Woodworks @ Daventry

16 May 2025

This year the show at the Daventry Leisure Centre was on Friday and Saturday the 9th and 10th May.  Another well attended and organised couple of days.

Our club had a new and very much improved stand, which won third prize.

Two brave and skilful turners, Chris and Mark, represented the club in the two challenges on the day, and Mark won second prize for his carver’s mallet.

The club challenge this year was to make a tea set and the standard of entries was extremely high.  The club won third prize, but I think there was little if anything to choose between the first three, and on another day, we may have got the nod.

Unbelievably, I won the ‘best in show’ prize for the second year running, obviously thrilled, I was also stunned.

19 May 2024

Every year there is a woodturning show in Daventry Leisure Centre.  It lasts for two days, and this year it fell on the 10th and 11th of May, Friday, and Saturday.  Thirteen clubs took part, and as usual the event was hosted by The Tudor Rose Woodturners.  Each club provided a stand with some of the best items made by their members.  Some woodturners took part in turning competitions against the clock.  Many of the major tool and material suppliers had stands and there were several professional turners doing demonstrations of their craft.

Top marks to the organisers.  It was a well-attended show in a good location with plenty of free parking close by.

There was a challenge set at the back end of last year for clubs who wished to take part to construct ‘a carousel’.  The picture below is of the effort that my club, Ise and Nene Valley Turners, submitted.  I contributed the ‘lattice and segmented’ roof.

We achieved a very creditable second place for the piece of work that was contributed to by 11 of our members.  The carousel rotated, music played, and the rides went up and down.

I won the first prize for ‘best in show’ piece on the club stands for the bowl shown in the two pictures beneath.

This Art Deco patterned bowl is 10-inches in diameter and is mostly made from Maple.  The patterns were made from Padauk, Sycamore, and black stained Tulipwood veneer in the main body, Ebony in the base.

The picture below is me looking ‘well chuffed’ with myself just after I was given the news.