The Cheshire Guild of Woodturners was founded in 2000 to provide an opportunity for people interested in woodturning and related pursuits to come together to discuss their hobby, and in some cases their profession, and learn from each other. Founded by David Bryant, a local professional, widely known for his work with spinning wheels, clocks and chairs we now have over 50 members. We have a range of skills in the club and we’re not all experts by any means. Whatever your skill level we are all willing to share and freely give our experience and knowledge. The Guild is a member of the Northern Federation of Woodturning Groups (www.nfwg.co.uk).
We aim to:
We have members who are expert at pen making, some make items with hand chased threads; we make boxes, bowls and hollow forms. Many of us are starting to experiment with texture and colour as a means of enhancing our work.
Not all our members have woodturning as their primary pursuit. Many make furniture and toys whilst some are competent users of the scrollsaw (fretsaw) and using modern techniques make a range of intarsia (segmented) projects.
Whatever your interest and ability in woodturning and woodworking you will find something to interest you and a warm welcome at our club.
Every month sees something different – we have a range of demonstrations, mostly from woodturning professionals. As well as these some of our members put themselves forward to give a “talk and turn” night to show how they do it (and sometimes how not to do it!) which are always popular. Thanks to a lottery grant we have two cameras focused on the demonstrator’s project and a projector to focus the images onto a screen. Coupled with a sound system it makes sure that you can both see and hear all that happens.
We have a competition each month with two classes – Turners and Advanced – you can join either as you see fit. With the competition being judged by a group of attendees certificates and points are awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places. At the end of the year certificates are awarded to the top three entrants in each class, with the top three from the turners being promoted into the advanced section – we don’t do demotions though!
Along with a raffle, an opportunity to buy discounted abrasives and a half time cuppa there is plenty of time to chat, make friends and ask questions of the demonstrator.