A Bodger's Blog

Update

2011-11-10T09:20:00.000Z

Had some enquiries from regular blog readers wondering why there hasn't been much action here lately (Hi Bob & James). Several reasons...
1. Going through a period of being fed up and bored of computers etc.
2. Building work still going on although it's nearly finished. Too boring to write about but we now have a kitchen sink and will have an oven and hob today.
3. Trapped sciatic nerve or slipped a disc picking up a worktop awkwardly - been living on painkillers.

Apart from that everything's OK. Nic Westermann sent me some more spoon knife blades for evaluation which I hate to admit I haven't tried out properly yet. These aren't laminated and are around half the price.

Can't believe it's a year since my Dad died, time seems to pass so quickly. We had a family get together at my sisters' in Canterbury at the weekend...

Spooning Around

2011-10-02T18:27:00.000+01:00

Looked in on the European Woodworking Show at Cressing Temple yesterday. Didn’t stay long as it was so hot and we had to leave Jed in the van. I demo’d at this show last year and was told that someone else would be doing it this year ‘to give the show a different look’ - the only different thing I could see about it was that I wasn’t there! (Don’t think I’ll neeed to go again.) 

The real reason we went was to pick up a spoon hook from my friend Nic Westermann.

In my opinion Nic is making some of the best spoon hooks around at the moment. They are laminated steel and take and hold a lovely edge and his curves are very nice - not the usual generic spoon hook shape.

I helped him with some R&D earlier in the year and he gave me the smaller hook, the larger one is a ‘finishing knife’ although he has started referring to it as ‘the Fawcett hook’ and is really great for those final cuts in the bowl of a dry spoon. He showed me one back in July and I’d been hankering after one ever since.

On Thursday John Abel came over with a twca cam he’d made by inserting a Svante Djarv blade into an 18” long handle.

It worked quite well although with the end of the handle in the groin rather than under the armpit as suggested in some of the old books.

Be nice to try with some different shaped blades. Barn uses this technique - see Rob Wood’s blog here.

While testing Nick’s blades I also decided to do some research into different handle shapes and sizes.

Ultimately the best one (for me) was the one on the right where I took a lump of wood and kept carving it until it felt good in my hand. It's not far off Duncan or FYGT's (2nd from right). The pistol grip at left was surprisingly comfortable and the middle one is just a beefed up version of the Orford/Djarv/Frost handle which doesn't get lost in my hand.

Progress

2011-09-29T09:27:00.000+01:00

Where did September go? Taken up with construction, demolition and dust I think.

Terry's really got stuck in and is doing fantastic things to the kitchen/bathroom.

It's like camping in your own house although we have still just about got access to the cooker...

...but no washing machine and washing up in the bath!

Church Ale

2011-09-18T11:22:00.000+01:00

Firstly, sincere apologies to anyone who turned up at the Ranscombe Farm 'event' last Sunday (specially my Mum, Sister and Niece!). We waited over an hour for someone in a 4WD to come and ferry us to the woods as the mud was so thick and impassable. There was absolutely no publicity to show that there was anything going on - the words "piss-up", "brewery", "couldn't organise" sprang to mind. We started to get really bad vibes so we cut our losses and left - after all money isn't everything we have to enjoy what we do too.

By way of contrast the Wivenhoe Church Ale that we took part in yesterday was a lovely event - very well organised and publicised.

In mediaeval times "Ales" were held in support of many different causes: the church-ale, held to encourage parishioners to come and pay their tithes and so to help pay for the upkeep of the church building; the bride-ale, used to benefit a newly married couple; the clerk-ale, to support the impoverished curate; the bid-ale or help-ale, where ale would be brewed and friendly folk would gather round to drink, contributing the money collected from selling the ale to a worthy local who'd fallen on hard times.
Perhaps confusingly to modern ears, an 'Ale' meant the event, the feast, the fête, the party if you like - not the drink itself.
What all these "ales" have in common is that they were communal drinking sessions to raise funds.
But more than anything it was an opportunity to socialise, and contributed to the social cohesion of the community.

Only problem was that we were so busy when I went to try the Ale they'd run out!

Colcheter Waits Shawm Band

Going Up

2011-09-09T09:58:00.001+01:00

It's exciting to see the progress as the brickwork and blockwork go up.
Terry is a craftsman and diamond geezer...

Going to be demonstrating at Ranscombe Farm near Rochester on Sunday 12-4 if anyone's around that neck of the woods.

Bitten by the Bug

2011-09-03T11:01:00.000+01:00

As soom as he arrived at our Woodland Craft Workshop yesterday I could see that Simon was keen.
He'd brought a couple of tools to make handles for and went through the bodging process to make a Chestnut rounders bat for his wife's Brownie troupe.

I think he was going straight home to start work on a pole lathe and shavehorse.

PS Note that cross-pein hammer which he's going to use for blacksmithing.

Hawthorn & Elder

2011-08-30T17:20:00.000+01:00

We were demonstrating at a show near St Albans on Saturday at the Woodland Trust's HeARTwood Summer Festival. A young furniture maker (power tools) called Ben asked if I ever used Hornbeam. "Only when it's really freshly felled," I replied, "or you find out why it's called Hornbeam!" Apparently he'd been dropped off some logs by a local tree surgeon, didn't count on using them and offered them to me. About an hour later he came back with the largest log which I could see straight away was actually Hawthorn. Great, even better, I love it for turning and spoon carving - a very dense, hard and pinkish wood.

Jed added the tennis ball for scale

This is typical of the hit-and-miss way I source my timber - someone else also gave me a nice Hawthorn log only the other week (he also gave me a lovely piece of Apple and a Laburnum log - thanks Mark). So now everything will be made of that for a while as it was from Catalpa earlier in the summer. I've had a load of Sweet Chestnut for the courses this year but now I'm bored of that and fed up with cleaning the purple gunk off the tools. I found a nice Ash log stuffed under a hedge in the Abbey Gardens last week but I would be happy if I could find a more regular, reliable supply.

I notice that in Mike Abbott's latest book 'Going with the Grain' he notes two suppliers of chairmaking Ash but only in Herefordshire and Gloucestershire. Wouldn't it be good if there was a nationwide directory of people who are willing to sell logs of different species of timber to green woodworkers? I'm willing to compile such an index and would be grateful for the names of any woodland owners, tree surgeons, wildlife organisations etc that I could add.

* * *

On a different note this Elder tree doesn't seem to know whether it's coming or going at the moment, bearing both ripe fruit and fresh blossom at the same time...?

Devil Sticks

2011-08-22T13:30:00.000+01:00

Instead of the usual rounders bat, candlestick or dibber, James decided to turn a Devil Stick from Sweet Chestnut on the pole lathe.

Although he's quite an expert and we spent some time getting the weight and balance right I think the sticks used to manipulate it needed some rubber or silicone on them for it to work really well.
Could be a good idea for something different to make on the lathe?

Feedback

2011-08-18T10:03:00.000+01:00

We were recently sent a copy of this letter of thanks by the organizers of an event that we did at the Sussex Showground called "Connect with the Countryside...

I specially like the young lady's drawing of herself treadling the lathe and the description of the "fanny mocine thing"!
It's always good to get a bit of positive feedback.

Booty

2011-08-15T09:28:00.000+01:00

Some years ago when I used to deal in old woodworking tools we used to go to three or four boot fairs before breakfast on a Sunday morning. Our expectation levels were high and quite often we were disappointed and didn't manage to find anything.
Yesterday we had a rare Sunday off and went to the local boot fair. We paid £2 each to get in early to avoid the riffraff and netted this little lot...

for £9.10!

The augers are Ridgeway 1 1/4", 1 3/8" and 1 1/2" and cost £3, just a bit of superficial rust removal and a sharpen and they work perfectly. The drawknife is a Sorby Kangaroo and although a bit rusty didn't look as though it had ever been used - still had the factory grind and hadn't been honed. The crosscut is in quite good nick and I'm going to have a bash at sharpening it properly. The ladle will come in handy as we want to try casting some lead plugs for priests. The two gouges in the middle of the chisels are Henry Taylor Acorn brand and have never been used.
The yellow stone below the drawknife is very hard like marble and polishes edges although it's a bit dished - perhaps someone can tell me something about it?

PS The drawknife and the Henry Taylor gouges were just £2!

Finally - The Slab has landed

2011-08-12T09:03:00.000+01:00

The piling was done on Saturday - two at 7m and two at 8m. Luckily we were away running courses and didn't have to hear the awful noise.

The guys came on Wednesday evening and worked till it was dark installing the shuttering and steel cage...

...and the slab was poured yesterday afternoon.

This afternoon, hopefully, our builder Terry is coming round to let us know when he can recommence work after only a 3 month gap!

Barefoot Beekeeping

2011-08-10T09:30:00.000+01:00

Owen Jones recommended this book to me earlier in the Summer when I met him at the Royal Norfolk Show. Having read it I would heartily recommend it to other beekeepers or anyone thinking of taking it up.
Check out the Biobees website.

London's Burning

2011-08-09T09:36:00.000+01:00

This is the scene at the end of our road this morning. A huge pall of black smoke coming from the burning Sony storage centre on the M25 near Enfield. The motorway has been closed and I can't help thinking thank God for the North Easterly breeze or that lot would be blowing down our back garden.

Hazelnut Harvest

2011-08-04T10:41:00.000+01:00

We had to pick all our hazelnuts yesterday.

We'd found lots of little piles of nibbled shells where the squirrels were tucking into them and decided that if we didn't pick them there would soon be none left.
We've put them to dry on a large wooden tray.

Are we going to have an early Autumn this year? There's already some colours appearing.

Jacks, Bombards & Lamhogs?

2011-08-03T10:22:00.000+01:00

Finished off the formers for the leather drinking vessels at the weekend.

L-R Jack, 2 pint Bombard, 4 pint Bombard

That was hard on the legs and as I was only getting one and a half revolutions each stroke I started to think about making a Lamhog.

This one is in Willow from Ireland, possibly late 18th early 19th century and recently sold at Christies for £2400.
You have to rig the lathe so that it only makes one revolution when you turn the handle area or you'll snap it off.

Oak Lump

2011-07-28T22:14:00.000+01:00

OOeerr... This is the biggest blank I've ever had on the lathe - just over 6 inches by 1 foot.

It's a lump of Oak and I'm turning two smaller ones from Chestnut to be used as blanks or lasts for forming leather drinking vessels around. See the Hide Bound website and check back for an update.

Spoons

2011-07-27T10:44:00.000+01:00

This booklet was my first introduction to spoon carving.

I met Eric soon afterwards and he gave me more pointers and tips. I've spent many an enjoyable hour carving spoons since...

I was inspired to make the one on the book after seeing Barn's last blog. OK I know it looks nothing like his but they both have the same sort of lineage. Probably the handle's too fat where it meets the bowl. I think it's a good design to teach as a first spoon as there aren't too many changes of grain direction to deal with - the thing most people come unstuck on when starting to carve spoons.

I'm not mad keen on straight lines in spoons and prefer the design I've been refining for a while now...

The first Lubeck style I made (which seems a bit uptight, handle too long) with a couple of my design in Cherry and Yew. Interestingly the bowl on mine is an inversion of the medieval style spoon. I think of this shape as 'avocado stone' - plectrum shape is also a favourite.

New Assistant

2011-07-24T14:06:00.000+01:00

Ronald Macdonald parachutes into the Woodland Workshop...

Rochester Catalpa Collection

2011-07-15T18:15:00.000+01:00

I wrote about the Catalpa tree outside Rochester Cathedral in previous posts. Here's an update.

Around 20 years ago the powers that be decided that the huge, old tree was going to die and so planted a replacement. Recently it was noted that the tree was actually in fine fettle and that the replacement was the wrong variety of Bean Tree anyway. So it was cut down and Fern saved me the logs.

There's a huge pith cavity, or is it a pillar of rot? (2p piece for scale) and the wood looks a bit like Ash with pink, yellow and green tinges. Unlike Ash it's fairly soft and easily workable even when seasoned. Freshly split there's a lovely smell of spice and tobacco.
Last Saturday I demonstrated at the Rochester Cherry Festival in The Vines. I made spoons and spatulas from Cherry to fit in with the theme but took along the Catalpa Collection to try and sell in aid of the Old Tree. (Possibly the only tree in the world with it's own website - I'd be interested to hear of others)

Part of The Rochester Catalpa Collection

Sue Haydock who initially launched the Appeal was delighted to buy the bowl I'd carved for quite a lot of money!

I got fed up with working the wood eventually and still have a half log...

Fern saved the wood for me

maybe I'll make some more bowls from it... (mmm - pity I never took a proper photo of that one but I didn't expect to sell it so quickly).

Apprentice Piece

2011-07-07T08:58:00.000+01:00

Not much time for blogging or sitting in front of a laptop lately - too busy.

This piece was brought to show me at a show we did at Letchworth last weekend by a guy named Dick.

It was carved from Oak in 1835 at the end of a City & Guilds apprenticeship and apparently awarded top marks. Dick didn't know the name of the carver but also has his Lignum Vitae carving mallet which weighed more than both my clubs put together.

On the right.

Fun Spoons

2011-06-22T19:02:00.000+01:00

I've been designing and refining my own range of Treewright Spoons and have produced a set of templates from thin plywood...

Whilst idly perusing googled-up Spoon Designs I came across these two mad ideas...!

As you can see Blogger has decided to let me upload photos again.

Glitch?

2011-06-22T13:14:00.000+01:00

As with everything else connected with this *@!% new technology when things go wrong you don't know if it's something you're doing wrong or is everyone else having the same problem.

So - is anyone else out there who's on Blogger having trouble uploading photos at the moment?
...or is it just me?

Sumach

2011-06-13T12:55:00.000+01:00

At the weekend we were demonstrating at the Cambridge Town & Country Show at Parker's Piece in the middle of Cambridge. A lady noticed several items that I'd made from Sumach (Rhus Typhina) and said that she had just had one cut down in her garden. She turned up with a big bag of the logs on Sunday morning - lovely.

The wood is quite spectacular and outrageous...

The downside is that it has a very sticky, resinous sap which gets everywhere if you get it on your hands.

I remember reading somewhere that this was once used for a varnish of some kind.

This is what the foliage looks like...

and the fruit, or drupes, look like big furry raspberries.

Things I make from it sell very quickly but it doesn't often come my way.

Turning Saw

2011-06-09T18:26:00.000+01:00

I was recently given this turning saw by a kind lady in Yorkshire.

Unfortunately one of the blade holders had sheared off...

This is because the the wooden bit inside the brass tube is only 9mm diameter. So I'll drill them both out and fix them properly. Apparently it was made by Matt Sears (son of John Brown, Welsh Stick Chairmaker) and many years ago I bought a froe from him after seeing his name and address in the back of Mike Abbott's book "Green Woodwork".
This is the stamp he used on his tools -

and I've only ever seen one drawknife with the same mark. He upped sticks and moved to the States in the 90's as he couldn't make a living here.
Hope he's still going but not making wooden tools.

Leaning Tower of Beeza

2011-06-07T19:48:00.000+01:00

The bees have been so busy during this hot, dry Spring - the honey flow is massive. So the hive ended up a bit massive too...

We took 2 supers of rape honey off on 12th May. and because we weren't really keeping an eye on them, had to take off 4 today!

Cutting off the cappings.

The extractor

Jed really loves his honey and is always hanging around for tastes - think he's OD'd a bit today.

Bad news

2011-05-30T19:38:00.000+01:00

Hmm...
This is as far as our building work's got in the last two weeks

Like a set out of Pirates of the Carribbean.

Can't pour concrete footings as the ground's too soft 1.5m down and deeper. We can't afford to have the piling done that the council require and can't even rebuild what we had before unless we do the piling. Talk about rocks and hard places!

I think we'll fill up the trenches with rubble and put up a fence.

Oh yes - and the truck's playing up badly. Could be the fuel pump.

www

2011-05-15T10:33:00.000+01:00

Had a great day yesterday at Weird and Wonderful Wood.

Good crowds, lots to see and buy and I met and chatted with a lot of the usual suspects.

Nick Gibbs, editor of Living Woods magazine, was demonstrating making whirligigs on his stand up shavehorse.

I bought a couple of nice old spokeshaves...

The small one has a convex sole - useful for shaving into curves.

The larger one is a Stanley No 53 type although there is no makers mark. The sole is hinged and allows for fine adjustment with the brass screw - a tool much beloved of John Brown and James Krenov.

Builder's Bum?

2011-05-11T09:02:00.001+01:00

Finally, after what seems like years of planning, they started our kitchen extension on Monday.

The conservatory is being demolished and rebuilt properly. The kitchen wall with the door and window is being taken out and we'll have a nice big kitchen.

Also the lean-to at the back is going to have a new roof, double glazing and a shower installed - can't wait.

Here comes the groundwork team with the mini digger...

and the compulsory...

2011 Workshops, Courses & Events

2011-05-09T14:32:00.000+01:00

Here is our list of this year's Diary Dates. There will be more added later but these are all confirmed. Anyone interested in Workshops or Courses please contact us for full details.

MAY
21/22nd & 28/29th Bergh Apton Sculpture Trail

JUNE
4/5th Introduction to Green Woodworking Course
11/12th Cambridge Town & Country Show
18/19th Hylands Park Craft & Sculpture & Art Fair
25/26th Green Woodworking Workshop

JULY
2/3rd Green Woodworking Workshop
9th Cherry Day - The Vines, Rochester, Kent ME1 1RF - 12 to 4pm
14th Connect with the Countryside, Sussex Showground, Ardingly
23/24 Green Woodworking Weekend
30/31st Keddlestone Hall Craft & Sculpture & Art Fair

AUGUST
27th Heartwood
28/29th Hainault Forest Country Summer Show

SEPTEMBER
17th Wivenhoe Ale Fest
24/25th Lee Valley Park - Countryside Live

OCTOBER
15/16 Burghley Craft, Sculpture & Art Fair

Bodger's Ball

2011-05-09T09:29:00.000+01:00

Had a great weekend in Herefordshire at the Brockhampton Estate (won't mention the dog incident).

This is the Dandelion Clock Marquee before Mark Allery got cracking with his scything demonstration.

My favourite entry in the craft competitions was this Tiggywinkle made from a Teazle with pins for eyes and nose. Unfortunately I didn't find out who made it.

The best bit of furniture, to my mind, was this stool by Will Wall.

The seat is made from fresh (cut last week) Willow logs, legs are Chestnut fitted into dovetail slots and the seat is held together by these two dovetail splines...

Well done Will - great stuff and also very comfortable!

Forest News

2011-05-04T10:18:00.000+01:00

The Forest is looking great at the moment in it's new cloak of Spring greens.

We often come across Ray Mears style shelters but never a ladder before.

Of course I had to climb it...

Got close enough to photograph this dragonfly basking in the sun on a Hornbeam.

There were a lot around considering it's still quite early in the year.

A sight I've never seen before is this thick layer of Beech blossom carpeting the Forest floor. I suppose it's a combination of the very dry conditions this Spring (please rain soon, but not this weekend!) and the high winds we've had lately.

Future Craftsman

2011-05-02T10:06:00.000+01:00

Jake came on Saturday and really enjoyed his Introduction to Green Woodwork day.

He turned a rounders bat from Chestnut...

...and carved a Willow spoon.

He showed a strong aptitude for this type of thing and has been encouraged by his dad, Mark, who came with him and took these photos on a lovely sunny day.

He would like to become a musical instrument maker and I wish him well - we need to encourage our future craftsmen (and women) at an early age.

Bergh Apton Sculpture Trail 2011

2011-05-01T11:37:00.000+01:00

Been a bit slow in getting the 2011 Diary Dates together but this is an interesting looking event we've been invited to demonstrate at in May (21/22nd & 28/29th).

Violin Making

2011-04-29T10:17:00.000+01:00

I recently went to a talk about violin making at the local turners club. There is no turning involved in violin making but everyone who came seemed more interested than usual. Did you know that the curve of the back of a violin is a catenary curve? and that the best hair for bows comes from Mongolia?

Christopher Beament, who was taught violin making by his mother, is obviously a master of his craft and repairs, makes and teaches in Cambridge. See his website.

I used to play the fiddle when I was younger but unfortunately when I broke my left wrist it wasn't set correctly and it's now agony to try and play for any length of time. I do still play the mandolin which has the same tuning.

High Woods

2011-04-18T19:33:00.000+01:00

Just done a 3 day workshop at High Woods Country Park in Colchester. We last did it two years ago when Jed was our new puppy. They have a switched on attitude to their volunteers and reward them with training in wooden rake making, basketry, hedge laying, green woodwork, trips to Westonbirt Arboretum etc.

Brian, the Mayor of Wivenhoe struggling to burn lines into his dibber.

Trudi looks like she's enjoying carving her spoon.

Greg with his hobo's reel

Russ made a very nice Chestnut spurtle.

A happy group at the end of the last day.

They've made one of Mike Abbotts Champion the Lumber Horses - it's the first time I've tried one and it felt really good. I'm going to make one with a few tweaks here and there - download the plans here.
However that drawknife in the picture was a Ray Iles one which Mike has apparently designed - it was awful to use. The bevel is far too steep and the handles are at the wrong angle to the cutting edge (too high).

Green Wood Pipes

2011-04-12T18:50:00.000+01:00

Robin Wood posted pictures on the Bodger's Forum of some pipes made from Hickory. Someone else suggested using Elder and as we have plenty I went in search of some suitable branches. They're harder to find than you'd think and it was difficult to get ones with a straightish stem and a large pith in both the bowl and the stem.

I drilled out the pith in the bowl and burned it out of the stem with a hot wire.

Growing one minute - being smoked the next...

A word of caution - Wiki says about Elder:-

"The leaves, twigs, branches, seeds and roots contain a cyanide producing glycoside. Ingesting any of these parts in sufficient quantity can cause a toxic build up of cyanide in the body. In addition, the unripened berry, flowers and "umbels" contain a toxic alkaloid.
Due to the possibility of cyanide poisoning, children should be discouraged from making whistles, slingshots or other toys from elderberry wood."

Is Wiki always right and are these things any worse than those contained in tobacco or other smoking material?

Fighting Wood

2011-04-11T18:53:00.000+01:00

I'm always on the lookout for curves in branches and stems like these...

They make interesting and strong spoons.

When I spotted this lump of Birch it was saying "Take me and release the ladles and scoops that are contained within!"

I should have realised that I'd met my match when both wedges were well stuck and the split wasn't opening up...

But I sweated, swore and persevered and eventually it split into 3 ugly chunks.

From which I managed to hack out a ladle, a spoon and a scoop.

It's quite a severe challenge carving this type of wood. The grain swerves, dips and dives and does the most radically unpredictable things but ultimately it's quite a satisfying feeling to have won the fight with the wood.

More Bowling

2011-04-10T10:15:00.000+01:00

Anyone see anything wrong with using an adze as a gouge?

Like this...

and this...

Robin asked if there could be any improvements to the bowlmate. Perhaps make the ends a bit longer so you can ride it.

It holds it down very firmly and is a comfortable working position - never stand if you can sit down.

Hornbeam

2011-04-09T07:43:00.000+01:00

The Hornbeam seedlings are sprouting like mustard and cress on the Forest floor at the moment...

Richard Law commented in his blog recently that he'd visited Epping Forest and that Hornbeam was an uncommon tree in Yorkshire. Well not round here it ain't. In fact there are remnants of Hornbeam coppice all through Essex and Hertfordshire and possibly in a ring round London. Being a very good firewood (burns long, hot and bright if well seasoned) it was used to fuel London's bread ovens.
I do use it occasionally but it must be worked green or you discover why it's called Hornbeam.
In America apparently it's called musclewood which is a very apt name as the trunk and branches often look as though there are muscles rippling beneath the bark.
Most people confuse it with Beech but it has serrated leaves and never grows as tall.

Bowlmate

2011-04-06T17:29:00.000+01:00

Making the Bowlmate from a Willow log with Chestnut legs.

Using the Gransfors adze to hollow a Willow bowl.

I really enjoyed this and will have to go and liberate some more of that great pile of Willow logs.

Holey Spoon

2011-04-05T19:26:00.000+01:00

Nick came today to learn spoon carving. On the first one he learnt the hard way about not carving for too long on one spot and ended up with an olive spoon! - great for getting them out of the jar and leaving the juice behind. I also suggested that he could make another and fashion them into Ray Mears style snow goggles.

Too busy to Blog

2011-04-04T11:24:00.000+01:00

So much has happened in the week since we ran our first courses at our Greenwood Camp that I haven't had the time or inclination to make any posts.

It always amazes me that people with no previous experience can come and spend a day mastering new techniques well enough to make things like these...

2 spurtles and a honey drizzler in Elder

I always remember my first attempt on a pole lathe was to make the long pin to hold the frame onto a shave horse. I struggled to control the tools to make nice cuts and the finished pin looked dreadful. But it works and I still have it and show it to the novices.
It was good to use Elder which actually came from our land. In my opinion a much underrated wood which is surrounded by ancient superstitions. It takes a very nice cut and is quite hard when it dries - I use it a lot for making spoons.

A Hard Day's Work

2011-03-24T20:08:00.000Z

Spot the difference Part 2...

Ready for the first courses in the new workshop this weekend

The bog is finished and Vanessa gave the seat a coat of linseed today... and sanded off the splinters.

Comfy seat for No 2's

Helped myself to a load of Willow logs this morning. They had been cut down and just dumped in the Lee Valley Park. Good for making some Bowl Mates, bowls and chopping blocks etc.

It's amazing what you can get away with if you don a high-viz jacket these days. Everyone assumes you've got a right to be doing whatever it is - add in a hard hat and a clipboard you could get away with murder! I'll probably go back because there's an absolute mountain of logs.

Man & Dog stare into fire after a hard days work.

Spot the Difference?

2011-03-21T09:22:00.000Z

At first glance it may appear that there isn't any but believe me I spent nearly a day tidying up the workshop and having a Spring clean.

I love the Forsythia which grows behind - it's like having my own private patch of sunshine on these dull days. The Japanese call this "borrowed landscape"

Stool Making

2011-03-18T18:47:00.000Z

Mark's been here today putting together the stool that he made the parts for way back last July.

Ash

Also having a lesson in seat weaving with seagrass from Vanessa.

Raising the Roof

2011-03-13T13:09:00.000Z

The cover finally went on the workshop/shelter that we built at our Greenwood Camp last summer. The first courses are going to be held there on 26/27th March.

We put tyres round the A frame legs, stood them on brick bases and filled the tyres with crushed terra cotta plant pots and dressed with pebbles.

Hopefully that will keep them well drained and stop them from rotting - just got to think of a way of pinning them to the ground and hope we don't get any high winds before then!

I installed cable bracing to tension the structure using turnbuckles and tacked strips of carpet along the ridge pole to stop abrasion.

Gary and Jon and me hoisted the cover with barely a hitch...

The only problem we had was attaching the bungees with the system supplied. It killed our hands trying to fix it with those hooky things so we took it all off, got rid of them and laced it with just the bungee.

Then we had a beer to celebrate.

Book of Old-Time Trades and Tools

2011-02-28T10:05:00.001Z

First published as The Boy’s Book of Trades and the Tools Used in Them by George Routledge & Sons, London, 1866. This book was originally intended as an aid for boys seeking information about prospective trades and occupations available to them as adults. This is a Dover edition published in 2005 and is an unabridged reproduction of the original work. The author is Anonymous.

It is profusely illustrated with over 700 beautiful engravings and has 320 pages covering many trades. Such as...

The Sugar Refiner's Tools

She doesn't look like a boy!

It says "Pointing these wires is the most unhealthy part of the manufacture; the fine dust is carried into the lungs of the workmen, and destroys them in a few years, very few living beyond the age of forty" not exactly an appealing career move!

A Hat Lathe

Also included are such things as...

The Plasterer & Whitewasher
The Gilder
The Brassfounder
The Cutler & File Cutter
The Calenderer & Hotpresser
The Paper Stainer
The Manufacture of Gas
The Gas Fitter
The Gun Manufacturer
The Coppersmith
The Dyer & Scourer

and many more.

Unfortunately there is no index so it's a good book for dipping into revealing many facets of working life in Victorian England.

Leather Tool Bag

2011-02-27T16:42:00.000Z

Just taken delivery of this rather nice leather tool bag which I won on eBay after some heated last-minute bidding.

I've been slathering on some Oakwood Leather Conditioner as it was dry and hard. The conditioner is an Australian product and contains Tea Tree and Eucalyptus oils, Emu oil, Beeswax and Lanolin.
It has large EDF letters stamped into it and I think it's a French electrician's bag as this stands for Électricité de France. Should be able to adapt it to hold some Bodger's tools, spoon knives, drills etc.

A Bodger's Bog

2011-02-26T09:06:00.000Z

Built yesterday from pallets by Jon and me at my Greenwood Camp.

Be very careful when cutting up pallets with a chainsaw.

Just got to finish the roof and install the sanitary ware!

Facebook

2011-02-21T19:12:00.000Z

I've finally been convinced by my webmaster Oliver to have a go at Facebook. I'd be grateful if you could go to my Treewright page...

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Treewright/127526407320173

and give it a "like" - I need 25 likes to be able to use the Treewright name as a small business.

Probably won't have any time left for woodwork now!

Hazel Tongs

2011-02-19T17:05:00.000Z

I was hanging out the washing when a peg broke (clothes pin to US readers) and I started wondering how I could use the spring. Well here it is - The Hazel Peg-Spring Tongs!

Perfect for turning over your bacon and sausages on the campfire or barbie or rescuing the toast from the toaster.

Top tip is to drill the hole same size as the spring diameter before splitting the twig.
The hardest part is getting the spring in.

Sharp Knives

2011-02-14T18:46:00.000Z

I think knives are possibly the tool that a lot people have trouble sharpening. I remember when I used to offer a sharpening service one guy turned up with loads of blunt kitchen knives - apparently when he'd needed a sharp knife he just bought a new one!
Now, I don't know who does the cooking in your house, but Vanessa has to 'remind/ask' me several times to get a decent edge on the kitchen knives for her before I remember to do it. I sharpen my workshop tools probably every day or at least every time I use them. Why can't I get into the habit of doing that for her? A little touch up every week is what they need - perhaps I'll start doing it 1st thing on Monday mornings!

I've never got on with a steel and those gadgets they sell that you pull the blade through are hopeless.
You can easily and cheaply make a knife sharpener like this:-
Buy a sheet of 800 and a sheet of 1000 grit wet-or-dry paper (about 50p,80c,€0.6 each).
Cut a 1½" (4cm) wide strip off each sheet (about 11"-28cm long) and glue them to either side of a piece of softwood about ½"(12mm) wide. Spray mount adhesive is good for this.
Form a nice ergonomic handle.
Note the grit numbers on each side.

I'm not going to tell you how to sharpen but use the rougher (800) grit first then the finer (1000) and use it dry.
If your knives are really knackered try making one with rougher grits.
You could use up the spare paper to make up some more as presents for friends who have trouble with knife sharpening.

Cheers Maurice.

Laburnum Spoons

2011-02-11T15:05:00.000Z

A Laburnum spoons I've made for "A Gathering of Spoons" collection of Norman D. Stevens.

One end is a teaspoon and the other is a dessert spoon. It's 9" long.

See some more of the collection here. Click on "View Exhibit Catalogue" at the bottom and download the pdf file.

The Woodwright's Shop

2011-02-08T18:58:00.000Z

The latest series of Roy Underhill's Woodwright's shop are now available to view online here.

#No Comment & Cheap Tools

2011-02-05T11:18:00.000Z

Two things here...

There seem to be two different types of comment boxes on Blogger blogs.

The ones which appear like this I have no trouble leaving a comment on...

But the ones that look like this...

No matter what I do and even if I'm signed into my Google account, I can't leave comments. I have no trouble with Wordpress blogs.
Anyone else experience similar problems or is it just me?

Anyway Sean Hellman's blog is one that I can't comment on and he made a post on Thursday - "Quality Tools - Cheap Axe" - this is my comment.

I'm going to be running courses at our Greenwood Camp this year for up to four people at a time so am looking to buy some more tools especially lathe tools - spindle gouges, skews etc. I asked for a quote from Ashley Iles and they came back with £180. I looked round on the web at various other tool suppliers - Axminster etc - and found I could get the same tools for just over £100.
Now Ashley Iles is a family run company based in Lincolnshire and their tools are "Forged, ground and tempered by timeserved craftsmen using the traditional methods of the golden age of tool making." The other tools are, I suspect, made in China (as Sean's axe most certainly is). It's a bit like buying locally produced, organic food or "buy-one-get-one-free" Polish chickens from Tesco. I've got nothing against the Chinese (except perhaps their human rights record and exploitation of workers) or the Poles but I think I will be buying British and supporting our economy and our craftsmen.

***

Oak Liberation

2011-02-04T10:20:00.000Z

Oh look, 'someone' has felled a load of trees and left them to rot...

Good job I happened to have my wedge and sledge with me as I couldn't possibly have carried the Oak log in one piece.

Somehow I don't think this Oak burr will get liberated as it's hidden deep in the forest but it is rather a fabulous thing.

Jed for scale

Protest against the Forest Sell-off

2011-02-02T13:12:00.000Z

I should have put these up well before now - SIGN THESE PETITIONS.

http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/save-our-forests#petition

and this one from the Woodland Trust

http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/campaigning/save-ancient-forests/Pages/fc-disposals-act-now.aspx

Come on let's give these bastards a run for their money and show them that we're not just going to take this lying down. If they sell them they'll probably give the proceeds to their mates in the banks.

Ancient Beech Pollard Forest

Folding Chair

2011-02-01T19:46:00.000Z

I "borrowed" this photo of an interesting looking folding chair from somewhere on the net last year...

I stupidly forgot to make a note of where it was from or anything about it and my memory seems to be shrinking (hard drive nearly full?).

Anyone out there recognise it or tell me anything about it??

Handles & Ergonomics

2011-01-16T16:37:00.000Z

I love whittling and spoon carving but gripping the tool for long periods causes me to get a kind of pins-and-needles, hot/cold, numb feeling in my hands and fingers. This is probably exacerbated by some bad accidents I had when I was an arborist so I have to accept that and try to work out what I can do to alleviate it.

When we look at edge tools we’re very often preoccupied with the quality of the steel and it’s edge-holding capabilities but the handle which forms our interface with the tool is usually overlooked.

Clothes and shoes come in a range of sizes so you can choose those that most nearly fit -or if you’re feeling plush you could have them handmade to fit perfectly. But all the tools, artefacts, utensils, implements and vessels - all the things we pick up with a handle - come in a choice of one-size-fits-all.

I was perusing the latest tool catalogue from Rutlands recently and in the section of seriously gorgeous Japanese tools came across some carving knives.

They make the claim that “ Each blade is mounted in a solid hardwood handle that is shaped to fit perfectly in the hand.” Whose hand? A child? A giant with hands like hams? Someone suffering from arthritis?

I decided to have a look in Wiki and see what I could find out about Ergonomics.
“The term ergonomics is derived from the Greek words ergon [work] and nomos [natural laws] and first entered the modern lexicon when Wojciech Jastrzębowski used the word in an article he wrote in 1857. Later, in the 19th century, Frederick Winslow Taylor pioneered the "Scientific Management" method, which proposed a way to find the optimum method for carrying out a given task. Taylor found that he could, for example, triple the amount of coal that workers were shoveling by incrementally reducing the size and weight of coal shovels until the fastest shoveling rate was reached.”
This led to such things as Time & Motion Studies and probably ultimately to our dreaded Health & Safety Executive. The information is interesting if a little wordy and technical - have a look at it here.

I’ve recently put handles on a couple of spoon carving knives made by Duncan Chandler alias FGYT and an old Marples adze which Jon Warricker kindly reforged into a curve and tempered for me.

I tried out Duncan’s knives in the Spoon Knife Passaround early last year and one of the things which impressed me about them was the shape and size of the handles. I bought a couple of blades from him and he supplied a template of the handle shape. It’s similar to the American Flexcut knife handles.

The manufacturers of these claim that “The comfortable curved ergonomic handle allows for long periods of carving without hand fatigue.” I have one and it’s OK but a bit small so I made the handles for Duncan’s blades even slightly larger than the template and they’re ideal - for me.

Side and top view, Walnut & Ash

I modelled the adze handle on a Gransfors pattern but made it fatter and again it feels perfect for my hand.

I realise that other people will have to use them, and the knives, but hopefully I have enough different shapes and sizes for them to find one that feels right in their hand.

As an aside, whilst perusing the Japanese knives in the Rutlands catalogue, I came across this one which is shaped like a small Samurai sword.

It even has a little picture of a Samurai on the handle!

I’ve never seen them advertised before but my Dad gave me one about 5 years ago and couldn’t remember where he’d bought it. I’ve kept it mainly for trimming paper and card. The blade is made from three layers of steel, a hardened, blue paper steel core that forms the cutting edge which is flanked by a layer of softer, tougher steel on each side. I’ve never sharpened it so no doubt about it’s edge holding capabilities but the brass handle is dreadful - absolutely, totally unErgonomic!

Cherry Picking Ladder on The Edwardian Farm

2011-01-15T11:25:00.000Z

Did anyone else manage to catch Stuart King's "blink and you miss it" appearance on The Edwardian Farm the other evening?

Stuart on the right with Ben Langlands, presenter

He's using a pole lathe to make some new rungs for a Devon style cherry picking ladder.

See it on BBC iPlayer here. Stuart's bit lasts from 9.18-11.08 - I bet he spent all day filming for that little part!

One thing I noticed is how the cord rubs across the edge of the bed. It wouldn't have lasted long if he had been making ladder rungs all day.

Colour

2011-01-07T18:35:00.000Z

After the Christmas decorations and lights are taken down it always seems a bit glum and gloomy and today it hardly got light and the rain has been lagging down nearly all day.

I've had this old Gordon Smith guitar knocking about for years looking sorry for itself...

We were involved in quite a bad multi-shunt accident in 1990 when a Golf hit our stationary vehicle up the rear at about 60mph. The neck got snapped off and I managed to glue it back on fairly well. Anyway after a few mad minutes with some cans of spray paint it's ended up looking like this...

I was originally inspired by the guitar that George Harrison played on "I Am The Walrus" in The Magical Mystery tour but it's ended up looking nothing like that!

I feel we need to inject more colour into life. Take a look at men's clothes they're predominantly black, grey, neutral and sludge - why? I've bought some bright felt pens and I'm going to add some bands of colour to my turnings. As you can tell there isn't much bodging going on at the moment but when I do some I'll post pictures.

A Fine Tradition

2011-01-04T15:42:00.000Z

And one that is unfortunately on the point of dying out - I think we are possibly the last people in our street to have our milk delivered by the Milkman to our doorstep early in the morning.

Organic full cream, semi-skimmed and orange juice.

The full cream is great on cereals, muesli, porridge etc and in REAL coffee, the semi-skimmed in tea and the orange is the best type. OK it may be slightly more expensive but at least it's really fresh, you don't have to lug it home from the supermarket in plastic containers that end up in landfill. The bottles are taken away, cleaned and bought back full. It used to be delivered in one of these...

...a non polluting, electric powered milk 'float' by Fred the friendly, whistling neighbourhood milkman. Unfortunately he retired and it now comes on a Transit.

Any other blog readers still have their milk delivered??

Remember - Use it or loose it. It's a bit like the traditional crafts or buying wine that has a real cork in it (although that's getting harder and harder).

* * *

Apropos of this I was once told a lovely story by Trevor Austen the Kentish Rakemaker who sadly passed away on Christmas Day after 5-6 years suffering from motor neurone disease.

In the 1960's he found he couldn't really earn enough money from making wooden rakes to support him and his family so he took on a milk round in the morning and made rakes in the afternoon. His round took in Chilham Castle in Kent and one day in the 80's he turned up there to deliver the milk to find that they were filming Rod Hull's Christmas Special. The director spotted him and thought it would be a great idea to have Rod and Emu arriving at the castle in Trevor's milk float. He got permission from his boss and went back later in the day to film it. Well, Rod and Emu jump off the milk float, say goodbye and thanks to Trevor and Rod grabs a pint off the back. Trevor said quite indignantly "They never paid me for that pint either!"

See Stuart King's film of Trevor making a rake here.
And on the Museum of English Rural Life website his brother, David, demonstrating on Trevor's behalf - note the milkman's overall which they always used to wear in the workshop.

Sharpening Spindle Gouges

2010-12-18T16:29:00.000Z

You sometimes see “Back to Basics” articles in magazines aimed at beginners and I impatiently think “Don’t they even know that?!” You kind of assume that everyone will be up to speed. However I’ve realised that you don’t know what you don’t know until someone tells you or you read it or hear about it somewhere. I had a girl on a course with me a couple of years ago who didn’t know that trees lay down an annual ring of wood every year!

It has come to my attention that there are people turning on pole lathes who have not discovered the benefits of having a spindle gouge amongst their lathe tools or how to sharpen one correctly (no names or pack drill).

In spindle work - where the grain of the wood is parallel to the axis of the lathe bed - the spindle gouge is a valuable friend and is likely to be the tool that does most of the shaping after the initial use of the roughing out gouge. The big difference between the two types of gouge is that the roughing gouge is ground straight across by simply rotating the handle whereas the spindle gouge has a ‘fingernail’ shape when viewed from above. The fingernail shape is formed by swinging the handle about 25∘from side to side at the same time as rotating it against the stone. This isn’t an easy thing to do and it does take a bit of practise to get right. There are expensive jigs that you can buy or you could make your own or you can do it freehand, as I do, on a cheap dry grinder. If you’re using a dry grinder for prolonged periods make sure to dip the tool regularly in cold water so you don’t burn the edge.

There is a lot of controversy surrounding woodturning tools and sharpening angles etc. Some authorities say that the correct grinding angle for a spindle gouge is 30∘others say 35∘- I had a look at my own and and they are almost 45∘. My advice is to experiment and use whatever works for you and that you feel comfortable with.

I present the gouge to the stationary wheel, on the rest and flat on its back with the flute facing up.

Then I look from the side to check that the whole bevel surface is in contact with the wheel. You could colour in the bevel with a felt pen to show the point of contact.

Then switch on the grinder and as you start to rotate the tool anti-clockwise, swing the handle gradually to the left till the flute is vertical on its left edge.

Then rotate the handle clockwise as you swing it back to the flute horizontal position and keep going, swinging the handle to the right until the flute is vertical on its right edge.

It’s important to keep it in the same position on the stone - don’t let it ride up or down or you’ll end up with a multifaceted bevel - I keep my index finger in the same place on the back of the tool and use it as a stop against the rest. It’s also important not to swing the handle more than the 25∘or you will end up with a pointed profile. Keep grinding until you can feel a burr on the inside of the flute, have one bevel and a nice fingernail shape.

Life’s too short to bother honing your lathe gouges or removing the burr - use them straight off the grindstone.

You could also try putting “sharpening spindle gouges” into YouTube and see what comes up. Also for beginners I recommend Keith Rowley’s classic book “Woodturning - A Foundation Course” - he even mentions bodgers and although the book is aimed at power lathe turners the principles involved all hold good for pole lathe turning as well.

*O*

Bodger Dice

2010-12-08T17:46:00.000Z

I came up with this little game which is simple to make and fun to play specially at the moment with the long, cold nights. At first I called it 'Bodger Dice' as it's played a bit like Poker Dice but I now sell it under the name 'Chunx'. It's good for getting the young ones to engage in a bit of simple maths and can get quite heated!

Turn a 2" billet from some nice straight grained timber - normally I use Sweet Chestnut. Make some V grooves 1cm apart. Sorry to mix metric and imperial but hey...

Saw them off

Split them into 8 pieces of pie

How to play...

If anyone out there can't make them but would like a set I sell them for £4 a set + postage.

Medieval Nail

2010-11-12T18:50:00.000Z

In my post of December 12th 2009 I wrote about a lump of Oak I'd been given which had come from the restoration of York Minster. Yesterday I decided to make some Medieval style spoons with it. You can hardly call it green woodwork when the wood may be 800 years old!
In the evening as I was clearing up I was dismayed to discover a chip in the edge of my Gransfors carving axe - couldn't think how it had got there.

I discovered the culprit this morning...

...a medieval nail hammered into that beam hundreds of years ago and concealed by the charring.

I'll have to regrind the axe and remember to use a froe next time I'm working old timber. The Oak looks gorgeous though and not as hard to work as I'd expected.

George Leslie Fawcett 1924-2010

2010-11-04T10:14:00.000Z

My Dad passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday.

Hard to put my feelings into words but he will be sorely missed by all those that he knew and loved.

At his 86th Birthday Party in January 2010

As a young man in the RAF

All Souls

2010-10-31T21:22:00.000Z

Not sure if we always understand what we're celebrating but there's been about 60 ~~demons, werewolves, vampires~~ kids round tonight Trick or Treating. Not many tricks though.

Vanessa and I each carved a lantern this time - guess which is witch.

The 'Secret' of Sharpening...

2010-10-30T19:45:00.000+01:00

I occasionally get asked when I'm demonstrating at shows how I manage to get my tools so sharp - "What's the secret" they ask. "Move a bit closer and I'll tell you" - so they approach thinking I'm going to divulge some arcane mystery. "Patience, Persistence and Practice - like everything else in life". They usually go away looking a bit disappointed.

Anyhow I've had 3 course days this week and they all came to learn specifically how to obtain and maintain those razor sharp edges.

First up was Dennis on Wednesday who brought a load of tools for power lathe turning.

I think a lot of people like him end up abandoning their hobby because they can't get a decent edge. I don't know how he was even cutting anything with some of the gouges and his skew was a bit rusty. We gave them a ride on the grinder, honed the skew and I got him to try them out on the lathe. He started smiling and said how nice it was to use properly sharpened tools. Still managed to make some massive digs with the skew though.

Maurice came the day after with an assortment of reasonably blunt implements. Amongst other things, such as how to get a mirror polish on an axe blade, I showed him that a spindle gouge needs a finger-nail grind and not straight across...
He was impressed with the WorkSharp after regrinding a load of knackered chisels quickly and easily. I think he might buy one.

Jahit came today with a range of quite sharp tools and learned to take them up a notch using some of my own unorthodox methods and techniques. He made an Ash handle to fit to one of his properly sharpened axes.

As I've got older I've got more patient and spend more time on getting those perfect edges on my tools. It makes me more happy and confident in my work. Sharpness is almost a spiritual state of mind.

First Bowl

2010-10-22T19:53:00.000+01:00

Chris has been learning here for a couple of days. He's an arborist in North London so has access to plenty of timber and wants another string to his bow.

Yesterday he discovered some of the arts and mysteries of spindle turning and today made his first, very passable bowl from Alder.

I've still got 5 more course days to teach and on Sunday we're going to Clacton to run a workshop in Chris Southall's Chestnut coppice. Let's hope the weather holds out or...

...are we in for another hard winter?

Top Book

2010-10-20T21:44:00.000+01:00

After not having had a decent book to read for ages (not that I've had much time to look at one in the last few months) suddenly 2 arrive in one day.
The first was The Top by D W Gould which I bought for a fiver from Amazon.

A very interesting tome - here are a couple of illustrations of contemporary Japanese tops...

Stuart King has just posted his film of me making a spinning top on YouTube. He first shot it about five years ago and it's far superior, slicker and altogether more professional than mine. Watch it here.

Stuart also has some other interesting videos on Youtube such as Trevor Austen making probably his last wooden rake at his wonderful old factory in Ashford, Kent and Ion Constantin turning a drinking flask on a pole lathe in Romania.

The second book was One & Other - the document of Antony Gormley's 4th Plinth idea in Trafalgar Square last year in which I took part. I reserved a copy months ago and had forgotten it was due out in October. It's a bit disappointing - my photo is there along with the other 2399 plinthers - but the bulk of it focuses on the people who took their clothes off or did something 'arty' plus a lot of intellectual analysis and wordy articles which my eye seems to skate off.

Conker Festival

2010-10-12T08:12:00.000+01:00

This is the view we had on Sunday at our gig at the Hampstead Conker Festival. It was held on Parliament Hill Fields in the south east corner of Hampstead Heath.

(That building between the Gerkin and Canary Wharf looks like it going to be a biggie.)

As a child I used to race to the conker trees to try and get the biggest and best but now they're mainly just left on the ground - I still can't resist picking some up.

Not sure who won but it was a beautiful sunny day and hordes of people came out. We were a bit inundated and it was quite difficult to pack up at 4 o'clock.

I still haven't got a camera so I've 'borrowed' these images off the net.

News

2010-10-04T22:57:00.002+01:00

Just inspecting a spoon made by Chris who came for a days introduction last week. His wife Pat gave him the day as a birthday present and kept it a secret. She drove him over and he really had no idea what he had come here to do - a real magical, mystery day...I told him we were going to do flower arranging! He was quite good with his hands and made a rounders bat from Ash and an Alder spoon. (She took this photo and sent it to me. The camera still hasn't been fixed and I'm kind of missing it now.)

The Monty Don effect has really kicked in this month - I've got 8 course days. Really short-sighted of the BBC not to recommision Mastercrafts because I've talked to loads of people who saw it - it really touched a nerve.
Can we think of 6 more crafts that would be suitable and interesting? I'll start the ball rolling with...Ceramics.

***

The European Woodworking Show at Cressing Temple Barns was a gas. The Barns themselves are definitely star of the show but despite the damp weather and the fact that dogs weren't allowed we had a good time, specially on Saturday. We met loads of people we knew and managed to put quite a few names to faces and faces to names!
We stayed with Vanessa's sister Jackie, her husband Tim and niece Natalie in Chelmsford and they looked after Jed while we were at the show. I think he might have got a bit spoilt with jaffa cakes and lying on the sofa etc...

Check out Barn the Spooncarvers new blog on the Links list.

Child Powered Lathe

2010-09-29T18:47:00.000+01:00

A couple of shots taken at the schools part of Countryside Live by the Lee Valley Park's photographer...
Unfortunately the camera's gone wrong so it's gone back to the shop.

I like my child powered lathe. For two days there is a never-ending queue of willing workers so I can't be accused of exploitation.

Mrs Treewright showing the kids how the spinning tops work...

I'll be demonstrating at The European Woodworking Show at Cressing Temple Barns this weekend. It's a great venue and is shaping up to be an interesting show - might be worth a trip out?

Countryside Live x2

2010-09-20T20:03:00.000+01:00

Looks like someone was enjoying herself having a go on the lathe yesterday at Highgate Wood.

We're going to the Lee Valley Park to do Countryside Live for the kids on Wednesday and Thursday then we're going back on Saturday and Sunday when it will be open to the public (£3 - free for kids).

We've decided to donate these to the Countryside Foundation for Education for their auction.

I made them ages ago as a prop for the stall with Lime from Syon Park. They've served us well but I think it's time to make some new things.

Early Autumn in Epping Forest

2010-09-18T12:05:00.000+01:00

There are lots of different types of mushroom everywhere at the moment but which of these would you eat?

I'm not that fond of mushrooms anyway but if I was desperate would probably eat the first one as I'm pretty sure it's a Penny Bun.

Sunshine Plain was certainly living up to its name yesterday and we met the 4 English Longhorns that are put out by the City of London to graze there to keep the plain open.

We also spotted this Tree Sprite...

...looking for its young one.

Received this photo from Walter and Anna using the stool that I made for them earlier in the Summer. They were taking part in a living history event at a reconstructed medieval fishing village near Ostend in Belgium.

She said...
"The stool has been out and about a fair bit in these last few months and we still think it’s great and love it to bits. There’s just a tiny bit of warp in it from drying out, but that’s absolutely fine and it’s solid as a rock. Everyone in the York City Levy, our re-enactment group, thinks it’s fab."

***

We'll be at Highgate Wood Heritage Day tomorrow if any local blog readers wanted to pop by and say hello.

Cherry Wood

2010-09-11T19:15:00.000+01:00

Went down to Tim Gatfield’s Cherry Wood Project with Jon Warwicker to help out on Volunteer Thursday.

We slept 2 nights in this wonderful little log cabin...

The aerial loo...

We worked on building legs and bracings to support the ends of the joists for a new, large yurt platform...

This sort of arrangement is necessary as the woods are on a steep slope.

The place is called St Catherine's and we went to the Catherine Wheel pub at the nearby village of Marshfield - quite appropriate as St Catherine is the patron saint of turners.

Party in the Woods

2010-09-06T16:38:00.000+01:00

We had a great time at The Party in the Woods on Saturday. It was in a clearing in the middle of Reffley Woods - a site owned by the Woodland Trust on the outskirts of King's Lynn. The weather couldn't have been more perfect.

Jo was making willow dragonflies...

There was storytelling, fairy face painting and wandmaking, hurdlemaking, shelter building, African drumming in the woods, a cafe and three very fine musicians playing next to my lathes...

My freshly felled timber was dragged out of the woods to me courtesy of Bob the Cob...

This particular Birch butt proved to be the most awkward and intractable log I've ever had the misfortune to try and get into and led to a lot of sweating and swearing (2 axes and a froe were stuck in it at one point!) - thankfully the ash they brought later on was much more amenable and various items were turned including a new handle for Jeremy's lawn roller...

We had a couple of walks and paddles on the beach at Snettisham and all in all the weekend felt more like a mini-break rather than work.

Wotsit 2

2010-09-01T10:23:00.000+01:00

Dave Malkin on the pitch next to us at Hainault at the weekend had this interesting looking gizmo...

Any ideas?

Goblet turning & Tool Sharpening

2010-08-26T10:03:00.000+01:00

Chris came yesterday and had a go at making a goblet - a first on one of my courses...

I had to find the goblet hooks and give them a sharpen as it's not something I've done for a few years. I'd forgotten the bit about squinting one-eyed into the goblet at a tool edge you can hardly see! Well done Chris.

Tom came on a sharpening course on Tuesday with a variety of chisels, knives, slashers, machetes, scythes and axes all of which went home with him 100% sharper than they had been. We also managed to make a new handle for a lovely old pair of shears and sharpen them. Unfortunately I forgot about the camera so there are no pics.

Geodesic Dome

2010-08-23T19:15:00.000+01:00

I'm not going to list the series of disasters that made up our weekend at Mentmore Art, Craft & Design Show - that'd be far too negative...

Here's a series of photos of Jon's Dome going up on the Plot the other week instead.

Got a couple of guys coming on courses this week then we're off to the HeARTwood Festival at St Albans on Saturday and Hainault Forest Country Show on Sunday and Monday - so no peace for the wicked then!

Three Wise Monkeys

2010-08-16T22:14:00.000+01:00

Well, we did it - yesterday. In a day...

Thanks largely to Jon for his knowledge. experience, enthusiasm, generosity, drive and skill (that's his arse in the 1st pic for scale), Vanessa for her support and help, Jed for not getting in the way and Geoff for the loan of his excellent drill.

I just did the dangerous bits...

Now I feel knackered having thought it would take at least 2 or 3 days -now just have to save up for a suitable cover...

***

More blogs from the week soon...

Shelter

2010-08-15T06:28:00.000+01:00

We came back from our camping holiday on the Plot to run a course for Mike & Dylan yesterday...

and we're going back there today to build this...

from these. (With a little help from Jon Warwicker)

Off to Mentmore on Thursday but more soon...

Dub Side of the Moon

2010-08-03T14:28:00.000+01:00

Maybe I'm a bit late picking up on this as it was originally released by the Easy Star All-Stars in 2003.
A reggae version of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon which I was never that keen on (sorry to offend you old hippies out there!) and to my mind much better than the original.
Check it out on Spotify or iTunes...

A Week in the Life

2010-07-29T19:27:00.000+01:00

In a bit of a whirl lately.

This time last week we'd just come back from Yorkshire. The guy on the pitch next to us at the Driffield Show had this 'ossgine...and has a farm at Kirkheaton where my grandfather lived.

We had a great time walking on the beach and paddling at Fraisethorpe...

A Spikey Sandy Sea Dog

Arranged to have the medieval stool picked up in the car park of Driffield Rugby Club...

Walter delighted with his birthday present.

Mark Rickwood came on Monday and made the parts for a frame stool which we'll put together in a month or so. He's moving to The Golden Valley in Herefordshire so will be among some illustrious company in a beautiful part of the country.

Tuesday we went up to Norfolk to demonstrate at the Sandringham Flower Show. These rather interesting structures were in one of the show gardens...

...could easily turn those on the pole lathe?

Camilla gave me a nice little wave as she and Charles drove round the show in a carriage.

On Saturday we're off to The Linslade Canal Festival - a great little event with some good demonstrators that I always look forward to.

Kuksa

2010-07-19T00:00:00.001+01:00

Nick Alf did a days spoon carving with me last year. He seems to have been bitten by the Green Woodworking bug and booked for the whole weekend. Yesterday he did an Introduction to the Pole Lathe and made some Beech lemon sqeezers. Today he made a massive kuksa from this chunk of Silver Birch...

Medieval Stool

2010-07-16T09:20:00.000+01:00

This week I'm going to be busy making up stock for all the upcoming shows...
Those were brave words weren’t they? but as we know - ‘Life’s what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans’.
In fact I’ve ended up spending nearly the whole week on this little baby...

I made the parts at the end of May (see 30th May blog) and stuck them next to a dehumidifier we had running to dry out a very wet wall (a technique that works really well and one that I’ll look into in future for speed-drying components).
I thought I’d be able to knock it together in a couple of days as I've made quite a few 4-legged frame stools but hadn't really forseen the problems/difficulties arising from having one less leg! Plus the type of carpentry involved eg. chiselling out the slots in the top rail for the seat slats and planing down the slats themselves, made me start thinking of planer thicknessers and routers! In fact the whole thing reminded me of why I decided not to become a chairmaker.
However I also thought about the original Medieval makers of such stools, how I was working the material in a similar way and with similar tools to them, I also realised that there was really no rush (apart from the deadline to deliver it next Wednesday in Yorkshire at the Driffield Show) and began to enjoy the experience - quite cathartic.
Thanks to Vanessa for her advice, encouragement, support and help. (Actually she kept me going when I could have kicked it down the garden and chopped it up with an axe!)

A weeks course intake

2010-07-11T12:07:00.000+01:00

I've had 20 people here on courses so far this year. That's more than three times the amount of any previous year and they're not all down to the Monty Don Effect either.
Sometimes people buy a Green Woodwork gift voucher to give a friend as a present - usually it works out OK but occasionally I can tell they don't really want to be here.
Dave and Damon were given them by their partners and obviously DID want to be here. Dave just to have a go and Damon to make some new chisel handles for his Dad's old chisels.

Craig & Jenny booked themselves a day here yesterday after seeing us at Althorp.

No course bookings this week so I'm going to be busy making up stock for all the upcoming shows.

Rivet, Stud & Burr

2010-07-06T20:58:00.000+01:00

Had a drive up to Town today to get some sundries for making leather tool sheaths. I enjoyed playing with the leather and a very sharp knife this afternoon and actually managed to make a cover for a small spoon carving axe and some sheaths for my bowl and goblet turning hooks.

We had a calming walk in the Forest after our mad drive to Hackney and spotted this wonderful protuberance. Burr bandits eat your hearts out...

Wotsit?

2010-07-04T21:05:00.000+01:00

Picked this little lot up at a car boot today...

A fiver well spent after a bit of of a clean...

Some little screwdrivers, awls and a ticketer for rolling the edge on scrapers, small spirit level, various leatherworking knives (some made from old high carbon steel cutlery), a log dog, steel straight edge, a spud(?) for barking logs. In the middle a saw set - I was specially pleased to find that as I'm going to get some files and having a go at sharpening some good old saws. At bottom right a tool for cutting button holes in leather.

But what on earth is the thing at lower left??

Sliding bar with steel spike is 6" long, metal inset on the end is brass. Can't think of any jobs I'll be needing it for soon!

Norfolk Show

2010-07-02T11:54:00.000+01:00

We always feel buzzed up after being in the Woodland Crafts area at the Norfolk Show - not like some events which leave you drained and knackered.
Where else do you see four Bodgers, a Wheelwright, Stickmakers, a Cleft Oak Gatemaker, a Corn Dolly maker, a Cooper, Chairmakers, Hurdle makers, Basketmakers, Spoon carvers, a Clog maker, a Tent Peg maker, a Besom Broom maker, a Coracle maker, a Bowyer, Blacksmiths & a Bowl Turner???

This is the third time we've taken part (see here and here) and sadly marked the retirement of Eric Rodgers (left centre in pic) who has organised and arranged the Woodland Craft area for over 20 years. His successor is Henry Alston, a local farmer and one of the Bowler-hatted members of the Norfolk Agricultural Association. I did feel sorry for him having to wear that suit, tie and hat in the sticky heat. We had a whip round and presented Eric with a few items made by the crafters.

When we arrived on Tuesday several of us discovered that vital components had been forgotten! Katie Abbott hadn't got any legs for her lathe but the Gatemaker came to her rescue with two riven and hewn Oak uprights which they buried in the ground to bolt the lathe bed to, the bungee was strung between two trees, Malcolm the Peg maker had forgotten to bring any money and had to wait until he'd sold some pegs before he could buy an ice cream, John Richardson had forgotten his rushing table which his mate brought next day and I'd forgotten the horizontal bar which supports the cover of my shelter but managed to hack down a fairly straight rod of Laurel - this was so effective that I brought it home with me to use again.

My lathe seemed to behave really well this time and didn't tilt forward as I pushed down the treadle. I didn't bother doing any bowl turning as Robin Wood, spaced-out from Glastonbury, set up his lathe and Heritage Crafts Association stand next to us. However we did still sell some bowls amongst other things.

I bought one of Rob's poringers and ate my breakfast from it this morning with one of my wooden spoons - very satisfying.

Courses & Demos

2010-06-27T11:30:00.000+01:00

This is the first weekend for 5 weeks that we haven't had to pack the truck and go off to a show somewhere to demonstrate and try to sell some woody products - it's quite a relief. There's almost not enough time to recover from one before the next approaches and so far this year sales have been pretty poor.

I've realised that I can make nearly as much by staying at home in the back garden running courses...

Huw who came during the week to do spoon carving. He studied Philosophy at Leeds University and decided he needed some practical skills!

Russ & Sarah who came and did some turning and spooning yesterday on what was probably the hottest day of the year so far.

Anyway we're off to do The Royal Norfolk Show on Tuesday. I always enjoy it as it's a midweek event, people were still spending last year and we meet all the other craftsmen and women in the Woodland Crafts area - if you're around come and say hello.

Hail Midsummer

2010-06-21T10:16:00.000+01:00

Well it must be midsummer - we had to put the heating on on Saturday night! What happened to global warming?

The weather at Melford Hall was awful as usual on Saturday and brightened up, as usual, on Sunday. The new lathe behaved quite well on it's maiden outing...

Except for some reason the back legs kept trying to lift off the ground even with the cover and guy ropes on? Perhaps the ground was too uneven or I haven't given the legs enough splay. In the end I had to resort to lashing it down to some pegs. When I tested it out a few weeks ago with no cover I didn't have this problem at all - maybe it was the massive gusts of wind from behind me?

A fine old, stag-headed Oak in the grounds of Melford Hall - it's in a long line of very old Oaks.

More Good News

2010-06-17T19:28:00.000+01:00

Regular readers of this blog may remember my post from last July about our bees all suddenly vanishing.
We did try and get another colony or nucleus but most beekeepers suffered such huge losses in the long, hard Winter that there were none to be had.
Imagine our surprise and delight when we looked at the hive today to see a steady stream of bees flying in and out! Wonders will never cease - it's certainly good to see them.

Craft Award

2010-06-16T19:48:00.000+01:00

Today was the day that The Worshipful Company of Turners judged the entries for the 2010 Biennial Craft Competitions. This year they had introduced a new category - A Candlestick to be turned on the Pole Lathe - which I entered. I popped down to Apothecaries' Hall in The City of London having nothing better to do and was shocked, amazed and delighted to find that I had won 1st prize! specially as the runners up were Stuart King & Katie Abbott.

The competition was open to all members of the Association of Pole Lathe Turners and it's surprising there weren't more entries as the 1st prize was £300.

Receiving the certificate and cheque from the Sheriff of The Plasterers Company. Peter Ellis who is this years Master of The Turners Company is sitting in the background. Also included in the prize was a years subscription to The Woodworker & Woodturner magazine.

I turned my candlestick from a well seasoned piece of London Plane and the two parts fit together with a screw thread.

Cambridge Country Fair

2010-06-14T19:41:00.000+01:00

Cambridge is an interesting place and full of all sorts of zany, madcap, weird, strange, loony and eccentric types from all over the world. We met and chatted with quite a few of them over the weekend spent on Parker's Piece in the middle of the city, also some very friendly and intellegent but definitely off-the-wall characters. On Sunday morning I saw a guy cycling along wearing top hat, tails, swimming trunks and shades!

The show was huge and as it was on public ground and there was no entry fee it was really well attended - we had our best sales weekend for ages.

This guy asked me if I could make some clubs for Indian Club Swinging and proceeded to demonstrate with some rounders bats.

They aren't dissimilar to rounders bats - could become a new line maybe?

Strangely enough shortly after an Iranian guy asked if I could make some Persian clubs for swinging (he assured me they were definitely Persian and not Indian) - they look pretty massive, watch them here.

I made a new handle for one of the Medieval reenactors fighting axes - which looked better than the original and at least was made from Ash rather than Hickory.

Yesterday toward the end of the show a guy called Julian asked if he could try out my spoon knives. He'd bought a piece of seasoned Yew in the market which wasn't very big so I showed him how to rough out the shape with the drawknife on the shavehorse. When it came to hollowing out the bowl he informed me that he was left-handed... so I did it for him. "Would I be prepared to swap one of my bowls and a spoon for a large piece of leather he'd had for ages". I asked to have a look at it so he cycled off to his narrow-boat and came back with this...

I think I'll make some tool covers and get rid of all those bits of cardboard and elastic bands etc.

It's 3mm thick - any suggestions as to what I should use to soften and revive it?

Dual purpose lathe

2010-06-03T19:55:00.000+01:00

I've just finished making a new tool rest for my bowl lathe which I made almost exactly a year ago.

It clamps to the bed with a threaded wooden rod and a big wooden washer. It was a chance to use the ¾" tap & die I bought a while ago - I've never found that many sensible applications for it.

Now I can use it for spindle turning...

as well as for bowls...

It also means that I can leave it in the van and not have to keep schlepping my other lathe in and out of the garden workshop.

Coopering

2010-06-02T09:42:00.000+01:00

Wocko was demonstrating barrel making at the weekend. He's developed his own type of horse to hold the staves while he shaves them - a Stave Horse I suppose...

He's got a small wooden template to ensure the correct radius on the inside and outside of the staves.

The staves are laid out to measure the length of steel needed for the hoop.

Making the holes for the rivets.

Raising the barrel.

At this point I was told to "Put the bloody camera down and give us a hand!" so there are no pictures of the next bit which involved a fair bit of struggling and grunting. Coopers swear silently as the expletives used are too disgusting for the human ear.

Bodging a leg

2010-06-01T11:28:00.000+01:00

John Richardson, Gimson-style ladderback chairmaker, had this old Windsor chair to repair.

One of the back legs was so wormy that it had snapped off - could I make him a new one as his turning skills weren't quite up to it?

I made it from Beech and slightly larger than the original to allow for shrinkage.

Woburn Show

2010-05-30T20:03:00.000+01:00

I've been commissioned to make a medieval 3-legged stool and decided to make the parts at the show from the Knebworth Ash.

Like this.

A mistake really as what should have taken less than a day has actually taken two, what with all the interruptions and distractions.

At least I was being paid to do something I'm being paid for because sales aren't exactly booming at the moment.

Vanessa's getting fed up with being Head of Sales so we're training up a new assistant...

Those beseeching eyes should do the trick... we could probably end up selling loads of dogs!

Bodger's Gold

2010-05-27T11:11:00.000+01:00

Didn't get a chance to play with the Ash from Knebworth yesterday but I noticed that some of the splits have a great curve in them for the back legs of ladderback chairs.

David & Phillip Silverman were here on a course...

I can't believe the "Monty Don' effect - I've already had twice as many people here on courses than I normally have most years. Long may it last.

The second tree in the ident which nobody guessed was a Manna Ash (Fraxinus ornus).