Our demonstrator for the evening was Steve Kearvell, visiting us for the first time from King’s Lynn. In addition to his demonstration, Steve brought along a selection of sanding and finishing materials, which proved especially helpful for members who may find it difficult to source these supplies themselves.
During the demo, Steve turned a sycamore bowl measuring approximately 10 inches in diameter and 2.5 inches deep. The finished piece featured an attractive metal leaf decoration applied to the rim.

To begin, the blank had a hole drilled into its base, allowing it to be securely mounted on the lathe using a screw chuck. The lathe was then operated at speeds ranging between 800 and 1200 rpm throughout the turning process.
Using a bowl gouge, the rim was initially trued to form a clean, round shape. A draw cut was then used to create a flat surface. A 54 mm mortice, approximately 5 mm deep, was cut to allow mounting on the chuck once the main body shape had been completed. Within the mortice, a domed detail was formed, and a dovetail profile was cut using a skew chisel to ensure a secure fit. The external form of the bowl was then shaped into an ogee profile, using a combination of push and pull cuts. Once the desired shape was achieved, the surface was sanded progressively through grits ranging from 120 to 400 to achieve a smooth finish.

A sanding sealer/thinner, mixed at a 60/40 ratio, was applied to the wood. Once dry, it was burnished back using the shavings produced during turning, and this process was repeated to build up a smooth surface. A gloss wax was then applied to the underside of the bowl and polished, with the application repeated to enhance the finish.

At the halfway stage of the evening, Steve paused to answer several questions that had been raised during the demonstration.

The blank was then reversed onto the chuck so that the front face could be worked during the second part of the evening. The face was trued to a flat surface, after which a bead was formed around the inner edge of the bowl opening. The surrounding rim was left approximately 5–6 mm lower than the bead, creating a defined step. The rim was then sanded using progressively finer grits, and a sanding sealer was applied at this stage.

Once dry, a layer of size was applied to the wider area of the rim and allowed to become tacky. Metal leaf was then carefully laid over this area. When the surface was fully covered, a soft brush was used to remove excess leaf and smooth it down to achieve an even finish. The piece should then be left to dry for approximately 24 hours before proceeding. A spray varnish was applied over the metal leaf to seal it, as the size does not fully harden on its own. Drying was then accelerated using a heat gun. The bead was then painted with black gesso while the lathe was running, ensuring the paint was worked down to the base of the bead.

This was left to dry before proceeding to hollow the bowl.
Once the waste material had been removed and the internal shape completed, the same finishing process was applied as before, using progressively finer grits, followed by sanding sealer and a wax finish.

The bowl was now complete, and Steve kindly donated the piece to help raise funds for Mary Stevens Hospice. Thanks were extended to all those who assisted with setting up and taking down the equipment for the evening. Appreciation was also given to Steve Hackett and Sam Paskin for managing the audio and video equipment, and to Mike for organising and running the raffle.