A Short History of Northern Turners
Northern Turners has been operating since 1993 when a number of Woodgroup SA members decided a ‘Special Interest Group’ was needed in the northern suburbs. 2018 was the club’s 25th anniversary and a celebration was held to mark the occasion. As part of that celebration we researched the history of Northern Turners, resulting in the following story. Northern Turners remained a strong supporter of Woodgroup until Woodgroup’s demise in 2020.
In 1993 woodturning was a declining skill as manufacturers invested in automatic lathes or sourced lower cost items from other countries. It was a relatively obscure hobby, followed by a few who persevered with basic skills and the lathes and tools then available, making relatively simple shapes and functional objects. They still enjoyed the smell of the cut wood and the pleasure of creating fine work. Modern woodturning probably began in the northern hemisphere in the mid 1970s – a long way from Adelaide in those days.
Some had also joined a turning group run by Woodfast Machinery, then a significant local manufacturer of lathes and other machines, and took every opportunity to seek out similar enthusiasts, to learn and to display and talk about their work. Developments from overseas did start to filter through. Importantly, Steven Hogbin from Canada, was appointed Artist in Residence in Victoria for a year in 1975.
Foundation of Northern Turners
Southern Turners had been set up as a ‘Special Interest Group’ within Woodgroup in 1989, with members meeting in each others’ sheds. There were calls for a similar group in the north and in late 1992, three Woodgroup members were tasked to set it up. Woodgroup was then ten years old and still growing. Some thought it was in danger of becoming too large, so the northern group would help satisfy that ‘problem’ too. The group investigated various properties before investigating the use of Golden Grove High School Technical Studies Centre. The centre was a well equipped teaching workshop and the then Tech Studies Master at the school, a Mr Ron Allen, was supportive and all agreed it would be a suitable home for the new SIG.
Some 70 people turned up for an inaugural meeting at the Tea Tree Gully Civic Hall on Feb 9th, from which a core of about 30 immediately joined and met for workshop meetings at the School, starting Saturday March 13th. Ron Allen, became part of the group and remains a key member in his retirement. He was made a Life Member of NT in 2014. Seven or eight other foundation members are still active after 25 years. Several of those had been active Woodgroup members since its inception in 1983.
First Meeting at Golden Grove High School 27 Feb 1993
In those days all who joined became Woodgroup members, however by 2006, with more clubs starting to own assets, each club was separately incorporated with its own committee structure and rules of association, whilst still maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship with Woodgroup.
Founding Influences
Twenty five years has seen great changes in the nature of wood turning – tools, equipment, and techniques have improved dramatically, but from the outset, Northern Turners adopted the motto – seeking excellence – and has promoted good design and high quality workmanship. This followed from Woodgroup’s influence and their motto – promoting fine woodcraft – which remains one of their key objectives, Woodgroup having been set up under the auspices of the Crafts Council of South Australia, to help bring woodcraft into the Arts and Crafts domain. The quality of the finished product is still paramount.
The earliest meetings focused on basic skills – sharpening and the correct use of tools, chucking methods (at a time when you often had to make your own chucks), and finishing techniques. Safety was – and still is – a key topic.
Major advances were happening in woodturning all over the world in response to the widespread increasing interest. New lathes were designed (including models by our local Woodfast company), new tools and accessories became available and new techniques were developed. Advances in all these areas were rapidly spread around the world by the new communications technologies, initially videocassette, then DVD, and now internet and YouTube. Conferences, Exhibitions and visiting demonstrators found ready acceptance, such was the thirst for knowledge. Northern Turners has continued to use emerging technology to support members and since 2004 has brought many turners of international renown to demonstrate in Adelaide.
Club Functions
Northern Turners recommends but does not offer formal training courses. Experienced members readily offer guidance to newcomers wishing to try their hand. Meetings offer demonstrations ranging from elementary to advanced, by the more experienced members, and now use Audio Visual support so everyone can get up close to the action.
‘Show and Tell’ is established as a way of encouraging members and offering helpful critiques. Several members have commented that this process has worked well for them. Annual awards are given for the best items shown. Competitions throughout the year offer incentives to try different challenges.
Exhibitions were an established Woodgroup practice and became regular events on the NT calendar; the first being the Barossa Timber ‘N’ Wood Show which the club arranged for Woodgroup in its first six months of existence. The club bought its first lathe in 1995 (it’s third year of operation) to support external demonstrations at fairs and exhibitions. Public demonstrations were – and still are – a very effective way to engage with onlookers. Earlier shows were smaller and more oriented to craft work, but currently the club mounts two or three major exhibitions and each year. Typically 300 or more pieces of fine woodturning are displayed at each exhibition. All shows are now held in conjunction with major events at the Adelaide Showground, where the event managers recognise the displays as popular drawcards. Returns from these exhibitions include cost recovery from sales, a trickle of new members, returning customers, and opportunities to promote the value of our work to a wide audience.
A Recent Northern Turners Exhibition at Burnside Atrium
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Woodturning demonstrations are occasionally held at a local Bunnings Warehouse, making give-away finger tops or other simple items and providing an opportunity to chat with interested people.
Weekend workshops by turners visiting from other states or overseas has become a popular annual event. The value of demonstrations from famous turners has been a feature of NT’s success. With assistance from Woodgroup, Mike St Clair (from the Bungendore Wood Works Gallery in NSW) visited during our first year, Stephen Hughes visited from Victoria in our second year and Vaughan Richmond from WA in 1995. Since 2004, at least one interstate or international turner has visited each year, with two in some years and three in one year as opportunities have presented. Hearing new ideas from these people has greatly inspired members to expand their ideas.
Services to members include a well stocked library of books, magazines and video recordings and a stock of bulk-purchased consumables including some finishes. Wood collecting is arranged on an ad hoc basis whenever a member hears about a fallen or unwanted tree.
Charitable Work and Outreach
Wood’n’Things was started by member, Ron Adams, in 1998, to repair, rebuild or rework toys for toy libraries and community groups in the local area. W’n’T members were primarily drawn from Northern Turners and the group met at Golden Grove High School on the first Saturday of each month. W’N’T eventually ceased operations because of the difficulty matching resources to a fluctuating workload. In its seven years of operation it repaired 658 toys, made 1034 replacement pieces for jigsaw puzzles, 149 games, built 128 new toys, rebuilt 81 items and completed 130 projects for Technical Aid to the Disabled. A State Premier’s Certificate of Appreciation was awarded to Wood’n’Things, in recognition of outstanding volunteer service.
Need help tying your laces? This special school got help from WnT
SATURN was a weekend camp for woodturners organised by NT members, Jeff and Cate Wrigley. It had been running for some years under the auspices of Woodgroup before the incorporation and affiliation of individual clubs, after which Woodgroup could no longer offer that support. Northern Turners rescued SATURN and the event was able to continue. SATURN was a much loved event that was eventually ended by changed rules and unavailability of dates at the campsite. It has since been replaced by TURNSA, organised by others at another location but still attended by a number of NT members.
Merry Month of May began as a visit organised by Woodgroup members, Kath and Trevor Bretag, to Mildura Woodworking Club in May 1997, with a planned return visit to Golden Grove. By the early 2000s this was being called Merry Month of May and was opened up to include other Woodgroup clubs in SA and since 2004, hosting has rotated around the SA clubs. MMoM is still happening (hosted by NT again in 2018) and is as popular as ever. As well as providing a feast of woodworking and interchange of ideas for the members and a pleasant social occasion, local tours are normally arranged for the partners who attend.
Miscellaneous Charitable Activities: In 2002, Anne Kerr arranged the first “Big Morning Tea” as part of the national fund raising event for the Cancer Council. That event raised $46 but the BMT has continued every year with NT’s contribution peaking at $3300 in 2017. Members have turned items for other charities including Cancer Care, Friends of the One and All Sailing Ship, Friends of the Botanic Gardens, and probably others. Several members are dual members in Toymendous, another Woodgroup club which makes thousands of wooden toys for charities to give away at Christmas time.
Publicity and Marketing
Northern Turners has had articles published in many different media but had not made any special effort to market the organisation. Many members are happy with the current level of membership and consider we don’t need more members. However, while showing a local Councillor through the club a few years ago, he suggested that we were one of the area’s “best kept secrets”. Not really wanting to be a secret, we are gradually seeking more ways of publicising the club and, more particularly, the quality and beauty of turned wood.
This has led to the introduction of a facebook page and some upgrading of our website to include information on history and beauty of woodturnings, and how to care for them. The objective is to provide details of interest and use to anyone who looks at it; not just to woodturners.
Gifts and Bequests
The club has been fortunate to receive gifts of equipment and money from deceased members’ families in memory of the members’ appreciation of membership. David’s lathe, John Girdler (sum of money used to buy a lathe and tools) and Dick Pillar (wood collection donated and sold to members to finance audio visual equipment purchase). The club now owns 11 lathes which are usually fully utilised, together with the use of four lathes owned by the school.
The City of Tea Tree Gully assisted in 2015 and 2019 with grants towards the purchase of two new lathes which have been used primarily by new members practising basic skills under supervision while other members continue with their more advanced work.
The club now owns 11 lathes, all normally fully utilised, together with the four school lathes, a bandsaw, sharpening systems, and a range of relevant tools.
Summary & Conclusion
Most members express enthusiasm for their membership, referring to friendships made, and the readiness of the woodturning community to share information, help and advice in their pursuit of excellence, as well as the satisfaction of producing a well turned article. The smell of freshly cut sawdust is another common love.
Northern Turners is alive and well as it enters middle age.