Author Archives: stevetomlin

Scything for mental health

Being outdoors, physical activity, group work and seeing the results of your efforts are all hugely beneficial to your mental health and scything with others fits the bill perfectly. So I’m incredibly pleased to have been invited to teach a … Continue reading

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Scything Miss Whalley’s Field in Lancaster

The scythe is a brilliant tool for volunteers and I’ve taught groups involved in managing community orchards, meadows, allotments and conservation sites across the UK. Scything is safe, quiet and allows everyone to work at their own pace. Last week … Continue reading

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Fan bird carving in Wales

Some photos from a course on how to carve wooden fan birds that I taught recently at the Woodland Skills Centre in North Wales. Fan birds are a tricky craft to get right but I have been developing my special … Continue reading

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Fan bird carving student

David came on my fan bird carving course earlier this year. He’d previously done some spoon carving but wanted to learn to carve fan birds to expand his skills after seeing me demonstrate fan bird carving at Elvaston Wood Festival … Continue reading

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How to carve a fan bird instructions

As much as I wish you all could, I realise that not everyone can get to one of my courses to learn how to carve fan birds. So, to help spread the craft wider, I’ve created a downloadable pdf on … Continue reading

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Gentleman Jack scything

Gentleman Jack is the latest BBC period drama and set not far from me in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Last summer I was hired to go to Shibden Hall and train the extras for an outdoor scene. It’s always fascinating to … Continue reading

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Fan bird carving course in Derbyshire

Fan birds are a little known craft in the UK. Each one is made from a single piece of wood with the wings folded out from the solid wood. People often think that they’re incredibly fiddly and too difficult to … Continue reading

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Spoon carving workshop in Derbyshire

I’ve just spent a fabulous weekend at Greenwood Days on the Derbyshire/ Leicestershire border. On Saturday I was teaching a group of beginners how to carve wooden spoons. Starting from fresh green birch wood logs, they learned to axe out … Continue reading

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Beech leaf noyau country liqueur

It’s spring and the leaves are coming out on the trees. It’s such an exciting time when the woods and meadows come alive. Each year, I make the effort to head out on a sunny day like today to pick … Continue reading

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Spoon carving in Yorkshire

My most recent spoon carving workshop for beginners was at Broadrake Bunkhouse at Chapel-le-Dale in Yorkshire. With views of Inglebrough and the Ribblehead Viaduct, the gorgeous Bunkhouse to stay in and the fabulous lunches, it’s one of my favourite venues … Continue reading

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