Working Woodland Day

Coming up this Saturday...

Linslade Canal Festival

A very nice little event this coming Saturday.  Many rural craft skills being demonstrated plus, obviously, barges... Come and say hello.

Honey Bee Survey

British Beekeepers Association have just announced the results of the 2012/13 Survey. 

A THIRD of British honey bee colonies didn't survive the long, cold, wet winter. OK the weather has been awful but I think a lot of their problems are caused by greedy, commercial beekeepers robbing their honey and replacing it with syrup and candy. We didn't take any honey from our hive last year, the colony survived and seems quite strong. We won't take any honey this year if the weather continues like this.

Come on - give them a break or WE are going to bee in big trouble...

Summer Fire

Why am I lighting the fire in nearly mid-June?
BECAUSE I'M COLD...
It reminds me of last year, Global Warming huh.

How Trees are Made...

At last we find out how they do it...

Are you laughing?!

New Skew Movie

Have a look and let me know what you think...

Free Range Organic Meat - Free...

I'd heard that squirrels are hard to skin but Ness had no trouble getting this ones coat off...

Lovely eating, much better than the pigeon and rabbit we had with it.  Sort of chicken texture and rabbit flavour - I'd definitely have it again.

Jed got the tail...

New Eye

Had a cataract removed from my left eye and the blossom looks really White and Bright now instead of a yellowy grey.  Can't wait for the other one to be done but the op is a bit of a torture!

Stay sharp...

If you’re struggling and are new to spoon carving the BIG thing that will help you to develop is being able to keep your hook knife really sharp. 
Just posted a video which explains how to do this simply and effectively and (importantly) cheaply.
The same technique can also be applied to straight carving knives and kitchen knives.
Have a look and let me know what you think...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iq3O7cC7J0

Spoon Carving Discussion

Quite often during courses - http://treewright.co.uk/woodworking.php - there’s a discussion about the relative merits of which way you carve a spoon from relatively straight branchwood.
Right hand photo has the pith on the front of the spoon, at left it’s at the back.
What do you think about the different grain pattern?
Are there issues with relative strength of the bowl?
I found the one on left more difficult to carve and get a decent finish on. Admittedly they are from a branch of semi seasoned Ash which isn’t a wood I’d normally chose but it does have a nice grain...

Bump Gone

Several people have thought that I've had an accident or walked into a bunch of angry Millwall supporters but the truth is I've had a Basal Cell Carcinoma removed from beside my left eye.

22 stitches

Healing nicely

I asked the doctor what it was - she peered more closely and said "Right that's got to go and I'll fast-track you."  The surgical team was brilliant and had me in stitches in more ways than one!
So if you've got anything like this don't be afraid to ask and keep out of the sun and/or use a high protection factor suncream.