Brian Ash demonstrates

Greg demonstrates sharpening

Tony Walton

The pleasure of woodturning

"To start with woodturning may seem a little daunting. However anyone, from nine to ninety, male or female, with a modicum of manual dexterity, can learn to turn successfully. Given a reasonable degree of application it will only take most beginners a few hours of practice to learn to make simple but attractive objects which provide immense satisfaction.

The great pleasure which can be derived from wood turning stems from two things. One is that, whilst very satisfying results can be obtained with relatively little experience, learning and improvement can go on for the rest of a lifetime. The other source of pleasure is that hand turning brings the maker into a very close and intimate relationship with his material. Turners get to know wood as few other people can."
(quote taken from the free E-book "An Introduction to Woodturning" by Brian Clifford). This website contains a wealth of information about all aspects of woodturning

About Cheam Woodturners

Cheam Woodturners were formed in October 1999 to promote the art and craft of Woodturning in the South London/North Surrey area.

We meet on the third Wednesday of every month covering a wide range of topics, with demonstrations and discussions together with a range of regularly used woodturning accessories for sale and a raffle and are always delighted to see interested newcomers.

For more details about the club contact the Secretary, David Buskell - phone: 020 8657 5565, email: davidbuskell@yahoo.com

We are affiliated to the Association of Woodturners of Great Britain (AWGB), which means members can take advantage of the various benefits available.

Membership

Our members include amateur and professional turners, all of whom are happy to share their skills and experiences. There is a wide age range and we have several female members as well as the rather larger number of men.

Click here to view Cheam Woodturners Association Constitution

As an additional bonus for members in October 2011 the Club purchased a new Record DML 305 lathe and stand for use at practical evenings, demonstrations and out at shows. The lathe, stand, chucks and a set of tools are available to members to use for a one month period (ie from Club meeting to Club meeting). Tools will be sharp when you get them and then we will provide tuition (if required) on sharpening them when the kit is returned. Priority will be given to new members. The lathe and stand are easily transported in the boot of a car.

if you wish to take advantage of this loan scheme, please let Brian Ash have your details (phone: 0208 642 8108, email: brianash@virginmedia.com). To comply with the Club insurance, the kit has to be signed out and in again each month.

We hope you will take advantage of this unique opportunity to use the Club lathe.

Activities

Alongside our monthly meetings Cheam Woodturners undertake other activities including arranging occasional trips to shows, taking stalls at local craft fairs and tree harvesting.

Competitions

The Frank Clarke competition (in memory of our founder and Chairman), is held annually and has 3 categories, beginner, intermediate and advanced. Rules for this competiton can be found here.