Yandles Masters of the Lathe III Brings Top UK Turners to Crewkerne in 2026

Yandles packed Hurst Works in Crewkerne on April 18 with some of the most recognisable names in UK woodturning, pulling off the third edition of Masters of the Lathe with six hours of free, live demonstrations and Record Power lathes running all day.

The lineup anchored around four primary demonstrators, each covering a distinct corner of the craft. Mike Holton, whose YouTube channel has built a substantial following among hobby turners, worked through winged bowls and colouring techniques, giving online subscribers their first chance to watch him turn in person. Jason Breach took on box and hollow form work, bringing the kind of innovative approach that has made his sessions a talking point in turning circles. Martin Saban-Smith drew on the same content he teaches through his school and online platform, while Sally Burnett brought pyrography and mixed-media surface decoration into the mix, rounding out a roster that stretched well beyond bowl-and-spindle basics.

Record Power backed the event throughout, supplying each demonstrator with a lathe for their sessions. That arrangement put mid-range Record Power machines through a full day of working conditions across multiple disciplines, a more useful product demonstration than anything a showroom floor typically offers.

The event ran from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with no admission charge, which has been the consistent formula across the Masters of the Lathe series. Free retail demo days occupy a different space than ticketed symposia: the barrier to entry is low enough to pull in newcomers who would baulk at a full conference fee, while experienced turners get concentrated live instruction without multi-day travel costs.

With winged bowls, hollow forms, pyrography, and embellishment all covered under one roof at no cost, Masters of the Lathe III delivered a broad cross-section of the craft in a single afternoon, and gave Yandles' Crewkerne site a credible claim to being the place UK turning converged in April 2026.