SHAVING and LEGGING UP SATISFACTION

 

Stool making has been a most pleasurable job these last few months - re-turning the tops of legs, deciding if the drilled holes will come all the way through so my feature oak wedges will be seen and positioning my trade mark Laburnum dot are all most satisfying. It's simple axe work to get those legs looking right, going with the grain, just going by eye until they look right, then out with the trusty drawknife to get the facets looking purposeful and a neat finish with a spokeshave to give them that wonderful silky thrill when you run your hands down them. This one has an Elm top, the Elm coming from Yorkshire, the Leeds neck of the woods. Legs are also Elm this time from Essex, Magdalen Laver, and from a tree that I felled due to Dutch Elm disease. The satisfaction of getting out all those shapely legs and pairing them up with a smashing lump of wood is excellent.  I always prefer to use oak wedges it's a good contrast on the whole and so tough you can give it a good hefty wallop and it goes straight in to give that friction fit that means it's not going anywhere when the glue's dried.

  

Japanese saws are my go to tool for tidying up the top - great smooth cut on the pull cut and it really doesn't need any extra finishing - I loathe using sandpaper - if you're using the right tools and they're sharp it keeps everything simple clean and tidy.

 

My levelling up technique is the same as has probably been used since folks decided to have legs on their seats and works every time. I use the Japanese saw to cut the ends off - they make excellent kindling - I don't see the need to waste any of this wonderful commodity.

 

Colour Transformation

Some of my recently made and mostly sold stools....

 

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REBEK UPDATE

 

 Finished Rebek

Feeling pleased  with the overall appearance - was concerned my 'f' holes would impair the sound because of the positioning. According to most of the photos I've seen of new and genuine old ones they are positioned more parallel to the bridge but I'm not a slave to tradition and I did give the shapes and positioning a great deal of thought.  Laburnum neck and tailpiece are great colours, totally natural with just a light wipe of linseed oil. 

 

 

 

The bow is made from Silver Birch which I shaved and bent gently till it simply felt 'right' in my hand. It took a bit of time as I struggled to find the perfect piece of straight grained wood and it seemed to take a ridiculous length of time to get it flexible enough without going too thin. Success in the end and fitted with horsehair, I played the first notes in trepidation as all the recordings I listened to on YouTube had sounded like cats being tortured!  It sounded sweet and melodic - I was playing Irish jigs though!  I've since decided that the folks I've seen & heard playing it may well be great luthiers but they're not much cop as instrumentalists! The small gadget is a peg tuner, my fingers are too big to get round them comfortably so I made this handy little device using Box, Sycamore and Ash - works a treat and I use the GDA string tuning for the violin. Next musical project is the archtop guitar...
 

TOOLS IN THE GARDEN

 

Great hand tools - you can never have enough and these were given by a neighbour in a cracking good box. Clamps, a few more to have hanging around open at different intervals all ready to go is excellent.  Not sure when I'll use the Stilson but it's a magnificent specimen - Vanessa came up with a few suggestions for politicians but we'll go no further on those! There's a good Record convex sole spokeshave A151 and a Record scraper plane 080. I gave both these a workout and they needed very little work doing just a good sharpen.  If you haven't already got a curved sole spokeshave in your kit you should try one out - marvelous - perfect for shaving legs.

Really smooth sole - previous owner looked after his tools more than most folks do. I'd not used one of these before and I was actually quite pleased with the result
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Green Wood Work Experiments & Turning as Thin as You Can

I've been experimenting in the workshop using two different timbers on one product. 

So various experiments with left over pieces of wood that are too short to be useful on their own but used together have added a great dynamic to my range of utensils.  I have lots chunks left over from billets when I've been pole lathe turning, log ends when I've been getting rid of splits and bits that 'might just come in useful' all of which, in the past would have been burnt on the log burner.  The citrus juicers worked brilliantly, the one below is has an Apple handle and Sycamore head.   

This one is a re-claimed Walnut (shelf and the remains of a cupboard from a skip - how it ended up like that I just can't guess) handle and Sycamore head. 

The trickiest part is re-aligning the centres. so you get a good equal looking perfect join where one timber meets the other. I need all my products to look immaculate.

 

 I'm fed up with seeing photos constantly on other social media of things folks produce as Green Woodwork that look like something produced in the kindergarten hopeless class purporting to be 'hand made Traditional Craft'. These types of post bring the whole profession of a Craftsman into disrepute.  They seem to think because it's handmade it's a Traditional Craft and furthermore it can be sold as such when quite frankly the aberrations I've been seeing should be thrown on the fire without more ado. These 'armchair' crafts folks are mere amateurs who should be content to whittle and turn at home and not bombard the general public and true professionals with their crass creativity. It's a bit like opinions - make them, have them, but for goodness sake keep them to yourselves!  Right that's my rant for the day done...

Here's one of my new Rolling Pins.

 

 

 

This one is Ripple Sycamore from Yorkshire with some Apple found in a car park in Epping Forest dumped by some dodgy waste clearance vandals along with builders rubble, redundant bathroom fittings and other household crap. I've accentuated the join here with friction burn lines and it gives the traditional rolling pin a more contemporary look. 

I've found using different coloured wood most satisfying, makes everything look fresh and is eye catching when amongst a plentiful array of kitchen utensils. During the lock-up I've had 90% of my on-line sales for culinary wares and I'm hard pushed to keep my stock levels up. For a couple of weeks I thought I'd become a specialist Spurtle turner as they were selling like hot cakes and I couldn't make them quickly enough to meet demand. I know some turners have very set patterns and knock things out in a matter of minutes but every single thing I make is a new design in itself and takes time and thought.  I know I say 'I just go with the flow and make what the wood tells me' but it's much more than that - yes the wood does speak in it's own mysterious way and that meets somewhere half way with my artistic mind to produce that unique item that can be recognised at a glance as something special.

        

Selection of my turning and carving from recent weeks in the workshop.  The Butter Knife with the striking stripe is from some Damson branchwood from the Abbey Gardens in Waltham Abbey and absolutely outstanding, not just visually but from a carving point of view - a lovely wood to work with as long as your tools are superdooper sharp.  Same goes for carving the juicers, it's great when you get those lovely curls of wood coming from your gouge and I love the star that forms at the business end when you get them perfect - great for keeping the pips in the in the bottom of the skins...

Turning as thin as you dare - waste of time and wood - in my opinion!

This is something, as a turner and daily user,  I'm not terribly fond of - it's just not practical from a usage point of view.  I believe tableware should be robust, fit for use and beautiful. I want my products to last a lifetime if at all possible and not to be turned so thin that they become delicate fragile only to be looked at and certainly not really meant to be used! If I say it's suitable for everyday use I mean it - if a two year old takes it into their head to chuck it onto the tiled floor in disgust it should live to see another day - not crack at the first whack but live again with it's badges of honour, wear and tear, and be around for their child to use a generation later having gained a few dents and a wonderful patina of living a full and rewarding life as a bowl.

This doesn't mean that I can't turn a thin bowl but I am reluctant to do so for the above reasons. I often see turners showing their skills by holding a light bulb to the inside or outside so you can see the light.  Well I'm not making a blooming lampshade am I - I'm making a useful bowl that won't crack, chip, leak or fall over. The same can be said of hand carved spoons. There is a movement to make them so thin you could almost bite a mouthful of wood from the bowl with you broth - not my idea of a fully functioning spoon.  I'm all for great design, elegant appearance that should be strong, robust and last a lifetime brigade. 

So here's a Porringer or Bowl I did turn thin and how I wish I hadn't! It's so frustrating, I really enjoyed the main turning and then I thought right I'm going to mess around again with making the wood really thin which looks good and makes it very lightweight but not as practical as it could be.  I did leave the rim thicker and it has the handles which obviously means it has a greater inherent strength but I always think one rough fall to a marble floor and the bowl could crack or the wood is so thin the broth could soak through, so not ideal. However I do like it's lines and I've left the tooling marks where I've carved the rim - it looks purposeful and I'm marketing it as a snack or sweets bowl! This is Sycamore from the edge of the Abbey Gardens that came down when we had a big blow in early January and has the most amazing silvery sheen in the grain - very beautiful...

I ship all my wares world wide and you can find them here in my shop       

Green Woodwork Days Out

Learning Green Woodwork is an enjoyable, healthy, environmentally friendly way to work wood with simple hand tools and traditional devices, pole lathe and shavehorse.  Making fun and functional wood toys, stools, spoons and all sorts of interesting things I'm really glad to be starting my one and two day Courses on my favourite subjects, wood and hand tools,  after a long year of interesting times!  I'm a real fan of letting the tools do the work for you and working with the grain - learn using these skills and woodwork will never be the same again.  You'll think about it differently after using sharp tools and the innate strength of the wood to get the best from your labours!                                                                                                                                                        

              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using a  Shavehorse is a pleasure - you sit down whilst working, listen to the sounds of nature or chat about this that or the other - a pure pleasure. I have tools for left or right handed folks in all types of sizes and styles of handles. Plenty of carving knives in different sized blades and hooks. There'll be many axes, chisels, gouges, saws, spokeshaves and drawerknives. If you decide it's for you and you want to continue further I can put together a starter kit for you to purchase with a good range of things that are essential and you'll be trying them all out anyway. You could be shaving billets for stool legs or carving spatulas and spoons - it's your course so you can make just about whatever you feel like...

Depending on how much energy and effort you put in reflects on the size of the goody bag you go home with - all the things you've made whilst learning and working with me. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Courses and Days Out are a most enjoyable way to spend a day or two relaxing whilst working and I've changed the way I'm running them - they are now all on a one to one basis so you'll get even more from your time with me.  I've always got plenty of logs to work with and obviously loads and loads of different razor sharp tools - so we'll definitely have a great day inside the workshop or outside in the open air. Treewright.co.uk

 

 Rebec Update

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I first started the Rebec in a flush of enthusiasm in 2008 and did loads of work with the adze that summer at shows and events where I was selling my handmade wood wares. Since then it's been on the back burner until these interesting times and the Lock-Up we've had here in Essex, UK.  

In fact I'd forgotten about it till I had the biggest workshop tidy up and sort out for years and there it was at the same stage as in the pic below. 

It's a Gransfors Bruks Adze and it's one of those tools I go months without using then it's coming out every day. I  love using it - goes through wood like butter when you've got the right action.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost Ready Stage

I always get caught out at this stage when making things because the tricky work is still to come and after wasting loads of wood with the adze it was on to gouges to get it so we'd have a good sound box.

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Almost Ready Stage

After spending a few more hours last week it was starting to look like a Medieval instrument and I felt pleased that I'd done it using similar methods to the musical instrument makers of the past - similar tools and a similar amount of energy!  Feeling positive now and have been re-reading Zachary Taylor's book for hints and tips and got sidetracked with that

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taking the Shape of a Rebec

Finger board  and tail piece are Laburnum, the bridge and pegs are London Plane, top is Spruce and the nut is Box. I was able to use the neck support I'd made to set up the bass guitar I chatted about last week and it's great when bits of kit you make turn out to be multi functional.   Thank goodness I've a big workbench - must have had everything bar the kitchen sink out to use.  That's when you know for sure you can never have too many tools!

 

 

 

 

Here you can see the pegs - had to do some carefulcarving on these to ensure they could all be turned independently without jamming into each other - made a mental note that next time I make a Rebec to drill the holes just slightly further apart from each other!

This afternoon I'm going to design the fret holes, I've been looking at loads of images of ancient instruments in museums - don't think I'll be doing a super fancy design - I've heard that can impair the sound. So think I'll be going for something minimal going for the 'less is more' approach...

treewright.co.uk

Axes and Axes and a Shovel

Different Type of Axe

NEW OLD BASS

Axes are all sharp as you'd expect and the newest is a different breed completely! Ness suddenly decided she was going to take up the bass guitar after a gap of of about 25 years. I think everyone's needed something different during the Lock-Up, as I like to call it, over the winter. So we went Axe hunting on the internet, eBay, Gum Tree, Craigs List, FB and all the ones she liked, mostly cherry red, were vintage and £450 minimum!  I said bit of an expensive new hobby specially as it might not really have been played a great deal - Ness is so deaf she seems to feel music through vibration and Jimi Hendrix is her hero - perhaps it's the loud full of life sounds.  Eventually she put up a 'wanted' post on our local Epping Forest Freegle and after about six weeks a bloke got in touch from Loughton saying he'd bought a bass brand around 1975-80 in Romford, played it twice, decided it wasn't for him and, of all places, it was stored in the airing cupboard!

 

 I went that afternoon to collect and as Ness said it's FAB - one of her favourite colours, Surf Green, full length neck very banana shaped but otherwise looking brand new in a professional gig bag.  It's a JD Vintage made in China with a full length neck. 

      

 

 Next I made a neck support, got the allen keys out and adjusted the truss rod. Can't remember the amount it move but it was a lot!

I found after fiddling with truss rod that the nut was completely rubbish so ordered a new on from eBay.  That took about two weeks to arrive and someone was getting a bit impatient!

Then after a quick strum we both thought that the airing cupboard had caused the neck to shrink quite a bit so a fret file was essential and again eBay came in very handy!  That arrived in a couple of days but filing the frets took over the kitchen table for quite a while rather than the workshop because I wanted to watch Ronnie playing snooker!

The frets were a pain in the proverbial but I got them done and it sounded great - absolutely brilliant through the amplifier or accoustic.  Really got a great bass sound but Ness decided something else was needed...

All the bits and bobs here and neck resting in the support - good job I made that straight away - made everything much easier.

She wanted flat wounds!   

So again another bit of online shopping.  We tried some that were cheapies at around £16 for a set - seemed all right until I tuned it up then the blooming things unwound and we even had a snappage.  that really bothered me - I didn't want to be cut by a string and I certainly didn't want Ness playing until I was sure I'd got a safe set.  We had 3 sets from the same company but eventually enough was enough - you only get what you pay for so I stumped up the £35 odd quid to different shop.  they were great and I must admit flat wounds are very good to play.

The upshot of all this is Ness is gonna be a Rock Chick at 60 if she gets a chance to strum because I've decided it's mine now and I love the sound and play every evening!

Just a link to something else Ness liked the Shovel Guitar 

 

 

 I've been so busy in Lock-Up my feet haven't touched the ground - just looking forward to going out and seeing folks a bit more and plenty of chat!  making loads of stuff in the workshop and you can see some of it here in Treewrights Shop

More soon - Robin....

 

 

Wood Turning Combined with Carving by Hand for Kitchen Wares

Wood Turning First - by Power or Pole Lathe

Choose a wide enough piece of wood for the finished width of your desired spatula.   If it's not you'll end up simply turning another spurtle or thieval!  I've been using some of that wonderful fresh green Sycamore I found in one of the dry ditches around by the Abbey church.  So not only did I have to check size carefully I was also keeping an eye out for that green fleck staining that I don't like the look of on utensils.

Allow enough wood at either end to give enough to remove as you finish the work so you're not getting a small indentation where the centres of the lathe grip. We don't want unsightly or nasty unhygenic little indentations in our cooking implements do we.   Then let the imagination flow - I find doing these little things most therapeutic, gently changing the sweep of a handle the slight nuance of a curve - only thing is once the wood's cut you can't stick it back on.  I like to turn gently, not like a maniac racing away that removes all the pleasure and I think you should be able to enjoy your work and not feel that I'm on an assembly line.  Yes I do need to make a certain number of products to earn my living but that doesn't prevent me from enjoying my chosen profession.

Once the handle is fashioned to your taste then it's time to get those carving implements out.  Sometimes it's simply a 2.5 inch carpenters chisel for a good flat cut or perhaps a series of knives and then a few sweeps with the spokeshave.  Most important is to take your time and if the grain doesn't seem to be co-operative maybe it's because you're not working with it but against it. So turn the work around or if it's the spokeshave or drawknife try a push cut instead of a pull or use the tool at an angle to the work - it's very important to be flexible and try different things out.  And remember there's not definitive right way - it's what's right for you and what's comfortable and what works...

   

SPOKESHAVES and SPOON CARVING

Spokeshave - the Forgotten Tool of Green Woodwork

Many green woodworkers seem to have never used a spokeshave, don't seem to have seen one or if they have don't appreciate it's value as an essential in the toolbox.  I've always been a fan of this comfortable little tool, it's wonderful for finishing spoons and spatulas and all types of awkward edges.  Once you've mastered the adjustment of the blade it's beautiful the way it removes the perfect shaving for that lovely feel of smooth wood in the hand.

I was using my spokeshave just yesterday in the workshop finishing some spoons, spatulas etc and thinking what a marvellous and useful tool it was how everyone should have one!
James Krenov turned me onto this one perhaps back when he wrote articles for one of the woodworking magazines.  It’s a Stanley No 53 which I use with a one handed grip as he suggested. Also it’s got a little wheel for speedy, very accurate and fine blade adjustments.

Stanley No 53

This is my favourite Spokeshave, I probably use it everyday in my work and is always part of my travelling tool kit.

In my opinion, this is the way to hold it - using first finger and thumb and the little finger at the opposite end of the blade being careful not to clog the mouth with shavings.

Complete view of the under or business side of the Spokeshave where you can see the hinged sole.  It's essential to keep it sharp and as I've been using a fair bit of Sycamore in the last couple of weeks it needs sharpening more frequently than, say, Silver Birch or Hazel would need.

Spoonrise over Waltham Abbey

NB  Top tip is to hold the blade in mole grips for honing... 

THREAD CHASING TOOLS & CHISELS

The Right Tool for the Job

Absolutely no point struggling with inadequate blunt tools!  I'm a bit obsessed with sharpening, doing it properly and frequently.  So often I hear folks saying "well it was sharp when I bought it".  No it wasn't, probably just had a ground edge to whip off any burrs in the manufacturing.  The other phrase that drives me nuts is "I sharpened it just yesterday".  Probably last week and it's likely it wasn't sharpened correctly anyway - angles all wrong, sharpened on the wrong side of the bevel, not a mirror finish all the usual mistakes and then I'm told that the tool steel is rubbish.  It may well be but you can't blame your tools for poor maintenance, they don't sharpen themselves - perhaps it's thought  the elves pop in at midnight and do the job for them!  I'm constantly sharpening throughout the day whilst working and it's particularly important if you want a really clean cut thread.

Tools for Thread Chasing

Chisel on the left is essential for undercutting the female thread so you don't bounce against the wood.  Sounds weird but that's exactly what happens and then you're up the creek without a paddle!
On the right it's a pointing tool that can be used as a skew - again essential for this type of box turning.  The tool at the top is a moveable rest.
I'm a great fan of Ashley Isles tools, always have been, but even more so after visiting their works in Lincolnshire to buy some one awful wet Monday in the winter.  The office address at that time was a pub and we turned up there and it was closed.  Heard noises out the back and found Ray Isles the publican in his little workshop.  I say 'little' - small because it was so jam packed with stuff but in fact it had been an aircraft hanger to house Lancaster Bombers being serviced between missions in the war!  We even got taken to see the remaining Lanc there and afterwards he opened the pub, his wife came out in her nightie and did us a smashing lunch with a pint of ale and Ray whisked off to the works to get his brother to sort out the chisels I wanted to buy - personal service with a smile and a history lesson with brunch and a pint.                                                                                      
                                                                        

Thread chasing chisels are in made as male and female tools and Ashley Isles also make a universal chaser that does both.  I've found that the more teeth to the inch the easier it is to use them - the ones with fewer teeth, turning a bigger thread are, for me at any rate, damned tricky.  This one here is the Universal Chaser and 16 teeth to the inch.
                                                                                                                                                                           

Universal Thread Chaser

These two are the male and female, the female having more teeth, in this pair it's 24 teeth to the inch.  It's really important that you use the right one for the threads otherwise it's confusing and just doesn't work and goes completely wrong.  This really is a case of practise and practise and then practise some more.

Female Chaser is bottom 

This pair of chisels are 11 teeth to the inch - big difference in terms of thread size and as I mentioned earlier more difficult to work with.

Male Chaser is top

So these are the tools you'll need to make boxes with threaded lids.  Have fun giving it a go, get the right wood, make sure you're comfortable, get the tool rest in the right position, the speed right and have fun...

THREAD CHASING - BOX WOOD and BOXES

Density of grain is the main thing so selecting the timber is crucial.  I've only used with Box as that's what I've saved specially. I've also been told that African Blackwood, which I'm unlikely to find in Waltham Abbey or the rest of Essex, also Lignum Vitae again not growing around here but I'm keeping my eye open for some old bowling bowls that I could re-purpose. So Box is the wood for me.

Thread Chasing

You need your chisels to cut the wood cleanly so they need to be super sharp, at least the 1st or leading tooth.  Before you get that far you need to make your box!  I've found that I need to be in the perfect frame of mind for this and I still find it a challenging project.  One day it'll go swimmingly the next it's an aberration - nothing goes right.  Then it'll work perfectly, all very frustrating.  I think it's a lot to do with your stance and mood, no good blaming the tools - I know they work perfectly, are super sharp so check the lathe speed, that's important too.  It's the female thread that, for me is trickiest and then when I think it'll all go wrong it goes perfectly!  And of course you must make sure your grain matches up when you thread the lid - we don't want mis-matching grain do we!

Threaded Box from Box Wood

Pleased with this little one though. Did a bit of that clattering chattering to the top.  It screws up easily and tightly and I found that it perfectly holds a 5pence piece!  I decided to try small and this measures 1 and an 8th inches high and 7/8ths inch diameter.
For things I've been turning recently have a look here            

TURNING a SPINNING TOP - A Power Lathe or Pole Lathe

Power Lathe or Pole Lathe - That is the Question???

I've a power lathe with 10 foot bed in the workshop - it's an Apollo - hand built and a beautiful piece of engineering.  I spoke to the chap who made it and he was still in love with my model and could actually remember making it when I chatted with him on the phone.  So I've been making more treen using power and it's something that's taking me a long time to get used to.  I've also acquired a pillar drill and bandsaw - all very horrible, noisy and dusty!  So I've also had to invest in an industrial type hoover and a proper extractor and a ventilating head vizor mask thing to protect my lungs from dust. So I decided I'd still turn the wood green, one I like the ribbon shavings and two you don't get the dust.  Also I can turn as slowly or as fast as I do on the Pole Lathe.
So spinning top time and I did use my axe to start to rough out my billet but stopped myself and used the machinery!  This is all in aid of my back which I'm really careful of ever since I had an attack of sciatica which took months to recover from, so remember folks look after your back!

Billet prepared with Band Saw

  























Then for a bit of turning to get a good shape.

Power Lathe

Used the pillar drill to get the holes good and parallel - now I do really appreciate this power tool much less strenuous on the chest and shoulders!

Pillar Drill

Shaping is fun - plenty of beads & coves, decorate with black lines, think of the centre of gravity and you should be fine.

Spinning Top Components

Separate the components, carve your point and your just about set for a record breaking spinner.  I used a Hazel twig for my puller - looks good and does the job.

Spinning Top

And the movie of how well it balances and the speed it goes at - it's half time speed folks that's why the parakeets sound like a horror movie in the background!   And then have a look here at the movie Making a Spinning Top using a Pole Lathe for the same process - I know which one I prefer...

Spinning Top Movie

COUNTRY CRAFT BOOKS and HISTORY with HOW TO MAKE thrown in

CRAFTS from THE HISTORIC COUNTRYSIDE

For a long time I've kept a large collection of books in my workshop, Country Crafts, Traditional Building Methods at the same time I've got the same volumes inside in the bedroom, front room, kitchen, upstairs workroom, the loft and in the sitting room!  So I've at long last really been looking at them all again - re-reading and making notes but I've found Not only do I have second copies in the workshop but up to four copies of some and I'm letting them go here 

I've a mixed bunch going on sale at the moment and all are good to enjoy during these interesting times specially those about life in the 19th century and earlier.  Isolating was common - not particularly by choice but just the way life was!  Some trades were very lonely others required teamwork constantly and often deprivation, hunger and appalling living conditions the norm.  Life expectancy short and destitution looming.  So even in these days of uncertainty life for me really is perfectly satisfactory on the whole if not good most of the time and brilliant the rest of it.

I am missing the meet ups with folks but I'm enjoying my strolls with a lovely lurcher, working with wood, chatting non stop with my wonderful wife Vanessa and playing my guitars and mandolin amongst other things!

Also sorting out my tools.  I've decided that I can have too many so I'll going through loads of drawknives, axes, billhooks, planes and plenty of other stuff.  Keeping them down to say six full sets will keep me going for all my courses and demonstrations as well as all my workshop requirements.  So keep an eye out here for a heads up on all types of tools and simple woodworking devices.  They all work well - I've used them all at some time or other but feel I should get them circulating again just like the books need to be.  If you're on the lookout for a side axe of a particular pattern or a chisel by a specific old maker because you like the tool steel, an adze, or a simple axe for spoon carving with a nice comfy handle get in touch - I'll look specifically for one in my massive collection...

     

SCOTTISH LABURNUM QUAICHE & WHISKY

Turning A Quaiche

 A Quaiche is the traditional vessel used by Scots to savour their favourite single malts.  It's often a beautiful cup turned from attractive timber with a small handle on either side and mine are made from some Laburnum that traveled from the  Scottish Borders with a mate all the way to Essex.  Often turned from Laburnum, also known as Scottish Mahogany because of it's richly grained dark wood, I decided that today's project was going to be to make at least one of these quirky little cups. Laburnum is a wood that I love though it is horribly dusty when dry, this has some moisture still in it and turned pretty nicely but it doesn't make those wonderful ribbon shavings I get with, say, Sycamore.  This one was a roadside tree and removed as part of a 'tidying' up job by the local council and I failed to see the necessity of depriving the locale of such a beautiful flowering specimen but they're prolific up in Scotland and seen as little more than a weed tree by many!

When preparing the wood for the Quaiche blank you have to remember to make allowance for the handles to be turned as a part of the whole and I spent ages humming and hawing over the best bit of the log to choose.  That done I reached for my handy pencil stub got my centreline marked out and started.  It's seeing that grain come to life as a really sharp chisel (and I mean that sharpness you get where two mirror images of the chisel meet at nothing) otherwise you get covered in nasty chips!

It's the first time in ages that I've turned anything like a Quaiche with that narrow flange around the edge and you do have to keep an eye open for the safety of your knuckles.  Mine escaped intact fortunately but perhaps that's because I'm not a speed merchant.  Anyway hands intact I removed the excess flange leaving behind the handles and carved them into the shape you see here.  Will be here at my online shop  from this evening.
I'd really like to hear your comments about Whisky and ideas about Quaiches, if you have one and use it.  Do you like the flavour of your tipple as you drink from a wooden vessel, does it make you feel special and of course your favourite single malt!