Arthur Thompson, alias "Taffy the Turner", is an enthusiastic member of a Welsh Choir and the figures in this model bear some resemblance to his colleagues. The completed model has a built in player and plays a tape recording of his Choir.
As in real life, no two people are the same, so sizes are only a guide. Make them tall or short and fat or thin. To put a more realistic shape on the head, you can do some shaping with files and sand paper. He suggests using off-cuts of scrap wood, and, have a few practice tries as the off-centre turning can be a little difficult.
Mark the centre and the "off" centres as in the diagram and
mark a centre line down the 35mm side.
With centres A A turn to within 4mm of the centre line .
Mark the position of the waist and shoulder lines and carefully shape
the back of the shoulders and waist. Don't remove too much
material.
With centres B B shape the front of the body. Again, don't remove too
much material.
With centres C C turn the bottom of the body to 36mm and then start
shaping the head and neck. You will have to alternate between centres
to shape the neck and finish off with small files.
Now hold the head end in a chuck and drill a hole in the bottom of
the body 19 x 5 mm.
Do any final shaping of the head and part off.
Make two out of 15 x 35 x 110 mm.
Turn both the legs between centres to shape the legs and feet,
leaving small flats for the feet.
Glue these two together to make a pair of legs and then turn between
centres with the feet towards the tailstock. Use a live cup tailstock
centre to support both feet. Turn the top end just a bit smaller than
the body, this gives the impression of the jacket overhang. Also move
the headstock centre just off centre to create the shape of the
buttocks.
Part-off leaving a spigot 19 x 5 mm which is to be glued into the
upper body.
Prepare stock to turn between the Jacobs Chuck and the tail
stock.
Turn to 8 mm diameter, shape the top of the arm and the hand and part
off.
On a sanding disk, shape flats on the arms and body and attach the
arms with super glue.
Make diagonal cuts through the elbow region , twist and glue to give
a bend at the elbow.
Glue the legs to the body and then paint the models.
Remember that no two people are alike and a group can be arranged in many ways.
