Tuition

Woodturning lessons
At certain times of the year I have a little “spare time” from making and I’m able to offer tuition in my fully equipped workshop in Perthshire. This is “no secrets tuition”, the main aim of lessons are not necessarily for you to produce finished work, but to learn new skills in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. While it is extremely likely that you will go home with finished work I will not unnecessarily “guide” you through a piece of work to completion.

Lessons are held in my spacious workshop in rural Perthshire and run from 9am till 5pm and include tea and coffee in the morning with soup and sandwiches for lunch. All tuition is undertaken in my brightly lit workshop in a converted farm steadings. This is a fully equipped professional woodturning workshop which has dust extraction and woodburning stove etc.

All turning will be undertaken using green/wet wood on my Hegner VB36 and Short Bed Graduate lathes. The techniques used for working green wood and dry wood are much the same. Working with wet wood eliminates the problems associated with dry turning such as dust. Green wood is also a lot easier to work with and if mistakes are made we can just get another log and start again.

The one and three day courses are here as a guideline only. If you wish to learn a specific skill or concentrate on a certain subject please contact me to discuss further, but remember you must learn to walk before you can fly!

I would recommend the three days as the amount of information retained in one day is limited, whereas the learning curve for three days tuition or longer is remarkable!

1 to 3 day courses available for a maximum of two students at a time.
1 Day Lessons
One day courses are intended for those who have limited experience or have never turned before and serve as an introduction to woodturning. I will usually assess a student in the morning by getting them to turn some simple shapes in wet wood then arrange the day ahead according to what most needs to be addressed.

On a one day courses we will typically cover aspects of spindle work as well as bowl turning, this will normally include;
An introduction to the workshop, lathe and tools.
An explanation of the do’s and don’ts and how to work safely.
The design and function of turned work.
Choosing and using suitable wood.
Lathe work and how to turn wood the easy way (without digins, tears and catches).
How to stand at the lathe and how you’re movement’s affect the cuts you make.
Tool sharpening and how to assess when a tool is sharp or blunt.
Sanding, power sanding and polishing.
Impartial advice on buying, lathes, tools and wood.
There is a lot to cover in one day so to maximise you’re time turning I do most of the off lathe work, preparing and chucking wood and sharpening of gouges etc. You will spend most of the time turning at the lathe.
If you have tools or gouges of you own please bring them along and I will have a look at them and re-sharpen them if necessary.

3 day courses for a maximum of two students
Three day courses are similar in structure to a one day course and are again undertaken using green wood but are more in-depth, concentrating mainly on bowls and hollow forms. We will focus on the design of work and how to get the best from the wood, wet turning and the drying of wood, tool sharpening/tool design, work holding and finishing.
Over the three days we would typically cover;
Preparing wood and how to “see” the shape of finished work in the wood.
Mounting wood on the lathe with and without chucks.
Freehand tool sharpening, tool design and advice on how to make you’re own tools.
Correct stance/posture and good body movement at the lathe.
Turning and drying bowls and how to remount them.
Wet turning and finishing green wood.
Hollow vessel turning and deep hollowing.
Power sanding, polishing and finishing work.
Burning, texturing, carving and colouring.
Impartial advice on buying lathes and tools and how to get good wood for free.

The three day courses are not exclusively for the more experienced turner, but are designed to cover more subjects comprehensively and at a slower pace. The added time spent on some subject combined with the repetition of others will mean much more information is learnt and retained by the student. Again please bring any tools you are having problems with and I will have a look at them.

Prices
The price for one to one tuition is £130 per day for the one day and three day courses this includes lunch and all materials used.
For two students the price is £100 per person per day. You can arrange to come with someone you know or wait till someone can book lessons through me at a suitable time.
I am first and foremost a professional woodturner making my living from the work I sell. At certain times of the year I am extremely busy producing work for galleries etc. There is still plenty of time for tuition throughout the year. Please call or email me for further information and available times.

Accommodation
My workshop is situated just off the A9 in the heart of rural Perthshire an hour from Glasgow or Edinburgh. There is accommodation available near us in popular Dunkeld & Birnam, as well as Perth or Blairgowrie and plenty to do in the local area for spouses of travelling companions.

Gift vouchers are also available, please contact me for details.
angusclyne@hotmail.com
Tel: 07775811280

Please read the small print
Woodturning is considered by some to be a highly addictive and enjoyable pastime !

Feedback from a former student through a third party.
"Angus was a tremendous tutor.
His informal, quiet, patient, approach with the pupil spending 95% of the time at the lathe was a real break from work and I was totally engrossed in the piece of work he helped me with.
I will be back when I have worked away a while on my own.
My wife and daughters visited his workshop and enjoyed looking at his work. They bought a few small pieces and would also return if I came(potential clients?).
My only disappointment was that I didn't have enough time and I will probably rectify this next time.
I really did enjoy the feeling of progress as I was guided by Angus and will try to make suggestions but must emphasize that it was a great success.
I struggle to think of improvements and can only suggest that woodturners are encouraged to think of the type and scale of project they could contemplate.
An indication from Angus as to the nature and difficulty of various projects and skills he could lead the pupil through might help.
I was absolutely delighted with what he showed me, taught me and got me to do".

Tony Wilson