Steve Tomlin Crafts

Scything rushes in Scotland

Posted on April 10, 2017 by stevetomlin

I’m just back from a fantastic trip up to Ullapool in the Highlands of NW Scotland where I was invited to teach a Learn to Scythe course by the Crofting Federation. The scythe is perfect for crofters who are often managing smaller areas of steep, wet or inaccessible land with limited resources.

The participants included people from as far away as Skye and Glasgow as well as locals. It was fascinating for me to hear about their different crofting situations and admire their dedication to farming in difficult conditions.
Learn to Scythe with me on my scythe courses in Cumbria and Lancashire or contact me to arrange a workshop at your own venue. I’m happy to travel and would love a trip back to Scotland.

The weather was fantastic for us and I managed to spend a couple more days in the area walking in the mountains and enjoying the fabulous scenery.

Posted in scythe courses, Scytherspace | Tagged 2017, course, Highlands, learn, Scotland, scythe, scything, Ullapool, workshop | Leave a comment

Fan bird carving course in Co Durham

Posted on March 28, 2017 by stevetomlin

Last week I was invited up to County Durham to teach a fan bird course for beginners as part of the Auckland Castle project.
I really enjoy teaching this course, it’s a great mix of careful carving with chisels, gouges and knives working up to the moment when we fold out the feathers to create the wings.

The concentration in the room is super high and there’s not a small amount of tension as well, especially for me as I want everyone to succeed.

All our hard work paid off in the end though and everyone went home with fantastic wooden birds and lots of new skills as well.

If you’d like to learn to make these beautiful birds yourself, I’m teaching several more fan bird courses this summer. Please contact the organisors directly to book your place:

13 August 2017 at Greenwood Days, Derby
19th August 2017 at Auckland Castle
11 November at RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Harrogate

Posted in fan birds, greenwood courses, SteveTomlinCrafts | Tagged 2017, carving, course, Durham, fan bird, green woodwork, workshop | Leave a comment

Learning axe & knife skills for spoon carving

Posted on March 22, 2017 by stevetomlin

I spent the weekend at RHS Garden Harlow Carr in Yorkshire teaching a spoon carving course to six lovely folk.
My courses always focus on teaching carving skills and we build these up at the same time as making wooden spoons. Everyone goes home with spoons to show off and use but, more importantly they learn techniques and confidence to continue using carving axes and carving knives after the course.
We start by splitting a log and then axing out a spoon shape. I’m always impressed by how quickly people improve in their confidence and accuracy with the axes. Safety is key, brilliant demonstrations of safe hand positions here.

Then we start to carve using the straight and hooked knives. I want spoon carving to be an accessible hobby so I select the best tools to reflect this which work well and are within people’s budget. We work through different knife grips, all the time refining the spoon as we go. Check out that beautiful long shaving that Alison is making as she carves long, clean facets on the handle, easy to do with good technique.

This was a two day course which means we can look more deeply at the skills and work on more carving complicated eating spoons as well. Here are Callum‘s spoons, great shapes and finish.

If you’d like to learn to carve wooden spoons, check out my other course dates. I am planning some workshops in Manchester for 2017, subscribe to my newsletter to be first to hear about dates.

Posted in greenwood courses, spoon carving, SteveTomlinCrafts | Tagged 2017, course, Harrogate, RHS, UK, workshop, Yorkshire | Leave a comment

A happy customer

Posted on March 17, 2017 by stevetomlin

Nothing makes me happier than to make craft and then hear from its new owner.
I recently sent one of my ash splint wall baskets to Marc in Germany who was kind enough to send me this lovely message:

Dear Steve,
I would like to let you know that your package arrived today. The basket even exceeds my expectations. Love it!
I really appreciate your personal note and, of course, the cute little spoon.
What could be better than buying beautiful items and thus at the same time supporting an independent maker.
Keep up the great work!
A happy customer

I have lots of craft of my own that I’ve bought from other makers and reminds me of them or the story of acquiring it when I use them. The pleasure they bring in this way is more that just from having beautiful, well-made items, it’s a connection between people.

Posted in baskets, SteveTomlinCrafts | Tagged ash splint, basket, Germany | Leave a comment

Spoon carving straight from the tree

Posted on March 6, 2017 by stevetomlin

This weekend I had a lovely day in Lancashire teaching spoon carving to a group of friends. As I got set up, our hosts David & Melanie explained that they’d just had a cherry tree felled on their property. There were several clean lengths so I suggested we use that timber for the course to add a personal touch to the work.
Cherry is a great choice for carving wooden spoon and our pieces split beautifully with the froe, giving lots of billets ready for axing.

Some spoon carving courses start with a pre-prepared blank bandsawn from a plank but I think this misses out a lot of what it is about. Learning how to use an axe to carve is a really valuable skill and, under tuition, my students rapidly gain confidence and accuracy so they can quickly shape wood. It also means they have gone through the whole process from the raw material and can carry on their new hobby using green wood sourced from the garden, parks department or local woodland.

Then on to carving with the straight and hooked Swedish Mora knives. We practised four different carving techniques, using them at the same time to quickly refine the spoon. I have altered my process this year which I was pleased to see gave improved results in the finished spoons.

I know lots of brilliant female woodworkers but unfortunately it often still seems to be thought of as a male occupation so it was great to have so many women on the course. I loved the contrast of the painted nails, sharp tools and natural materials.

We had time for carving some decorative finials on the end of the handles and the only hard part was knowing when to stop!

A fun day with lots of chat, laughter and a delicious lunch. I was very impressed with their spoons, particularly for their elegant shapes and smooth, unsanded finish.

If you would like to learn to carve spoons straight from the tree, I will be teaching several other courses this year, have a look at my courses page for dates. If you have a group and would like me to come and teach a similar day for you, please send me an email for details: stevetomlin8[at]gmail.com

Posted in greenwood courses, spoon carving, SteveTomlinCrafts | Tagged course, lancashire, learn to carve, private tuition, women, wood working, workshop | 2 Comments

Ash splint wall baskets

Posted on March 1, 2017 by stevetomlin

These wall baskets are one of my favourite to make. They’re based on baskets which the Shaker communities made to store tall candles in and they’re still useful for that same reason. They make a sylish, contemporary decoration in their own right and ideal for storing all kinds of things around the house: stationery, earbuds and usb cables, makeup, scarves and anything else you want to keep tidy yet accessible.
This pair of baskets demonstrate why I don’t use forms to shape my baskets but shape them instead by eye and experience. Though they’re definitely a pair, each basket has it’s own shape and character which makes it unique and special.

For these two I also wanted to show you the variation of hanger placement. With the hanger inside the basket hangs flat to the wall while with the hanger on the outside, the basket tips very slightly forward. Each variation gives a different detail in the rim lashing too. I can’t decide which I like most.

Each basket is made from English pounded ash and measures 8″ wide x 4.5″ deep x 7″ tall to the rim, approx. P&P is £4.50

Ash splint wall basket, outside hanger.
Sold

Ash splint wall basket, inside hanger.
£80

Posted in baskets, SteveTomlinCrafts | Tagged ash splint, basket, English ash, pounded, UK | Leave a comment

Making an ash splint pack basket

Posted on February 23, 2017 by stevetomlin

This week I’ve been working on a new ash splint pack basket commission and took a few photos along the way to show the process.
The weaving is a very simple over-one, under-one weave – all the emphasis is on matching the weight of the weavers and altering the tension to create the correct shape.

As the weaving continues, I let it dry and pack down the weavers. As it dries, the ash splint shrinks so without this packing, the weave would be loose and weak.

Once the desired height is reached, I trim the uprights and split them so they can be turned down and tucked into the weavers to lock them in place.

Here is the shape I want, a full-bellied basket with a tight base and short straight section up to the rim, all achieved by changing the tension in the weaving.

The next stage is to carve and steam bend a wooden grab handle for the top of the basket. With small pieces like this, I heat them over a pan with a cloth to hold the heat on the wood and then bend it around a simple wooden former.

An inner and outer rim are fitted and the handle notched into the inner rim. With long, thin splints, I lash the rims and handle tightly in place.

Finally, leather carry straps are attached along with a pair of splint ‘feet’ which protect the leather when the basket is on the ground. I’m proud to use UK-made leather and brass buckles which set off the ash splint beautifully.

Strong and lightweight, ash splint is a beautiful material which makes elegant and stylish baskets. My pack baskets are individually made to order, if you are interested in discussing a commission please email me for more details stevetomlin8[at]gmail.com
As well as pack baskets, I currently have a few other ash splint baskets for sale.

Posted in baskets, SteveTomlinCrafts | Tagged ash, ash splint, basket, basketry, English, pack basket, UK, weaving | Leave a comment

Ash splint baskets for sale

Posted on February 16, 2017 by stevetomlin

ost of my ash splint baskets are made to order, particularly the large pack baskets but I currently have the following baskets for sale. P&P is just £4.50.
My baskets are individually handmade from pounded english ash making each one unique. If you are interested in commissioning a basket, please email me stevetomlin8[at]gmail.com.

Ash splint basket, hazel rim with bark on, steambent ash wood handle.
6″ to rim, round opening 7″x7″
Sold

Ash splint basket, hazel rim with bark on, steambent ash wood handle.
6″ to rim, oval opening 6.5″x4.5″
Sold

Ash splint basket, steambent ash wood handle.
6.5″ to rim, round opening 8″x8″
£90

Ash splint shopping basket.
10.5″ to rim, opening 16.5″x9.5″
Sold

Ash splint wall basket, steambent ash hanger.
7″ to rim, opening 7″x4.5″
Sold

Ash splint table basket, steambent ash ear handles.
4″ to rim, opening 12″x12″
Sold

Posted in baskets, SteveTomlinCrafts | Tagged ash splint, basket, basketry, for sale, UK | Leave a comment

Greenwood and scythe course dates 2017

Posted on January 11, 2017 by stevetomlin

Happy new year to you all! It’s the time of year when the holidays are over and we start to think about the year ahead. It’s always nice to have some plans in the diary and activities to look forward to.
In 2017, why not come and spend a day with me and other lovely people on one of my short craft courses? It’s a great break from the busyness of normal life and you’ll come away refreshed and with new skills to enjoy long after the day.
"Learn

Learn to Scythe

The Austrian scythe is a lightweight, efficient tool for managing all kinds vegetation from gardens and orchards to meadows and riverbanks. Sustainable, fun and quiet, my courses cover everything you need to know to safely set up, sharpen, mow and maintain your scythe.

2 June or 22 July 2017 at Sedbergh, Cumbria – £80.
Email me at stevetomlin8@gmail.com to book

Spoon carving

Carving wooden spoons from green wood has become a massive hobby over the last 5 years or so with people from all walks of life discovering its pleasures. I’ve been carving and teaching for over 15 years including every year at Spoonfest and love to pass on these skills.
A one day course will give you an introduction to the skills of carving with an axe and knives while the two day courses allow us time to develop those skills and look at the craft in more depth.

18-19 March at RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Harrogate
20-21 May at the Woodland Skills Centre, near Denbigh, North Wales
24 June or 12 August 2017 at Greenwood Days near Derby.

Fan bird carving

A beautiful, delicate bird carved and folded from a single piece of wood. I’m one of the few professional makers of these in the UK; on this one day course I’ll teach you my special techniques to make them for yourself.

25 June or 13 August 2017 at Greenwood Days near Derby.
11 November 2017 at RHS Garden Harlow Carr.

Ash splint basket making

Thanks for all the love and interest in my ash splint baskets, particularly in response to the two backpack baskets I made just before Christmas. I am currently working out the details and planning to start teaching this year. Please keep following the blog or sign up to my newsletter to receive updates.

Posted in greenwood courses, scythe courses | Tagged Austrian scythe, green wood, learn, scything | Leave a comment

Ash splint pack baskets

Posted on January 3, 2017 by stevetomlin

I’m incredibly pleased with this pair of ash splint pack baskets which I’ve just finished making. I love the full, bellied shape and the size of them is ideal carrying all your essentials without being too big or cumbersome. The ash comes from Cartmel in Cumbria and is pounded into splints before being graded, cut to thickness and scraped smooth. A steamed ash handle on top of the basket allows you to easily pick up the basket with one hand.

Each basket is finished with top quality leather straps from Clayton’s tannery in Chesterfield and solid brass buckles from the Abbey Foundry in Walsall, UK.
The pack basket measures 18″ tall to the rim and is 14″ wide at the belly. They are made to order, please contact me at stevetomlin8[at]gmail.com for more information or to place an order.

Posted in baskets, SteveTomlinCrafts | Tagged ash splint, backpack, basket, pack basket, UK | Leave a comment