Dont let the besoms get you down

My collection of woodworking tools is getting quite out of control now. Following a trip to mothers I have now purchased from Leek Market an antique besom vice. This item is used to hold bundles of seasoned birch twigs so they can be tied together with wire or a strong length of bark to make the traditional head that makes a "witches broom". Really pleased to see one as they are pretty rare as you can imagine. 

I have also been busy making spoons from the yew wood I acquired whilst on holiday in Somerset. 

In a couple of weeks I am meeting up in a local wood for a days bodging in the woods, really looking forward to it and I hope to make a new frame for my besom vice and possibly crop some birch branches for next years Halloween.

Too busy to write!

Been on holiday so sorry that I have not written much recently. Have been making some yew spoons with timber aquired whilst in somerset from church yards. It is jolly nice timber too! There have been lots of autumnal wood fairs in the last few weeks which is very encouraging and have met more local bodgy types. I have also finally tracked down a local group to share my insanity with! will write more soon and hope to get pictures up of my lovely kelly kettle.

Grr Glandular Fever or is it Councillitis?

Being struck down with a lergy but the work must go on so I have made a Bowl Horse, which is simply a platform on 4 legs which is useful in the production of Bowls. It basicly securely anchors the timber whilst you carve and holds the piece at a good height so I am not bending my back. For some strange reason it looks like it only has 3 legs in the photo. The body is made of poplar wood and the legs from some ash that came from near Newstead village and got squirrelled into my car. I have only had a little play with it but in spite of its odd looks it holds timber well and seems suprisingly stable. I think when I make another I would splay the legs outward more to support the ends of the bed. On the whole for a first attempt though I am very pleased.

Lordy its been a busy few weeks................but very interesting!

Where to begin. I did a second demonstration in sunny Ilkestons Summer Happening in Victoria Park. I did not take the pole lathe but I bodged about on the shave horse finishing some spoons and nattering to the public. I really enjoyed the time and once again the feedback was fantastic.
Roger the wonderful Rotarian has offered all sorts of support and a big thanks goes to him especially for help with the new non oak lathe beds.
Later in the evening I visited Shed2, an arts studio in Ilkeston just crammed with talent and exiting stuff. Travis who is an artist has a wonderful piece of kit to create copies of carvings and images from computer graphics. Very dusty but an amazing machine.
Last Thursday I met a man in a pub called Bob Trubshaw, he is the organiser of the Leicester "Project Gargoyle", an amazing scheme to photograph and log all the church carvings in the country starting in Leicester. He is also a folk law history author  has his own publishing company and has written many successful books on the subject all in all a very interesting man to know. His many contacts include the manager of a very prestigious shop in Avebury of all places who would like to sell some wood carvings. Alot to sort out yet but i smell a hint of potential.
Spent the weekend carving a medieval frog and learning how to use wet stones to sharpen tools. Found some more timber too, what can  I say a good weeks work I feel.

First Demonstration. Done!

A wonderful venue for my first contact with the public. The lathe did not take long to set up and maybe the timbers have dried out since I last had to handle them or I have got stronger but they certainly did not feel as heavy.
I decided to keep it simple making spoons tho I never did get one completed. Thankfully this did not matter as the afternoon was taken up with educating the visitors to my site with information about what a pole lathe and shave horse can do, even the hardest West Hallam Massiv Lad went away with a positive comment.
The Wonder Boy William came to give me some well needed leg power and to help me to improve my teaching skills, using the kit in a park feels so different to working in my own back garden and it was useful to make my mistakes with a relation and not the public!
I am back on show again in a week so the experience has given me plenty of ideas for my next demonstration.

My first pole lathe demonstration and funky tee shirt!

Prepare for demo day !

You would have thaught that a week off would be more than enough time for me to prepare for the Kirk Hallam Lake and meadow festival tomorow but I am still hard at it making posts, cherry wood mallets, and sawing up wood I can use for demonstrating. Next job is taking the lathe down ready to go into Micks car.
Think I am well prepared tho so I am looking forward to the challenge.
Nothing to sell but lots of business cards made and fingers crossed some good contacts forged.