WGO • Woodturners Guild of Ontario 

for the advancement and promotion of the craft of woodturning

Skills Night Apr 23 2026

Scottish Spurtles

The spurtle (or "spurtel", "spurtil", "spirtle", or "spartle") is a wooden Scottish kitchen tool, dating from the 15th century, that is used to stir porridge, soups, stews, and broths.

The rod-like shape means that porridge can be stirred without congealing and forming lumps, unlike a spoon, which would have a dragging effect during stirring. The low surface area reduces the chances of porridge sticking to the instrument.

Spurtles are made from wood, typically beech, cherry wood, or maple. They come in a range of sizes. Traditional spurtles have stylised thistles at the top, while modern ones often have a smooth taper.

Spurtles



A face shield is necessary and should be basic equipment in any woodturner’s shop. Bring any or all of the following tools (sharpened):

  • Parting tool (1/8" would be best)
  • Roughing gouge
  • Spindle gouge (3/8" or 1/2" is best)
  • Bowl gouge if you don't have a spindle gouge (1/2" fingernail type grind preferred)
  • Skew chisel (3/4" or 1" is best)
  • Awl
  • Pencil
There will be some tools available if you are short.
Do not bring sandpaper.

Please note that safety rules will be rigorously enforced:
  • Safety glasses (at minimum) must be worn for small spindle turning
  • Full face shield must be worn for larger pieces or cross grain turning
  • All jewellery must be removed
  • Loose long sleeves must be tied off or rolled up
  • Tool rests may not be moved or adjusted while lathe is running
  • No sanding during skills night turning sessions

A 10% Discount is being offered to WGO members

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The Wood Shed in Smithville is offering WGO members a 10% discount.
You may have to show your WGO membership card at the checkout or include a picture of it when shopping online.

Visit the Wood Shed

Thursday, April 9th Demonstration

High-Winged Natural Edge Bowl by Lionel Bedard

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More pictures and the description of the process can be found here

I am a local artist, born and raised in Ottawa. I have always been drawn to the world of wood. My first lathe was purchased over twenty-five years ago when I started woodturning. Eventually progressing to a 24 inch swing lathe allowed me to create larger pieces.

I was a founding member of the Bytown Woodturners in Ottawa and have remained very active. Our club holds many hands-on workshops of which I am one of the instructors. I particularly enjoy encouraging new turners to grow their skills so they can discover the endless possibilities of woodturning.

See Lionel's full bio here

Lionel Bedard
613-229-3307
lionelbedard@rogers.com

Thursday, March 12th Demonstration

Grolle/Grolla friendship cups by Chris Wood

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Chris Sisson is a 48 year old Japanese-Canadian woodturner born, raised and based out of Hamilton, Ontario. Known for whimsical and often technically demanding projects from puzzle boxes to micro turning his work bridges traditional craftsmanship with modern artistry and a sense of humor.
Often incorporating a variety of traditional techniques and new technologies such as Ukibori, laser engraving and dyed finishes to add texture and vibrant colors to his various works both functional and artistic.
An active member of the woodturning community and proud member of the Golden Horseshoe Woodturners Guild he often shares his expertise through demonstrations such as the Hamilton Woodworking Show, other woodturning guilds and online via social media.

alt Chris Sisson
Phone: 9057304064
shisonwood@gmail.com:
www.shisonwood.com
Instagram

Thursday, February 26th Skill Night

Get Ready for Spring Planting
Turn a Dibber

Skills Night was a great opportunity to turn a dibber.

Dibber
Bowl of

What are garden dibbers? Dibblers (gardeners) use dibbers to quickly make evenly spaced impressions in the soil (or through plastic mulch) in preparation for transplanting.

Thursday, February 12th Demonstration

Wooden bowl Embellishments
through different methods of carving
by Victor Raleza

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Victor's Biography
My love for woodworking started as far back as high school when I was introduced to a wood lathe and throughout the years I found myself being drawn back to working with wood materials.
I’ve been an artist for approximately 15 years with my primary focus being on wooden Bowls end grain cutting boards and wood carvings. I’ve been fortunate enough to know a lot of people in the wood industry
As my skill level developed I pushed myself to create a perfect balanced bowl that is ecstatically pleasing and an eye-catching feature. With the encouragement of family and friends I have opened myself to the general public and received positive feedback on my design, style as well as the use of quality materials.
The one thing i always remind myself is to always take away something from every conversation I have with people and to be open minded to everyone’s perspective and to never duplicate other peoples work, being original to one’s self gives a person a sense of accomplishment and pride in the end result.


Follow Victor on Instagram

Thursday, January 8th, was our first General Meeting of 2026

Jim Williams, our demonstrator, titled this project.

“The Loons Are Coming”,

and involves turning, carving, and milk paints.



Happy New Year WGO Members!


I hope you all enjoyed a happy and healthy holiday season.

Here are some examples of Jim’s work:

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Here is Jim’s bio: Jim is the current President of the Kawartha Woodturners Guild. He has obtained a great deal of experience and knowledge in a very short time. He just started turning in 2019 and, at that time, attended a Hands On retreat in Texas. Later in 2020 he did one-to-one classes with Chris Ramsey in Kentucky and in 2022 he also did classes with JoHannes Michelson in Vermont. Jim has demonstrated at regional clubs and was a guest demonstrator at the Southwest Association of Woodturners (SWAT) Symposium in Texas.

All of this has helped to hone his skills in making unique wooden hats. He has attended a number of AAW regional symposiums to further his woodturning education and his pieces were featured in the AAW Journal in Oct 2022. You can find out a bit more about Jim and his work from his website www.turningtrees.ca and his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100036417909688.

turningtool.co.uk now hosted by WGO.ca

The Woodturner's Workshop
Brian Clifford's woodturning resources

This site was built by Brian Clifford over many years and features many articles, plans and videos that are of interest to novice and advanced woodturners alike. Brian has decided to retire and was going to allow the site to lapse; however, the WGO has agreed to host it on his behalf to ensure this great resource continues to be available. Please have browse and enjoy it here

WGO at a Glance

See what the WGO is about and what it offers in 1 document WGO Flyer

For Sale: Wood turning equipment

July 20th, 2025
see here

Mark's Amazing Finds

Mark 's latest finds can be found (April 2nd 2026) here

WGO on Instagram

Send pictures to be posted to woodturnersgo@gmail.com

Bob Rollings Lathe Psalm

Jan. 18, 2018
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