Students from left to right: Dayzanaia John, Anthony Walker (Winner) and Nico Jones.
STUDENTS at Walsall College have been put through their paces by Liberon as part of a carpentry and joinery competition. The woodcare experts called on learners on the college’s Level 2 Bench Joinery course to build and finish a child’s Christmas toy train with one engine and one carriage plus a small decoration in the form of a Christmas tree, using Liberon’s Palette Wood Dyes, Finishing Oils and Wax Polish Black Bison Paste.
Students were handed guideline images by their lecturer and asked to complete the project over 20 teaching hours in total. A winning student (Anthony Walker) plus two runners-up (Dayzanaia John, Nico Jones) were selected from the class by director of faculty, Neil Sambrook and curriculum delivery manager, Nathan Hartshorne. The project incorporated a variety of hardwoods for the trains and various wood offcuts from previous projects for the trees. A CNC router was programmed by the joinery technician, Colin Wright, using the latest advanced technology additions to the department to create wheels for the trains. The winner and runners-up each won a £25 Amazon voucher provided by Liberon.
Richard Bradley, marketing manager at the competition sponsors, Liberon, says: “It looks to me like these students have some great skills. It’s wonderful to see what they’re achieving. We’d like to congratulate the winning student and runners-up, and wish all the students on the course the best of luck in their future carpentry and joinery careers.”
The course leader, Paul Underwood, lecturer in carpentry and joinery, added: “All the students should be very proud of what they achieved in this competition. This challenge has showcased and helped to develop their problem-solving abilities, their design ideas, and has seen them utilising a wide range of timber and tools as well as learning how to sand products down through grades of abrasive to get the best finish from the Liberon products. It’s been great to see how the students’ personality and individuality have been highlighted by this challenge.”
It is always advisable to check the suitability of surface finishing products for use on real-world children’s wooden toys. The toys featured in this competition are for display purposes only.
Students from left to right Callum McCann (winner); Julian Davis (runner up with his design which features multiple jewellery item chambers); Cameron Owen-Jones (a runner-up).
Students at Newark College have taken part in a competition set by Liberon to test their carpentry and joinery skills. The woodcare experts called on learners on the college’s Furniture Making courses to design, build and finish a jewellery box in Tulipwood using one or more of Liberon’s Palette Wood Dyes, Finishing Oils, Superior Danish Oils or Wax Polish Black Bison Paste. Students were given thirty teaching hours in total to complete the project. The competition resulted in one winning student and two runners-up.
Richard Bradley, marketing manager at the competition sponsors, Liberon, says: “The students came up with some really lovely designs. They are clearly very talented. We’d like to congratulate the winner and runners up, and wish all the students on the course the best of luck in their future careers.”
Course leader, Richard Preece, added: “The students produced some impressive jewellery box designs. They were each given Tulipwood in a particular section size so that they could cut it according to their needs.
“The project has been a good means of testing the students’ jointing skills in particular, and we saw several joint formats produced including comb joints, traditional dovetail, modern domino and mitres with feathers. In addition, the competition looked at the students’ wood finishing techniques, and using Liberon’s range of products gave them insights into what effects they could achieve.”
The entries were judged by two of the college’s managers including the head of Newark College and the winner and runners up each won a £25 Amazon voucher provided by Liberon.
If woodworkers are trying to achieve a specific finished shade this can be done by mixing any of the 13 colours in which Liberon's Palette Wood Dye is available. Palette Wood Dye is a quick-drying, top quality, water-based option suitable for either soft or hardwoods. The dye's formulation includes light stability for excellent colour retention. It is easily absorbed, and its specialist acrylic formula minimises the raising of wood grain.
Liberon's Palette Wood Dye is available in Antique Pine, Dark Oak, Ebony, Georgian Mahogany, Golden Pine, Light Oak, Medium Oak, Teak, Tudor Oak, Victorian Mahogany, Walnut, White and Yew.
If varnishing is also required, it is possible to save time by mixing Liberon's Palette Wood Dye with the company's Natural Finish Varnishes to create a single-application product. This achieves a beautiful result more quickly than having to apply the two products one after the other.
See page 9 of our December 2024/January 2025 issue on our Back Issues page.
Liberon: www.liberon.co.uk
