Tonight Ian George introduced his demonstration which was to be a natural edge, thin stemmed mushroom. Many of us have made mushrooms before but not usually with a long thin stem so this will prove to be of interest for the techniques surrounding this process.
A Yew log was mounted on a chuck and supported by the tail stock and the mushroom head turned sanded and finished.
The stem was then turned in short sections down to size as it would not be practical to turn it all in one go. 
In this instance there were heart shakes on this log so Ian thought that to go really thin could be impractical and potentially dangerous as the piece could break up during turning. He opted for a long but less thin stem.
Everything was sanded and  finished with a type of friction polish.
After the tea break Ian demonstrated a candle holder using a proprietary holder insert. A small bowl blank was mounted on a screw chuck and turned to a pleasing bowl form. This was reverse chucked and the top shaped and sized to accept the insert. The centre was hollowed and the bowl brought to a finish. 
Although this was primarily faceplate turning it did show that useful and saleable items can be made relatively easily using such inserts.
Overall this was an entertaining and interesting demonstration which also reinforced the principle of safety first. You should always be aware of what is happening with your piece of wood and if necessary revise your plan to make the project as safely as possible.
The November competition was well subscribed with a good number of very diverse pieces.
1st position was a cup and saucer by Arthur Ellis
2nd place went to a laburnum box by Tony Lack
3rd place was a subtly coloured Elm hollow form vase by Mick Denton
