OCWA April Newsletter Spotlights IncrediBOWL Projects and Member Woodturning Demos

The April 2026 issue of Sawdust & Shavings put Orange County Woodturners' project work front and center, with the IncrediBOWL feature and a basket illusion challenge giving members specific techniques to take back to the lathe.

The IncrediBOWL section showcased member-turned pieces including a small bowl and a basket-weave handle project. The basket illusion challenge sits at the technically satisfying end of the decorative spectrum, and using the newsletter's showcase as a home project brief starts with choosing the right form. A shallow-to-medium depth profile, roughly 1:3 depth to diameter, gives the carved grid enough canvas without fighting severe wall curvature. Keep the rim flat and clearly defined: it simplifies layout and frames the pattern visually. Turn a small but deliberate foot to lift the piece and anchor the visual weight below the decorated zone. For the finishing schedule, apply a sanding sealer before any texturing pass to lock grain fibers and keep carved lines crisp, then follow with a wipe-on oil or poly to pop the contrast between cut and uncut surface.

Member demonstrations were also covered alongside project showcases in the woodturners section, consistent with the club's emphasis on learning by watching. OCWA frames membership as a chance to "meet fellow members and learn more about their woodworking interests," and the woodturning demos reported in the April issue put that mission in practical terms.

President Ralph Crowther's message anchors the April issue, which also carries feature articles on band saw boxes and digital tools alongside a dedicated scroll saw section. Members were reminded about OC Fair registration, a signal that competition season is approaching and that bench work has a public exhibition track available. Imaginology, the annual STEM and crafts event held at OC Fair and Event Center, runs April 11 and 12.

For new turners mapping out the rest of the month, the OCWA schedule functions as a ready-made practice sequence. The general woodworkers meeting falls on the first Thursday of each month; Orange County Woodturners meets separately every third Thursday at 6:30 PM at the Tustin Senior Center. That mid-month session is where progress compounds fastest: the format centers on hands-on demos and project critiques, so feedback is built into the evening rather than something turners have to seek out on their own. The scroll saw group's second-Thursday meetings round out the calendar and reward cross-discipline curiosity, since surface patterning ideas travel freely between sawing and turning. Reaching the OC Fair deadline with a finished piece, whether a small bowl or a first basket illusion attempt, turns all of that structured meeting time into a visible outcome.