Dan Tarrant Brings Free Late Night Woodturning Demo to Yandles Somerset Store

Free entry, two hours of hands-on instruction from an AWGB-approved tutor, and the chance to see Record Power's Pathfinder lathe run under real cutting conditions: Yandles' late-night demo format delivered exactly the kind of access that usually sits behind a workshop fee, only on a Friday evening in Martock, Somerset.

Dan Tarrant ran the session at Yandle & Sons on March 27 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm, working through practical turning projects pitched at all levels while covering tool use and finishing technique in real time. As a Registered Professional Turner and AWGB-approved tutor, Tarrant brought a level of structured, accountable instruction that distinguishes these Yandles evenings from an informal club demo: AWGB approval means his teaching approach has been assessed against the Association of Woodturners of Great Britain's own standard, which is not something every demonstrator carries.

The late-night format is deliberate. Yandles uses two-hour evening slots to keep numbers manageable and the atmosphere informal, which produces genuine back-and-forth between the demonstrator and the floor rather than a lecture-to-audience setup. Attendees handle tools and timber directly, ask questions mid-project, and watch finishing decisions made in the moment rather than described abstractly. For anyone weighing up a full paid workshop with a particular tutor, a free two-hour session is a practical way to assess teaching pace and style before committing.

The shop floor at Martock doubles as the demo space, which means Tarrant was working alongside current stock. The Record Power Pathfinder, the brand's cast-iron, electronically variable-speed bench lathe that Yandles has been running in-store trials on, featured among the equipment on show. Watching a machine take actual cuts rather than sitting idle under trade-show lighting gives a more honest read on vibration, noise and tool response across the speed range.

Yandles maintains a rolling events calendar on their website for anyone looking to catch Tarrant at a future session, and he lists upcoming workshops and appearances on his own pages. The store also runs its Masters of the Lathe events, which pull demonstrators from across the region and beyond. Local and regional clubs are worth monitoring too: many organise travel to Yandles demos and can flag when a demonstrator with a specific specialism is scheduled.