Liberon puts students' skills to the test

In a bid to bring its woodcare products to the masses, Liberon challenged three sets of college students to create different food-facing projects, each finished with Liberon Pure Tung Oil.

When finishing items that will come into contact with food – such as chopping boards, salad bowls, and wooden kitchen work surfaces – a premium, natural Tung oil with no additives is the ideal choice to seal and preserve the wood. Liberon’s Pure Tung Oil is hard-wearing and provides a long-lasting matt finish. It can also be used externally on oak to help prevent black spots.

From left to right: winners Laci Trotter and Jeshua Doherty with their cheese and wine-themed competition entry. Credit should also be given to Brandon Salmon, the third member of the winning team, who was absent on the day the photo was taken

Burton & South Derbyshire College

This is the fourth year that Burton and South Derbyshire College has participated in the initiative, which aims to teach students about the specialist woodcare options available to them while encouraging imaginative application on items they have made. This year, Liberon invited learners from the college’s Level 2 Diploma in Bench Joinery course to take part.

Teams of students had approximately eight teaching hours in total to complete their projects. The winning team produced a cheese and wine-themed food platter featuring a vertical section styled to look like a mouse’s face. A horizontal section provided space for cheeses and other ‘nibbles,’ while the back of the vertical mouse-shaped element offered areas for housing wine bottles and glasses. The project saw the team working with red and white deal, Poplar, Douglas fir and a small amount of oak.

Richard Bradley, UK Head of Marketing at Liberon, said: “The students did exceptionally well this year. While the winning design is fabulous, I also congratulate the other teams for their hard work. Good luck to all the students on the course in their future carpentry and joinery careers.”

Course leader Ian Vanes-Jones added: “All the students did very well in this year’s Liberon competition. We asked them to design, build, and finish a project to a tight schedule, and they succeeded admirably. The initiative showcased their skills on our new CNC machine and demonstrated their proficiency with the lathe. I’m a fan of Liberon’s Pure Tung Oil, which is perfect for food-facing items, and this competition highlighted the great effects the oil can achieve. All in all, this is a skills test of which the students and the college can be proud.”

Entries were judged by staff at the college, who agreed that the standard of work was high and that choosing a winner had not been easy. Each of the three members of the winning team received a £25 Amazon voucher provided by Liberon.

Newark College

For the second consecutive year, students at Newark College took part in Liberon’s competition to test their carpentry and joinery skills. This year, learners on the college’s Furniture Making course designed, crafted, and finished food bowls using Liberon Pure Tung Oil. The competition resulted in one winning student as well as second and third-place winners.

Competition winner, Katie Reading (middle), with 2nd place winner Julian Davis (left); and 3rd place winner Harry Newton (right)

Richard Bradley said: “It’s great to see what the students have created. Clearly, they put great thought into their designs, and I’d like to congratulate the winners and wish all the students the very best in their future careers.”

Course Leader Richard Preece added: “The students produced some excellent bowl designs. They were each given Beech to work with, as this timber is naturally anti-bacterial. The project was a good test of their bowl-turning skills on the lathe, as well as their shaping abilities using hand tools. Additionally, the competition evaluated their wood finishing techniques using Liberon’s products.”

The entries were judged by staff at Newark College. The winner, along with the runner-up and second runner-up, each received a £25 Amazon voucher provided by Liberon. The winning bowl, crafted by Katie Reading, featured a beautifully raised pattern on its outer rim and was finished to a very high standard.

Walsall College

Students from Walsall College’s Level 2 Bench Joinery course also took part in this year’s competition. Course leader Charles Jones proposed the idea of asking students to create food chopping boards.

Students were given free rein to develop their designs, primarily using hand tools and working with rough-sawn Oak. They also had access to new equipment recently purchased by the college, including a bandsaw, CNC router and planer/thicknesser, which is used to machine timber down to accurate, consistent thicknesses.

The winning design by Hayley Pitcher featured two parallel stripes of contrasting wood tones, with beautifully rounded corners and an excellent level of finishing. Two runner-up designs were also recognised, created by students Sulieman Rafi and Brody Garmston.

 From left to right: Brody Garmston; winner Hayley Pitcher; and Sulieman Rafi

Richard Bradley said: “Congratulations to Hayley and the two runner-up students. The chopping board designs perfectly showcase the impressive effects that can be achieved using our Pure Tung Oil. I wish the students well in their future careers.”

Course leader Charles Jones added: “This competition has not only tested the students’ ability to set out accurately but also challenged them to come up with creative designs. It has been a great initiative to stretch their skills with hand tools and encourage them to try new equipment and processes. Using jigsaws and applying chamfers, for example, all contributed to a valuable learning experience.”

Entries were judged by staff at the college. The winner and two runner-ups each received a £25 Amazon voucher provided by Liberon.

To find out more about Liberon woodcare products, see www.liberon.co.uk.