Steve Tomlin Crafts

Scything the Churchyard in North Yorkshire

Posted on June 17, 2018 by stevetomlin

Last week I was back at St John’s Church near Ripon in North Yorkshire to teach a group how to use an austrian scythe as part of their Conservation week. The church has been working to preserving and manage part of it’s churchyard as a wildflower meadow. The scythe is a safe tool for their volunteers working among the headstones and perfectly in keeping with the quiet atmosphere.

As well as learning how to set up the scythes, sharpening and mowing we looked at maintaining the blade by peening the edge, hammering it using a special jig to thin the bevel and make it cut more easily.

My next Learn to Scythe course is at Bell Sykes farm, Slaidburn, Lancashire on 22nd July. Email stevetomlin8[at]gmail.com to book your space or see my Learn to scythe page for other dates this summer.

Posted in scythe courses, Scytherspace | Tagged churchyard, headstone, scythe, wildflower meadow | Leave a comment

Scything Stockport's community orchard

Posted on June 7, 2018 by stevetomlin

I moved to Manchester last year and am really excited to be discovering all kinds of local projects where communities are managing small meadows, orchards and other natural areas. I get the feeling that, living in a largely urban environment, the green spaces are precious resources which the people are taking into their own hands to look after.
Last week I was in Stockport teaching a group how to scythe at Sidings Orchard. The workshop was organised by Helping Britain Blossom.

Come and learn how to scythe yourself at Hullard Park, Manchester on 15th June. You’ll learn to set up, sharpen and maintain the scythe as well as techniques to mow the grass easily, quietly and efficiently. The day costs £80, to book email stevetomlin8[at]gmail.com

Posted in scythe courses, Scytherspace | Tagged 2018, Austrian scythe, beginners, course, Manchester, orchard, Stockport | Leave a comment

Like a hot knife through butter (cups)

Posted on June 6, 2018 by stevetomlin

I’ve been back to Cumbria this week for a Learn to Scythe course at Brigflatts Meeting House near Sedbergh.
I’ve been mowing the little meadow here for several years so it’s nice to see the meadow slowly changing and I know the grass will always be soft and clean so it’s a great place to learn how to scythe. Although there were showers forecast, we kept dry all day and everyone was mowing beautifully. Have a look at the portraits below and you’ll see the neat windrows, relaxed effort and good posture that you can achieve with an austrian scythe.
Your next opportunity to scythe is 15th June at Hullard Park, Manchester. The day includes all tuition in using and maintaining a scythe and costs £80, to book please email me stevetomlin8[at]gmail.com For other dates, visit my Learn to Scythe page.

Posted in scythe courses, Scytherspace | Tagged 2018, Austrian, Brigflatts, course, cumbria, learn scything, scythe, workshop | Leave a comment

Improver's Scythe Masterclass 2018

Posted on May 29, 2018 by stevetomlin

A fantastic opportunity to learn a lot more about the scythe and have some fun.
Why not come along?

There are still a couple of places left on this year’s Scythe Masterclass, held in Muchelney, Somerset.

The course runs on 8th and 9th of June, followed by the annual West Country Scythe Festival and Green Fair on Sunday 10th June.

You will get two days packed full of knowledge and experience to help improve all aspects of your scything.

From learning how to diagnose and fix problems in your own and others mowing techniques, to in depth explorations of peening this is the place to find answers to all your scything questions and more.

With three course tutors you will have access to a great breadth of knowledge. The tutors, Phil Batten, Christiane Laganda and Steve Tomlin, each have many years of scything and teaching experience to share.
In addition to the main tutors there will be other members of the Scythe Association in attendance, especially on the Saturday, with opportunities for discussions on everything from hand hay making to the English scythe.

Stay on Sunday for the West Country Scythe Festival and Green Fair which takes place on the same site.
This is your chance to join in with the mowing and hay making competitions should you choose, or cheer along others as they race, browse the stalls and soak up the atmosphere.
“Probably the most enjoyable, and authentic, country fair in all England”

The festival makes a most satisfying finish to the ultimate scythe course.

Booking Information
The cost is £140 for individuals, £165 for organizations, £90 concession for unwaged. Meals are provided. Camping on site is available at a special low rate.

This course is held at Thorney Lakes, Muchelney, Somerset. Contact Simon Fairlie for more details and to book email: scythes@myphone.coop

Posted in scythe festivals & events, Scytherspace | Tagged advanced, green scythe fair, improvers, masterclass, scythe, somerset | Leave a comment

Scything the allotment

Posted on May 17, 2018 by stevetomlin

My mate Chris has recently taken on an allotment in Trafford, south Manchester. The other day he mentioned that he’d been thinking of hiring a strimmer to cut the grass on it before he starts to work the soil. A strimmer!

The ground was uneven, there’s weeds and old grass thatch along with the odd brick and old football. It was a brilliant start to my scythe season. A pleasant hour mowing including chatting with a guy from one of the other plots who’d scythed as a young man in Ireland and wanted a go.

If you’d like to learn to scythe, I am running several beginners courses this summer including on 15th June at Hullard Park in Manchester. More info and details at http://stevetomlincrafts.wordpress.com/learn-to-scythe/ or email stevetomlin8[at]gmail.com

Posted in Scytherspace | Tagged allotment, Manchester, scythe | 1 Comment

Scything and Spoon carving workshops at Burmieston, Perth & Kinross

Posted on May 14, 2018 by stevetomlin

Later this month I will be heading north of the border to teach some courses at the lovely Burmieston near Perth.
On Tues 22nd May there will be a one day spoon carving workshop where you can join me to learn axe and knife skills and create your own unique cooking spoon from freshly cut, green wood.
Following that, I will be teaching two scythe workshops
Wed 23rd May will be a Learn to Scythe workshop covering all the aspects of setting up, sharpening and using an Austrian scythe and mowing some of the lovely wildflower meadows being established on the smallholding.
Then on Thurs 24th May, a special improvers scythe workshop where we will look more in depth into peening as well as fine tuning your sharpening and refining your mowing technique. This should be a really interesting day and perfect if you’ve already been using your scythe for a while or want to take it further.
Please book directly with Olly or Keesje: hello@burmieston.co.uk

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Perth, Scotland, scythe, spoon carving, workshop | Leave a comment

Learn to Scythe in Manchester

Posted on May 8, 2018 by stevetomlin

I’m really excited to be teaching a Learn to Scythe course at Hullard Park in south Manchester. This follows on from the course I taught there last year and will be helping with the management of the park’s fabulous wildflower meadow.
The scythe is a terrific tool for urban spaces, quiet, manoeuvrable and able to tackle weeds as well as grasses. It’s just the thing for an allotment, community orchard, meadow or even your lawn.
The course will cover all the aspects of scything, including setting up the scythe, sharpening the blade, mowing and maintenance.
Learn to scythe Manchester 15th June 2018, £80. To book email stevetomlin8[at]gmail.com

Posted in scythe courses, Scytherspace | Tagged 2018, Austrian, beginner, course, Manchester, nw, scythe, workshop | Leave a comment

First new Devon stave basket

Posted on May 2, 2018 by stevetomlin

I’m very pleased to show you this photo of my first Devon stave baskets made as part of the HCA/Marsh Endangered Crafts award.
This is a #2 size basket which I started making with Mark Snellgrove in Devon and have been working on since. I also made a set of bending formers for the #2 and #4 baskets so I can start to make my own handles and rims from local materials.
There are a lot of hours in this basket, far more than would ever be commercially viable but they are all part of the learning process and it’s thanks to this award that I am able to dedicate the time to these wonderful baskets. I’ll be posting more as I continue to learn and start to produce my own baskets from scratch.

Posted in baskets, SteveTomlinCrafts | Tagged basket, Devon, endangered crafts, Heritage Crafts Association, Stave basket | Leave a comment

Endangered Crafts Award for stave basket making

Posted on April 23, 2018 by stevetomlin

I’m incredibly pleased to have been chosen as winner of the 2018 HCA/Marsh Endangered Crafts Award. This new award, funded by the Marsh Christian Trust is aimed as craftspeople working on one of the 62 crafts currently listed in the ‘critically endangered’ or ‘endangered’ categories of the HCA Red List of Endangered Crafts and secure its survival for the future.

I will be using the award to learn about making Devon stave baskets with Mark Snellgrove, the only current practioner in the UK. These baskets are very unusual as they are constructed like a barrel with the sawn staves individually fitted onto steam bent rims. There is a lot to learn and I’m looking forward to this new challenge and helping to promote and preserve this craft for the future.

Posted in baskets, SteveTomlinCrafts | Tagged Devon, Stave basket | 4 Comments

Traditional hay rake making at Stott Park Bobbin Mill

Posted on April 20, 2018 by stevetomlin

Summer is surely now just around the corner so it was the perfect time to be teaching a group how to make wooden hay rakes as part of the Rusland Horizons project in Cumbria.
Our venue for the weekend was the fabulous Stott Park Bobbin Mill near Windermere which has a long connection with coppicing which continues today.

A wooden hay rake is a relatively simple item but with lots of details in getting it right. First we made the teeth, or tines, by splitting a short ash log into squares and knocking them through my tine cutter. We made tines collectively, rapidly filling my Devon stave basket; there’s some exciting news about those to come, keep following the blog.

At the same time, part of the group were busy shaving the rake head on the shavehorse. I love that the quiet of using hand tools allows people space to chat as they work.

A big part of getting the rake right is drilling all the holes for the tines. It’s a great exercise in teamwork, sighting for each other and working together to get them straight

We made split stail rakes, sawing down the handle to open it out in a V to attach it to the heads. It was all very busy and exciting at this stage so I missed taking photos of the process but we finished with a set of fine new rakes, ready for the fields.
I make wooden hay rakes each year which I sell at my Learn to Scythe courses around the UK. They’re too large to post but if you’re interested in buying one, get in touch and we can try and arrange to meet or you can come and collect one if you’re near Manchester.