Review: Rob Till – Sunday 27th April, 2025

Taza

Rob’s first project was a Taza (a stand used for cakes and other things) which has three parts. It is one of those projects that requires a little planning on the sequence of making. The base 5inch by 2inch oak blank was mounted on a screw chuck so that the bottom could be trued up, a recess cut, sanded and polished.

Then he went on to the top which was walnut 9 inches by 2 inches. Make a few plywood washers so that you can reduce the depth of the screw chuck if using thinner blank. The back was then turned to a suitable curve and a tenon formed for the 2 inch jaws. The turning was done with bowl gouges, pull cuts, push cuts, and shear cuts.

The back could then be sanded and polished. The tenon was also drilled (1 inch) be
careful over the depth. The top was then remounted so hollowing out of the shallow bowl could be completed. Work in steps from the edge to the finished thickness (8mm) Sand and polish.

Now back to the base which just needs shaping and a 1 inch hole drilled. Sand and polish.

Finally to the stem, which was in oak, turn to diameter and size both ends to 1 inch. Then comes the creative bit where your skills with the spindle gouge come into action. Sand and polish.

Whiskey Smoker

The second project was a whiskey smoker. This needs a small basket. Although Rob used a 90mm cube mounted on opposite corners it could be made round instead. The cube will produce a triangular shape. The smoker sits on top of a glass with holes in the base to allow smoke to blend into the whiskey. There is also a lid so the finished item looks like a box.

Toadstool

The third project was a large toadstool made from wet wood. This was in two part so that the base could be hollowed out. Hollowing was mainly done with the Hope 6mm tool on the long handle. The top was hollowed and shaped. Finally a chimney was made and fixed in the top. There were other features of the base which allowed a ceramic cup to hold a few shavings which could be set alight so that smoke came out of the chimney.