# Proposed 2014 Woodturning Challenge



## henton49er (19 Dec 2013)

Hi all,

As you may be aware I have volunteered to run the woodturning Challenge for 2014 :shock: :shock: . The thread for comments on the 2014 Challenge has been open for more than two weeks and no new posts have been posted for the past three days. I am therefore hoping that all those who wish to express an opinion have done so.

Having had a PM exchange with (one of) the judges and taking all the comments on the thread on board, I have come up with the following proposal:-

The 2014 Challenge will have a mix of specific projects and themed projects so that those turners who do not believe that they have sufficient skill to turn “difficult” items for public viewing can turn simple things and still participate in the Challenge.

Each month, that month’s entrants may (but would not be required to) vote for their top three entries (but not their own obviously!) and I will convert these into additional marks such that the judges score two thirds of the marks and the entrants one third of the marks.

Entrants will be encouraged to provide constructive critique of other entries by PM – the Judges have always been willing to respond to requests for critique and hopefully this will continue.

There seems to be a clear benefit in having a small award for each month’s winner (2011 had plaques, 2012 had medals) and an overall winner for the year’s Challenge. If any of the entrants would like to make a small financial contribution towards some form of monthly plaque, medal or certificate we could bring this idea back to the Challenge. I will start the ball rolling by saying that I will pay for the postage of the winners award each month, and the overall winners award as well (a total of 13 postings – unless I win any! – at, say, £0.80 each, is about £10). Please contribute if you can!

An alternative to voluntary contributions would be for *one of our commercial forum members to take ownership and sponsor the Challenge for the whole year?* Are there any corporate takers out there? We could even consider renaming the Challenge to the “XYZ” Woodturning Challenge, subject to the agreement of the forum owners.

Here is my suggested programme for 2014:-

January – Something pierced
February – A Fisherman’s Priest
March – Smaller than a matchbox
April – An Easter Egg
May – Three different Woods
June – A Pot Pourri Bowl and Lid
July – An Artistic piece
August – A Goblet
September – A pair
October – A bangle
November – Fruity
December – Pestel and Mortar

I am still open to constructive suggestions, but need to have the format sorted before the January Challenge is started!!

A merry Christmas and happy New Year to all forum woodturners! :ho2 :deer :ho2 :deer :ho2


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## monkeybiter (19 Dec 2013)

I like the look of that list, and I think the sponsorship idea is a good one. The finish brands are always getting good publicity from the entries for instance. 
I wouldn't be averse to making a small contribution if it could be done with ease, e.g. with paypal or similar.

Good luck with your challenge.


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## nev (19 Dec 2013)

I'm looking forward to taking part from the other side again (hammer) , Best of luck Mike and everyone that takes part =D> (hammer) (hammer)


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## henton49er (19 Dec 2013)

monkeybiter":1x52t0ns said:


> I wouldn't be averse to making a small contribution if it could be done with ease, e.g. with paypal or similar



I could take Paypal contributions if that is the way we go, but we need to find someone who can make 13 plaques/medallions or whatever as awards (one per month plus overall winner).


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## heatherw (19 Dec 2013)

I wouldn't mind making a small contribution if necessary, though I don't really see the need for plaques. How much would the sponsorship be?

I like the list of projects very much indeed.


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## FifeMike (19 Dec 2013)

The list of topics looks good and appropriately challenging. I like the plan for a mix of entrants and judges votes.
I would happily contribute to the award scheme too but it sounds like there are practical problems.
Is there a way on-line badges/awards could be added to members IDs beside their posts? It sounds quick, easy and visible but I know nothing of the IT skills involved. 
Good luck and thanks for taking on the task of running this. I will submit work this year.
Mike


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## monkeybiter (20 Dec 2013)

The first years challenge plaques were laser cut by a forum member and donated free if I remember correctly. Perhaps they could make another 12 for a reasonable fee.

The plaques aren't neccessary but it feels great having one on display. [Subtle gloat  ]


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## duncanh (20 Dec 2013)

I vaguely remember the discussion of a commercial sponsor in the past and think that the forum owner had issues with it. I may be remembering another forum but it would be worth checking before you went to the trouble of organising it.


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## henton49er (20 Dec 2013)

heatherw":5eaz0luq said:


> How much would the sponsorship be?



We would be looking for somewhere around £60 - £70 total for the year for the small slate medals that were awarded in 2012.


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## henton49er (20 Dec 2013)

FifeMike":1bks157z said:


> Is there a way on-line badges/awards could be added to members IDs beside their posts? It sounds quick, easy and visible but I know nothing of the IT skills involved.



Can any of the Mods advise on this point?


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## CHJ (20 Dec 2013)

It is possible but it would involve a fare degree of moderator input to manage, an alternate would be to agree a simple Signature banner that members can add to their own profile on trust.

See sample I've added to above post.


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## Grahamshed (20 Dec 2013)

I like the sound of all that, especially the list of projects and the shared voting. Not sure when I will be getting my new lathe but I will definitely enter as soon as I can.

And Chas's idea of a sig line credit is good to.


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## tekno.mage (21 Dec 2013)

Good looking list of projects there, Mike - seems to be something for everyone. Maybe this year I might get time to enter some of them? If not I will enjoy seeing everyone else's entries. Had you considered using a printed certificate for the winners (which should be cheaper than a plaque or medal) which Mike could sign for authenticity.


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## henton49er (21 Dec 2013)

tekno.mage":2hqn5ye8 said:


> Had you considered using a printed certificate for the winners (which should be cheaper than a plaque or medal) which Mike could sign for authenticity.



I think that will be the fall back position if there is insufficient sponsorship (either by entrants' voluntary funds or commercial operators funds) to get some medals or plaques made.


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## monkeybiter (21 Dec 2013)

Anybody remember who made the original plywood plaques?


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## Dalboy (21 Dec 2013)

tekno.mage":2s470t5o said:


> Good looking list of projects there, Mike - seems to be something for everyone. Maybe this year I might get time to enter some of them? If not I will enjoy seeing everyone else's entries. Had you considered using a printed certificate for the winners (which should be cheaper than a plaque or medal) which Mike could sign for authenticity.



I am going to try and enter as much as I can this coming year. I personally feel it is all about taking part and also would be quite happy with what tekno.mage suggests with the printed certificates


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## nev (21 Dec 2013)

monkeybiter":1x9fgthg said:


> Anybody remember who made the original plywood plaques?




I _think_ it was Daven that generously did the plaques first time round


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## Daven (21 Dec 2013)

nev":2hapollc said:


> monkeybiter":2hapollc said:
> 
> 
> > Anybody remember who made the original plywood plaques?
> ...



It was indeed me from Blister's idea 

Not doing any turning of late as my laser cutting company has been keeping me busy on top of re-locating to Devon - only woodworking has been making a new workshop 

Best
Dave


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## nicguthrie (23 Dec 2013)

I can't help much with plaques, but if you hit a wall and want simple printed certificates, I could help with knocking something "Authentic looking" up to your spec, if you like. It used to be something I did for a living. (Forms of all sorts) 

Signed and then cheaply laminated would satisfy most of us I'd think. We don't need a gold trophy 

Something wood would be more fitting tho...

Nic.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk


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## henton49er (23 Dec 2013)

Plaques:-

I have had a very kind offer from Daven (who made the plaques for the 2011 Challenge) to make similar plaques for the 2014 Challenge for the cost of materials and postage of the plaques to me. Many thanks, Daven =D> =D> =D> 

This will mean that we only need very modest, and entirely voluntary, contributions from entrants to help meet these costs. Please donate what you can, but certainly no more than £5, to me, either by PayPal gift to [email protected] or PM me for my snail mail address if you prefer.

2014 Marking regime:-

The monthly Judge will provide a list of their top 5 entries with comments (as in previous years). This year the top five will be awarded 10 points for first place, 8 for second place, 6 for third place, 4 for fourth place and 2 for fifth place (a total of 30 points). All other entrants get one point each.

Entrants will be asked to nominate their top three by sending me a PM within 48 hours of the close of the entry posting period. I will take the entrants’ nominations and award a temporary score of 3 for a first place, 2 for a second place and 1 for a third place. These will be totalled and a ranking will then be produced. The highest ranked entry will be awarded 5 points, the second ranked 4 points and so on down to 1 point for the fifth ranked (a total of 15 points). 
Judges and entrants points will be added together for an overall score. The highest overall score will be the month’s winner. In the event of a tie for first place, the entrant with the higher or highest Judge’s score will prevail (as there will only be one medal or plaque).

With a more complicated scoring system, the results may take an extra day or two to come out (depending upon how many entrants there are and how busy or hungover  I might be!!).

At the end of the year, the entrant with the highest number of points (Judges and Entrants combined) will be nominated the “Overall Challenge Winner for 2014”. In the event of a tie, the entrant with the most first places will be declared the winner. If it is still a tie, the entrant with the most judges points will prevail. If it is still a tie ……. :roll: I give up!!

Project List as published in this thread in my post of Thu Dec 19, 2013 6:57 pm (the first post).

Any final questions or comments - if not we are good to go from the start of next month.


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## monkeybiter (23 Dec 2013)

henton49er":2wib6jsg said:


> Please donate what you can, but certainly no more than £5, to me, either by PayPal gift to [email protected]



Done.

Good luck with the PR counts.


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## nev (23 Dec 2013)

henton49er":1i770ba7 said:


> Plaques:-
> 
> I have had a very kind offer from Daven (who made the plaques for the 2011 Challenge) to make similar plaques for the 2014 Challenge for the cost of materials and postage of the plaques to me. Many thanks, Daven =D> =D> =D>



=D>


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## Grahamshed (23 Dec 2013)

henton49er said:


> Plaques:-
> This will mean that we only need very modest, and entirely voluntary, contributions from entrants to help meet these costs. Please donate what you can, but certainly no more than £5, to me, either by PayPal gift to [email protected] or PM me for my snail mail address if you prefer.
> </quote>
> 
> ...


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## henton49er (23 Dec 2013)

Grahamshed":1i3gwlqk said:


> You can consider the extra 1p to be a bribe  (pressed the wrong button really)



I might (or might not) be easily bribed but I am not too sure that the princely sum of 1p will materially affect the scoring!! LOL!! :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Grahamshed (23 Dec 2013)

It is not a question of 'you'. I was expecting that to be shared out between all the judges.


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## monkeybiter (23 Dec 2013)

:lol: :lol: :lol:


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## henton49er (23 Dec 2013)

Grahamshed":px7tdetz said:


> It is not a question of 'you'. I was expecting that to be shared out between all the judges.



=D> :lol: =D>


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## Melinda_dd (24 Dec 2013)

Contribution sent.
Will there be another scoreboard next year. I enjoyed watching this year's up to date one.


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## Sheptonphil (24 Dec 2013)

Mine has winged it's way to you as we'll. Did I hear you say these are backdated to the 2013 challenge? :lol: 

Phil


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## henton49er (24 Dec 2013)

Melinda_dd":1q85czw8 said:


> Will there be another scoreboard next year. I enjoyed watching this year's up to date one.



Yes; I think it is the only way I will be able to keep track of Judge's and Entrants' scores each month and running totals.


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## winemaker (27 Dec 2013)

January – Something pierced ____ not sure what this means :!: :mrgreen:


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## CHJ (27 Dec 2013)

winemaker":xhcmm7b5 said:


> January – Something pierced ____ not sure what this means :!: :mrgreen:


Try typing " pierced turning " into Google for starters.


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## henton49er (27 Dec 2013)

As of 10pm today, I have received donations totalling £33.01 towards the funding of a monthly prize and overall winner - many thanks for those who have contributed. =D> =D> =D> There is still time for further donations, but I think we have the basis for a plaque for each month's winner, plus an overall highest points scorer for the year.

I aim to publish the details of the January Challenge by the end of December, so entrants can take advantage of the holiday period to make a start. :lol: :lol: 

Happy New Year to all you woodturners out there!


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## sammo (28 Dec 2013)

Contribution on it's way....

Something pierced - my thumb doesn't count does it? - I did do it with a tuning tool... 

Sammo


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## henton49er (28 Dec 2013)

sammo":1a56npi9 said:


> Something pierced - my thumb doesn't count does it?



Only if it's made of wood and turned on a lathe!! (hammer) :lol: (hammer)


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## henton49er (28 Dec 2013)

Donations now up to a total of a fraction over £40. 

I have tried to thank everyone who has donated by PM; but there is one forum member that I cannot thank in this way, as I do not know their forum Username. You will know who you are - so thank you anyway!! =D> =D> =D>


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## winemaker (28 Dec 2013)

good news well done all =D> =D> =D>


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## EnErY (29 Dec 2013)

Mike
Sent My donation today as I Explained In pm Its health permitting whether I can enter at The moment but hope I can And will try My best To get spinning timber soon also the offer of my services on the other point I raised is still open
Regards
Bill


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## bucephalus (31 Dec 2013)

Hi Mike
Just sent you my donation... nervous but looking forward to having 'a go'!
Cheers
Gavin


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## henton49er (31 Dec 2013)

Donations towards the 2014 Challenge now stands at £59.01. Many thanks to all that have contributed. =D> =D> =D> I am in discussion with the plaque maker (Daven) about the final format.

I will be launching the January Challenge tomorrow, and will be hoping for a good number of entries!    

Happy New Year to all!! :ho2 :deer :ho2


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## heatherw (31 Dec 2013)

henton49er":3vcjv99r said:


> Plaques:-
> 
> 2014 Marking regime:-
> 
> ...




Just for clarification, will entrants be allowed to vote for their own project?


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## henton49er (31 Dec 2013)

heatherw":3t9yliv6 said:


> Just for clarification, will entrants be allowed to vote for their own project?



No


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## Soylent1 (3 Jan 2014)

Hi Mike,

I just sent my donation, I hope I'm not too late? I only joined the forum yesterday with a question about sharpening a scraper and the advice I got was easily worth a fiver donation! (even if I wasn't going to submit a project). But unfortunately I might just have to give it a go!

Tony


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## henton49er (3 Jan 2014)

Donations now up to £64.01. At this rate we will have to start gold-plating the plaques!! :shock: :shock: 

Daven and I are in discussion (well, PM exchange actually) to see if we can get some stands for the plaques included (so you don't have to nail 'em to your workshop wall :roll: :roll: )


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## henton49er (3 Jan 2014)

Sorry, can't add up!! Should be £64.51.


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## SteveF (3 Jan 2014)

i could donate some timber for stands 

not sure how that would work  

Steve


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## Daven (3 Jan 2014)

henton49er":20mr57n0 said:


> Daven and I are in discussion (well, PM exchange actually) to see if we can get some stands for the plaques included (so you don't have to nail 'em to your workshop wall :roll: :roll: )



Hope to cut a test one tomorrow  

Cheers

Dave


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## Dalboy (3 Jan 2014)

Looking forward to this year have started already


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## henton49er (4 Jan 2014)

SteveF":12kz1fvj said:


> i could donate some timber for stands



Steve, thanks for the offer. However, I think that Daven has this covered and we are just about to have a trial run at a stand, having agreed the format of the plaque.


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## henton49er (5 Jan 2014)

Well, here it is .... the final run for the monthly plaque plus stand, designed and made by forum member Daven ( =D> =D> =D> ) with some vague input from me. We are still in discussion re the overall winner's plaque (probably similar but larger), but the image below is the prize for the highest overall score (judges plus entrants scores) for this month's Challenge


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## nev (5 Jan 2014)

=D> Looking good =D>


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## Grahamshed (5 Jan 2014)

Very smart.


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## Brianp (5 Jan 2014)

That's lovely! It'd make you want to enter!


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## Daven (5 Jan 2014)

Thanks all, glad you like it.

Best
Dave


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## henton49er (8 Jan 2014)

Just so everyone knows:-

Out of the total of £64.51 received in donations I have sent Daven £45 for the plaques for the 12 monthly winners and the overall winner. The balance of £19.51 I have retained for postage and packing. Any surplus I will add to the funds for next year's Challenge (assuming that we continue!).


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## Daven (8 Jan 2014)

Many thanks, hope you like the plaques and good luck to all that enter. Hopefully I may be able to join in next year 

Best

Dave


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## Grahamshed (8 Jan 2014)

That all sounds good. looking forward to using the competition to practice and learn though I certainly won't be in the first round


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## Melinda_dd (10 Jan 2014)

Ooooooooo I'd like one of those!!!!


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## Dalboy (10 Jan 2014)

Melinda_dd":1umnce0r said:


> Ooooooooo I'd like one of those!!!!




I'll turn you for it :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Melinda_dd (10 Jan 2014)

Dalboy":z4px2soa said:


> Melinda_dd":z4px2soa said:
> 
> 
> > Ooooooooo I'd like one of those!!!!
> ...



:lol: :lol:


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