Emma Cook is Coming Back in 2027

I am always glad when a guest tutor brings something to the workshop, and next year Emma Cook is bringing two new classes to you. One is about letting go and seeing what the lathe does with a pot of paint. The other is a careful, demanding project that rewards a steady hand. Between them, they cover a lot of ground.

Centrifuge Platter

The idea behind this class is wonderfully simple. You turn a platter, add paint, switch on the lathe and let centrifugal force spread the colour outwards across the surface. The pattern you get depends on the paint, the speed, how much you use and where you put it, so no two platters ever come out the same.

Over the day you will turn two or more platters, which gives you the chance to try the technique more than once and see how small changes affect the result. You will be working with paints and Chameleon products, and there will be time to talk through colour matching and how to get the best out of whatever materials you use back in your own workshop.

It is not a new technique. Plenty of turners have used it over the years, and the reason they keep coming back to it is that it is tremendous fun. If you have ever wanted to spend a day being a little less careful than usual, this is the class for it. I have been assured my workshop will stay relatively paint-free, and I am choosing to believe that.

25th June 2027: 5 Places Available
9th October 2027: 5 Places Available

Fountain Pedestal Bowl

This one is brand new. It has only been demonstrated a handful of times, so anyone who books will be among the very first to make it.

The project combines cross-grain and spindle turning in a single piece, which means switching between two quite different ways of working over the course of the day. There is a lot to get through. Once the turning is done, you will carve texture into the edge, which is where the piece really finds its character. You can then add colour to highlight that texture if you wish, or leave the wood as it is.

The finished bowl makes a striking centrepiece for a table, and one that very few people will have made.

I would ask you to think honestly about your experience before booking this one. It is more taxing than most of the classes I run, and it is not suitable for beginners or those with limited time at the lathe. If you are comfortable turning and would like to be stretched a little, you will get a great deal from it.

26th June 2027: 5 Places Available
8th October 2027: 5 Places Available

Booking

June 2027 dates are open now on thewoodturning.school, and the October dates will be released on 10th January. Both classes run here at The Woodturning School in Four Marks, and places are limited, so do book early if one of them has caught your eye.