"Having a desire to "improve" I went on a two-day course with Don White and as a result of his excellent teaching and encouragement I have been able to earn a worthwhile supplement to my pension. In my opinion Don is one of the best Wood Turners in this Country, and surely one of the most experienced Tutors of his craft. Why look further?"
Alfred Sims, Somerset.
For over 40 years Don White has been among the leading wood-turners in the U.K. Believing passionately that there is no substitute for the discipline of repetition to hone one's skills enabling the natural progression to more advanced individual work. His range of domestic-ware is stocked by good quality kitchen-ware shops. The more 'individual pieces' are sold through selected galleries and exhibitions with the Devon, Cornwall and Gloucestershire Guilds of Craftsmen.
July 1992. Colin Scholes...Head of Department Engineering Mathematics and Science.
SOUNDWELL COLLEGE...St Stephens Road...Soundwell...BRISTOL...BS16 4RL.
1990 to 1997."(quote)Mr Don White has been employed as a specialist woodturning lecturer at this college since January 1990. At that time we commenced a Health and Safety course for Design and Technology teachers, following the syllabus laid down by the Association of Advisors for Design and Technology. He teaches safe working practises in woodturning to a wide range of students, from younger first-year BEd and final-year BEd [Hons] through to more mature PGCE and Articled Teachers from Bristol Poly, and a whole range of serving teachers from Avon schools. His knowledge of his field is encyclopaedic and his rapport with the students is excellent."
There is 500sq.ft. of space dedicated to woodturning with full dust extraction to all machinery. This includes a V.B. Bowl-turner, Harrison-Graduate and Dominion lathes.
A Startrite 502 Bandsaw, Belt-Sander, Bench-Grinder, Air-Compressor, Air-Tools, Pillar-Drill, Chainsaws and many hand-tools. All in all a serious workshop.
Contact me!Courses will be tailored to suit the requirements of the student, structured to cover basic principles, but flexible enough to take into account individual needs. It may be wise to delay purchasing tools and equipment until after the course as my strictly impartial advice will probably save you money.
Traditonal, proven cutting techniques with the wood fixed between centres, and the grain running along the lathe bed. `Hands-on` experience using the Roughing-gouge, Shallow-spindle-gouge, Skew-chisel and Parting-tool, will swiftly produce Tapers, Coves, Beads and V-cuts ready for Sanding and Polishing. Long-hole-boring and End-grain turning will also be covered.
Traditional proven cutting techniques with the grain across the lathe bed, fixed to the headstock by means of a Face-plate or Chuck. Emphasis will be to present the Bowl-gouge onto the wood correctly so as to control the desired shape and give a clean cut straight from the tool, eliminating or minimizing the use of scrapers and excessive sanding.
I will demonstrate how to achieve an appropriate bevel angle, and a sharp cutting edge, directly from the Grinder so as to enable a swift return to the work in hand. However honing can sometimes be more desirable and will certainly save precious steel. Students are encouraged to bring along a selection of tools, especially any that are giving problems, a minor adjustment to a bevel angle maybe all that is required.
A by-product of woodturning can be the accumulation of dust and shavings, which apart from being a potential fire hazard, can cause severe skin and respiratory problems. Advice will be given on how to control and minimize this problem. Safe working practices will be observed and commented on as and when they occur during the course.
These courses are aimed at those that have developed a sound understanding of basic practices and principles, but wish to aspire to projects that require a greater level of skill. Natural edge bowls, Wet turning, Box making, Colouring, Texturing and Carving are some of the things that could be built into the course, which would be structured to individual needs.
Information sheets are provided for the student to keep. 35 pages of photographs and text showing use of tools and sharpening techniques.
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Here are a selection of comments made by students.
The courses can be structured over one to four days depending on your
requirements,
but I consider that a two day course is sufficient for most students
to absorb at one time.
Subsequent problems that may be encountered back in your own workshop can usually be sorted out with a quick phone-call.
It is advisable to telephone before booking so as to discuss your current requirements, each course is tailored to suit individual needs.
Set in North Cornwall 500 metres from the rugged coast at Morwenstow, between Bude & Hartland.
Journey along the A39 taking the sign for Morwenstow, through the village of Shop to our idyllic rural location.
