Discover the German technique of “Reifendrehen” where you’ll turn a ring of animals. This is a really efficient way to make lots of the same shape by turning the profile on the lathe using hook tools, and then splitting the resulting ‘donut’ up to reveal the profile.
 
The "Reifendrehen" technique is a traditional technique for making toys, particularly animals for a Noah’ Ark type toy. It is done in endgrain, which means that once it has been turned, the animals can be split out of the turned object on the chopblock. We’ll then carve some of our animals ready for painting once dry.
 
The process of shaping and hollowing the object is similar to making cups, but the blank is much larger in diameter and heavier, so this is not suitable for complete beginners. Ideally participants would have turned a few bowls, and at least one endgrain cup to get the most out of the day.