On Saturday, 24 August 2019, the Christchurch Woodturners Association (CWA) finally saw its long-term dream come to fruition with the opening of its very own clubrooms on the Auburn Ave Reserve in Upper Riccarton.
Mike Mora, chairman of the Hornby-Riccarton Community Board, was the guest of honour who was charged with officially opening the rooms by cutting the ribbon. Having the Community Board’s support has been fabulous. They, and the Christchurch City Council have paved the way for the CWA to finally find a home.
Founded in 1996, CWA had been one of the few woodturning clubs in NZ without a workshop until this building, the former home of the Christchurch West Radio Club became available.
Courses are run throughout the year for the National Certificate in Woodturning, a woodturner training scheme overseen by the National Association of Woodworkers. There are usually some vacancies, if you are interested, please contact Noel Graham, email [email protected], phone 03 349 8976.
The workshop is also open on Thursdays, 1-4pm and 7-9pm for members use. Visitors are most welcome.
For more information, see their website https://www.woodturning.nz/
Turning out a crescent clock
A crescent clock looks at its best if it is made from a stylish native timber.
For this project, I used a kauri block. When you come to select the wood which will be prominently on display in the living room or dining room, for preference choose a piece of timber that has a distinctive grain.