turning will make a bowl
- Drinks are provided, but please bring your own mug as well as your lunch
- All for the cost of £20
- Limited places so booking early is recommended
For more details please contact info@gaw.org.uk
Training in progress!
2025 Dates
The next courses are now planned for 2025. They will be held on :
- 6th Feb
- 3rd April
- 3rd July
- 6th November
If you are interested then please contact Mike for more details or complete the ‘Contact Us’ form on the website. Please be aware that to attend a course you MUST be a member of the GAW. This is for insurance purposes. Please also remember that the courses are intended for beginners and improvers. If you are looking for more advanced courses then try the AWGB or the Max Carey Woodturning Trust in Bristol.
Some people believe that once you have viewed YouTube woodturners’ videos you are up and away. No doubt some are good but there are also a lot of bad (and dangerous!) practices going on out there. You cannot beat face to face, hands on training with approved AWGB trainers.
As an example, on on-line AI image generation tool was fed the prompt below. A human reading the prompt should hopefully be able to spot the obvious mistakes in the images – an experienced woodturner will know the potentially life altering injuries those mistakes could cause, while an amateur ‘have-a-go’ YouTuber who is after the clicks that danger can bring would continue unphased with the potential consequences.
The prompt :
“A high-resolution photograph capturing the dynamic moment of wood shavings flying off a lathe. The operator, wearing safety spectacles, is using a single skew chisel to create a precise peeling cut from freshly cut timber. The skew chisel is in contact with the lathe’s tool rest, presented to the workpiece at a perfect 90-degree angle, and cutting from the tip of the tool farthest from the handle. The operator has both hands firmly gripping the handle of the skew chisel, ensuring control and precision. The scene is well-lit, highlighting the texture of the wood and the motion of the shavings. The operator is dressed in appropriate safety gear, without gloves or any loose clothing, emphasizing safety and professionalism.“
No idea where the tool rest has got to, but if he’s managing to hold that tool in contact with the wood AND generate all those chips then he’s superhuman. He seems to be using two tools and that skew will fly through the roof when it catches on the wood …
There’s no way that tool he’s holding is generating those shavings and the large lump of metal on the cutting side of the lathe ?
Sticking a tool directly into the jaws of a chuck isn’t recommended. If you’re lucky you’ll just have a badly chewed tool as the metal jaws make contact with the cutting edge, more likely you’ll have a broken wrist as the tool is twisted violently out of your hand. Either that or your hand is twisted violently off your arm …
Gloves! NO NEVER!! (Google ‘degloving lathe injury’ if you have a strong stomach)
No toolrest and no idea what he’s doing with those tools. Hope he has a phone nearby to dial ‘999’ …
For more details please contact info@gaw.org.uk