🎄 Vessel Ornament Project Session – One to One

Advanced Woodturning Project Session (2 Hours)

❓ Why You Might Choose This Project The Vessel Ornament is another deceptively challenging shape.

The finished piece depends heavily on proportion, flow and refining the form by eye. Small changes to the curve can alter the entire look of the ornament, so this project requires good tool control and the confidence to make fine adjustments as the shape develops.

There are also several distinct stages to the turning, including drilling, shaping the upper section, reversing the piece onto a specialist mandrel and completing the base separately.

This is an advanced project session and is intended for woodturners who already have solid practical experience.

🧰 Why Choose This Session? This is a focused one-to-one project session where I work through the Vessel Ornament alongside you and explain each stage as we go.

You will learn how I prepare and mount the blank, establish the main profile, drill the centre, refine the upper shape and then remount the piece using the drilled hole so that the base can be completed cleanly.

A large part of this project is learning to judge shape and proportion by eye rather than simply following measurements. I will help you refine the form as it develops and point out small changes that can make the finished ornament look more balanced.

As with all of the Advanced Project Sessions, the project itself is also a way of improving broader skills such as tool presentation, sanding, finishing and judging form.

⚡ Quickfire Advanced Project Session These sessions are designed for experienced turners and move at a focused pace.

The Vessel Ornament involves several separate stages and requires careful control when refining the narrower sections of the form.

Two hours is usually enough when the participant has suitable experience, but a completed piece cannot be guaranteed. The emphasis is on learning the process correctly rather than rushing the final stages.

🔧 What We’ll Cover: • Selecting a suitable blank • Rounding the blank and creating the dovetail • Moving to the final lathe and mounting the piece securely • Establishing the initial curve of the ornament top • Drilling the centre hole accurately • Completing the main shape of the upper section • Narrowing the form towards the base • Refining the final profile by eye • Sanding the curved surface using an angle drill • Applying sanding sealer to the complete upper section • Cutting back the sealed surface • Applying gold embellishing wax • Applying the finishing overcoat • High-speed buffing • Remounting the ornament through the drilled hole using a specialist mandrel • Cutting the final curve into the base • Sanding and finishing the base • Final buffing using the buffing tree

💳 Tuition Pricing Weekdays only: • 2 hours – €100

Two-person sessions may also be available by arrangement for €150 total. Both participants must have sufficient previous woodturning experience for the project.

🎁 Gift Vouchers ⚠️ This Advanced Project Session is not available as an individual gift voucher because the participant needs a suitable level of previous woodturning experience.

If you would like to contribute towards tuition for someone else, a Tuition Credit Gift Voucher can be purchased instead. The recipient can then contact me so we can choose a session that suits their current ability.

☕ Breaks & Catering • A short coffee break can be taken during the session if needed. • The coffee machine is always on.

✅ Summary of Benefits: • Work through the complete Vessel Ornament process from blank to finished piece • Improve your ability to judge shape and proportion by eye • Learn how to refine flowing curves and narrower sections • Learn accurate drilling and specialist remounting techniques • Improve sanding on curved and awkward surfaces • Learn sealing, embellishing, overcoating and buffing techniques • One-to-one guidance throughout the project • Receive additional help with any turning issues I notice during the session • Learn a repeatable process that can be used again in your own workshop

🔨 A challenging advanced project that combines flowing form, accurate drilling, specialist remounting and careful finishing.

You can view all of my Advanced Woodturning Skills & Projects sessions here, including other hands-on projects for experienced turners.

📞 Contacting Me for Bookings 📋 Use the Contact Page for all enquiries — it’s the most reliable way to reach me.

Please include the full session name and a short outline of your previous woodturning experience when contacting me.

📧 I usually reply within 2 hours, but please check your spam or junk folder too.

📝 Why not phone? Calls disrupt workshop work and details can easily get lost. The contact form allows me to respond properly and keep everything organised.

Thanks for understanding — I look forward to hearing from you! 😊