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Competition this Thursday 24-06-2021 Natural Edged Turning.

Our meeting this week is Competition time again, the theme for this week’s competition is Natural Edged Turnings, you are all invited to make something with an element of natural edge or inclusion in your turning/s somewhere. There will be no fixed criteria other than it has to have some natural feature/s in whatever you make. There are 3 categories with our members, Novice, Intermediate and Experienced do remember you will only be competing with people in your same category, there is a first prize of £25 for the winner in each category. You should all have received an email already with an entry form attached, if you have not received the entry form contact Geoff Potter and he will see that you get one. You can enter up to 3 different items with a maximum picture number of 5 for each entry.

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Report on our virtual meeting 10-06-2021 Weed Pots.

Our meeting on the 10th June 2021 was to be organised by Peter Lawrence, the theme for the meeting was making Weed Pots , this meeting had to be changed to a virtual meeting due to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions. However we did ask you all to make a Weed Pot or two and to send some pictures of what you made to me for publication on our club web site, the response was as usual very poor from our membership with only two entries other than that from myself, the entries came from two stalwarts for the club, those being Dave Line and Nick Simpson. We are very grateful to Dave and Nick for supporting the club so diligently but we would very much like to see many more of our members taking part in the virtual scene, this is the only way at present we can keep the club alive, if you don’t take part how can the club survive.

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Our next virtual meeting 10-06-21 Weed Pots.

Our next meeting is due to be held on Thursday 10th June 2021, it was to be organised by Peter Lawrence and the subject matter is making weed pots. This meeting has been turned into a virtual meeting due to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, that does not mean you do not have to do anything, we would like you all to make a weed pot or 2 and then take some pictures of what you make and send them to me for publication on our club web site, do remember to give me some information on what you made and why, we would all like to see your efforts. The weed pots can be made from any wood, in any shape, laminated if you care to do it, in other words anything you like.

I have given you a couple of pictures of some weed pots I had made in the past, you do not need to copy these, they are there just as an example.

Here are a selection of small weed pots I made some time ago, they are all about 100mm high by 50mm in diameter, with a bunch of dried grasses to set them off.
Here I made a matching pair from 6 different woods, these too were about 100mm high by 50mm in diameter.
These Weed Pots were some of the entries to a meeting held on the 11th June 2020, as you can see some very different interpretations of what a weed pot can be.

Come on everyone, get busy and make a few weed pots, the more the merrier, you will not be limited to one picture, let me have lots of pictures.

You will have until Friday 11th June 2021 to get your entries to me at,

a.j.mutch4321@btinternet.com

Remember the clubhouse remains closed.

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Report on our virtual meeting 28-05-2021 Inside-out-turning.

Our meeting on the 28th May 2021 was to be organised by myself, I chose to demonstrate the making of an Inside-out-turning, as this could not be done in our premises due to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions I decided to do a time line on the making of an Inside-out-turning. I did ask for you all to contribute something to this meeting but only one lot of pictures have been received, they are on the subject of Inside-out-turning and they came from Dave Line, thank you Dave for taking the time to include your work.

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Our next virtual meeting 27-05-2021 Inside-out-turning.

Our next meeting should be on the 27th May 2021, it was to be arranged by myself (Alec Mutch) but due to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions this meeting has been made a virtual meeting. I was to be demonstrating the making of an Inside-out-turning, something I have demonstrated at the club before. However I am asking you all to have a go at making an Inside-out turning, I have given you a couple of pictures of Inside-out-turnings, the first picture was from a recent competition where John Ruickbie made some Inside-out chess pieces, the other is my usual Inside -out-turning using a miniature bottle of spirt incorporated into the turning.

These were John Ruickbie’s Inside-out-turnings of some chess pieces, they were entered into our spring competition and John took first prize with this entry.
This is one of my own Inside-out-turnings, it’s made from Maple with a miniature bottle of spirt trapped inside.

These are just some of the things that can be made using the Inside-out method, this is by no means all that can be made and I’m sure you will use your imagination to great effect and come up with something completely different. Do have a go and let everyone see what can be done, you will have until Friday 28th May 2021 to make and send me your pictures, some text with them would be appreciated.

Send your entry or entries to me at,

a.j.mutch4321@btinternet.com

I look forward to see what you all produce.

Do remember the clubhouse remains closed.

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Report on our virtual meeting 13-05-2021 Platters.

Our meeting on Thursday 13th May 2021 was to be all about making wooden platters, the meeting was to be organised by myself (Alec Mutch) but due to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions this meeting had to be changed to a virtual meeting. You were all invited to make a platter or two and send me the pictures of what you had made, the entries were thin on the ground with only 3 members putting forward their work, those were Dave Line, Nick Simpson, Geoff Potter and myself. Those are all regular contributors to the web site and we do appreciate their participation but we would really like to see lots more of you taking part in the online meetings.

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Frank Albers, farewell to an old friend.

It is with great sadness that I have to inform you that Frank Albers has died, I got the sad news from another club member Jim Kelman on Monday evening. I contacted Jeanie, Frank’s partner on Tuesday morning and she told me what had happened. Frank had been ill for some considerable time, he was taken into Orrin House, Muir of Ord just over a week ago and died there recently, Jeanie told me he died peacefully after a long illness. Frank’s funeral will be a very private affair with only a limited number in attendance, Frank had no belief in elaborate ceremonies and his wishes will be adhered too.

Frank was one of the founding members of the Highland Woodturners Club that was started in 2005, firstly working out of Charleston Academy in Inverness, until later in 2010 he was one of the members who secured the premises in Munlochy. Frank continued to frequent the club meetings in Munlochy until his health started to deteriorate, he was a very accomplished woodturner, a perfectionist without being too critical of others who were learning the art, always willing to pass on his knowledge.

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Our next meeting 13-05-2021 Platters.

Our next meeting should be on Thursday 13th May 2021, this meeting was to be organised by myself on the subject of making wooden platters, however this meeting has been changed to a virtual meeting due to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions.

That does not mean you won’t have to do anything, I want you all to make at least one platter, photo it or them and send a copy or copies to me along with some information on the item or items you have made. There are no rules to follow, your platter can be any size in any wood, embellished or not it’s up to you.

Here are a few pictures of platters I have made in the past just to give you an idea of the type of thing you could make, you can use your imagination and come up with something completely different.

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