The Ely Eel Catcher and The Media Circus

*

It is said that Ely derives its name from 'eel' and '-y' or '-ey' meaning island, i.e. an island where there were a lot of eels. This may be true, due to the position of Ely, an island in low lying fens, which were historically very marshy and rich in eels. It has even been claimed that, during the 11th century, monks of the town used eels as currency to pay their taxes.

Peter Carter is an Eel Fisherman,
Willow Merchant & Mole Catcher.

He makes traps and nets for his own use and also for sale.

The eel traps are at the front and to their right the tapering piece of fluted wood is called a "chair" and is used to start the weaving. The green ones lying down at the back are for catching crayfish. He is going to be in next weeks episode of Time Team.

Like me, Peter was also brought in to make the Craft Market look more interesting for the TV cameras. A new TV channel called Blighty are making a series of programmes called "Best of British" where a 'famous' person chooses their favourite market town. The producer told me that apparently I was doing an interview and rigged up the microphone so when a lady approached and started quizzing me about what I was doing I suddenly realised that this was the famous person. Faye Ripley played the part of Jenny Gifford in the series Cold Feet - not a programme I ever watched. One of the questions she asked was "Why are you here" - I nearly said "Because of you" but managed to come out with some other reasons.
Of course this succeeded in alienating us from the other crafters who attend the market every week and felt totally ignored. There was quite a hostile atmosphere as we packed up to go home.

The programme is going to be shown on Tuesday 14th April at 9pm - available on Sky Channel 534 and Virgin TV 206. So I won't even be able to see it !



These are the chunky chisels that Brian gave me. I'll be able to use the skew (1 1/4") but not sure about the round nose scraper - perhaps I'll save it for when I get an electric lathe ?

2009 Diary Dates

Oliver (the Webmeister) has just put up my 2009 Diary Dates (nearly all clickable links) on my website.
There may be more added later.

Ely was a nice day today. Here's a pic of me and Bryan Wallace, a well known local Turner, who gave me my first invitation to demonstrate at power-lathe turner's clubs. He gave me a couple of lovely, old turning chisels . . .


And his wife Beryl gave me a carved, wooden bow tie !!

COMING TOMORROW . . . Tales of the Ely Eel Catcher and The Media Circus . . .

First demonstration of the year

Yesterday evening I gave my first demo of the year at the Ely Guild of Woodturners at Little Thetford, Cambridgeshire. It was nice to get out and do something but I felt out of condition and gave a slightly lacklustre, below par performance for which I apologise. Feedback from the members after was positive - they seemed to have enjoyed it, possibly because it is so different to what they do.

Here I am showing the earliest form of lathe, the bow lathe, with two helpful feet to stop it slithering around the floor.

Usually I show how I make a chairleg from the log before tea and then a spinning top afterwards. It's quite distracting being surrounded by a labyrinthe of tangled wires and hi-tech gadgets but at least everyone can see what I'm doing and hear what I'm saying.

We'll be back in Ely on Saturday demonstrating in the Market Place along with other craftspeople for a TV programme.
I wonder if it'll be one of those "blink and you miss me" appearances ?

New Tool

Mmmm . . . a brand new, pristine, unused, virgin chainsaw - brand new today !

I had gone to look at the Stihl range but on talking with the salesman I discovered that Husqvarna give you a higher power/weight ratio for your money.

Pancake Day in Medway

Yesterday we went to my niece Jessica's 18th birthday at Chatham in Kent and had pancakes with lemon and sugar because it was Shrove Tuesday. Apparently it's the second time it's happened in her life.

This is a gnarled old fallen Indian Bean Tree (Catalpa) outside Rochester Cathedral.

Mad Old Lathes 2

Peter Follansbee kindly sent this photograph of 17th C balusters

turned on a similar lathe called a “swash” lathe, the result is “swash” work. In the dictionary it gives this definition of a swash plate - "an inclined disk revolving on an axle and giving reciprocating motion to a part in contact with it."

I can't get over how skilled and patient these guys must have been to get any kind of result (can the operator actually see what's happening at the cutting edge ?) and it's good to see an example of something actually turned on one.

Here's a link to Besson's book at the Smithsonian Institution Libraries which contains many other engravings of weird and wonderful contraptions.

Peter also said "Let me know when you get one up & running, I’d love to see it in action." Don't hold your breath . . .

*

Camel Stool ?

Approx 1 foot high at centre of 2'6" wide seat

An interesting item. The owner, who brought it for restoration, didn't know much about it and thought it may have been a Camel stool (sitting on it to ride a camel). It has an oriental air to my eye.

The construction is interesting - the two pierced ovals and the seat are all carved from one piece of timber and the base is screwed on from underneath. Wood - couldn't tell but something soft and light.

It does look comfortable but I didn't dare sit on it as one of the ovals has bad cracks and I thought I might split it in half. Shame it's suffered such neglect and been kept in a damp garage. I'M not going to do the restoration - took it to Vanessa's brother Nigel who's an expert antiques restorer. He looked at it like it was a big lump of firewood !