Functional February

We held a virtual turning competition in February 2021 (as we couldn't meet face-to-face due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic). The title was "Functional February", and the theme was "Make something with a clear purpose". Here are the results.

The competition was judged anonymously by Richard Peers, who was judging on four categories: Brief, Form, Function and Finish. The committee have decided not to publish the scores, but to show the entry photographs and a summary of the judges' comments for each entry. We received a total of 3 entries.

Member	Judges' Comments
Neil Innes	A really nice idea, and something out of the ordinary - the dice are not round, but are clearly lathe-turned.	The key attribute for a die is to be fair, which requires the shaping to be spot on. These appear to be a bit out of shape: the original cube needs to be cut exactly the same dimensions in all three planes to avoid this, which is not easy!	Apart from the irregular sides, these are well turned, and the corner shaping is in good proportion. The dimension issues however mean that most of the dice are not symmetrical.	The turning and finish are good, with no torn grain or other marks. The dots on the smaller dice need to be a brighter colour to stand out from the wood.
Graham Mee	A good idea, with a useful purpose; this would look good on the bedside table.	It looks fit for the job. It could have a centre finial for rings, leaving the base for earrings and the arms for bangles and watches.	A lovely piece of wood, well-turned with nice flowing curves. The cross-arms don't look quite even, and could have slightly more embellishment.	A good silky finish, no issues visible.
Nick Laking (winner)	A lovely piece, with a clear purpose. I can just imagine Wee Willie Winkie running through the town with this in his hand!	I can't think of any way this could be better. Each and every part has been planned out well and the perfect degree of embellishment applied.	Again, the form is perfect: from the carved petal-shaped wax catcher to the scalloped base, not to mention the inclusion of a matching snuffer, everything looks just as it ought to be.	The matt finish looks well-suited to the purpose: this is not the right piece for a deep-layered glossy shine.

Member

Image

Judges' Comments

Brief

Form

Function

Finish

Neil Innes

A really nice idea, and something out of the ordinary - the dice are not round, but are clearly lathe-turned.

The key attribute for a die is to be fair, which requires the shaping to be spot on. These appear to be a bit out of shape: the original cube needs to be cut exactly the same dimensions in all three planes to avoid this, which is not easy!

Apart from the irregular sides, these are well turned, and the corner shaping is in good proportion. The dimension issues however mean that most of the dice are not symmetrical.

The turning and finish are good, with no torn grain or other marks. The dots on the smaller dice need to be a brighter colour to stand out from the wood.

Graham Mee

A good idea, with a useful purpose; this would look good on the bedside table.

It looks fit for the job. It could have a centre finial for rings, leaving the base for earrings and the arms for bangles and watches.

A lovely piece of wood, well-turned with nice flowing curves. The cross-arms don't look quite even, and could have slightly more embellishment.

A good silky finish, no issues visible.

Nick Laking (winner)

A lovely piece, with a clear purpose. I can just imagine Wee Willie Winkie running through the town with this in his hand!

I can't think of any way this could be better. Each and every part has been planned out well and the perfect degree of embellishment applied.

Again, the form is perfect: from the carved petal-shaped wax catcher to the scalloped base, not to mention the inclusion of a matching snuffer, everything looks just as it ought to be.

The matt finish looks well-suited to the purpose: this is not the right piece for a deep-layered glossy shine.