Steve Tomlin Crafts

Learning to scythe in buttercups

Posted on June 4, 2016 by stevetomlin

My first Learn to Scythe course of the season took place this week at Brigflatts in Cumbria. It’s a site I’ve used a couple of times before and it’s great to see how the grass is improving thanks to the regular mowing.

There was a full group of eight beginners booked on who enjoyed bright sunshine and a field of beautiful soft grasses and buttercups. They were brilliant students and in the afternoon quickly cut a neat 500m2 before we returned to our base for the peening lesson.

Visit my Learn to Scythe page for more course dates and how to arrange a workshop on your own site and get your grass cut for you at the same time as learning.

Posted in scythe courses, Scytherspace | Tagged 2016, Austrian, course, cumbria, scythe | Leave a comment

Scything a wildflower meadow – Gardeners' Question Time

Posted on June 3, 2016 by stevetomlin

Did you hear the Chelsea Special from BBC Radio 4 Gardeners’ Question Time the other day? A question was asked about cutting a wildflower meadow and Bunny Guinness, Eric Robson and Matt Biggs all recommended the use of an Austrian scythe.

“If I was given a choice of a strimmer or a scythe, I’d go scythe any day – it’s a pleasure to use.”
~ Bunny Guinness

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07c56jb skip to 24:26 for the meadow question.

Posted in Scytherspace | Tagged BBC, Gardeners' Question Time, meadow, R4, scythe, wildflower | Leave a comment

Learning to peen a scythe

Posted on May 31, 2016 by stevetomlin

Today I’ve been teaching how to peen an Austrian scythe to a pair of women who run a smallholding here in Cumbria. They bought their scythes 7 years ago to manage the grass in the smallholding, around fruit trees and on wildflower banks. Finally, the prompting of another scythe user had encouraged them to learn to peen their blades.

After I explained the theory and practise of peening a scythe, the first job was to clean the blades and then we set up their peening jigs and I guided them through the process of hammering the blade to reshape the bevel profile. After so much work, the blades certainly needed peening and I was a bit concerned that it would be a long and difficult job but both Kate and Deborah were very capable and quickly picked up the skills.

The peening jig simplifies the process and helps ensure neat straight lines of hammer blows to correctly shape the bevel and avoid problems.
Peening your scythe is an important part of looking after it and will transform the way it cuts through the grass. If you’re also struggling to understand or learn the principles then it’s never too late! Email me stevetomlin8@gmail.com to book your own workshop day and discover the joys of peening. If you can’t get to a workshop, check out my book Learn to Scythe which contains clear, simple instruction on peening and more.

Posted in peening & sharpening, scythe courses, Scytherspace | Tagged Austrian, course, peen, peening, scythe, workshop | Leave a comment

Fan bird carving workshop

Posted on May 24, 2016 by stevetomlin

The real pleasure in teaching is seeing the look of pride and satisfaction on people’s face when they surprise themselves with their achievements. My favourite course for this is when students learn to carve fan birds. This weekend I was teaching fan bird carving at Greenwood Days near Derby with a lovely group of beginners. We went through the process of carving the block and then splitting and spreading the feathers. Suddenly a bird appears and the smiles come with them.

I’ll be teaching another Fan bird carving course for the Woodland Skills Centre in Wales on 15th October 2016 – follow the link to book your place and sign up to my newsletter to find out about future courses – you might just surprise yourself!

Posted in fan birds, greenwood courses, SteveTomlinCrafts | Tagged course, Days, fan bird, greenwood, learn, UK, workshop | Leave a comment

Creating an urban meadow

Posted on May 9, 2016 by stevetomlin

The scythe is a powerful tool, capable of transforming our lives and surroundings.
Just across from where I live there is a patch of council owned land. Last year I noticed that it hadn’t been cut, no doubt due to budget cuts so in the August I went over with my scythe to cut off the docks before they had chance to set their seeds.

Of course, once I was there I couldn’t help mowing an area properly. The sward was tangled and tough so it took a couple of evenings after work to cut a small area and remove the grass. One of the advantages of the scythe is that it works silently, so the nearby houses weren’t disturbed while I mowed. Six weeks later I mowed the regrowth to leave a short sward, dug out the docks and sowed wild yellow rattle seed in the spaces. Yellow rattle is semi-parasitic on grass so will reduce its vigour, allowing wild flowers to thrive.
My hope was that, over time I would reduce the fertility of the land by repeated mowing and introduce some wild flowers to create a mini urban meadow, inspired by the guerrilla gardening movement. The photos show what happened; the soil already had a seedbank of wildflowers and the short cut provided the right conditions for these Lady’s Smock to germinate creating a gorgeous pink haze across the area.

This last photo shows clearly how things have changed, the line between where I scythed and didn’t is obvious. My yellow rattle seed has also germinated so and I can’t wait to see what else will appear as the summer continues.
Book a place on one of my Learn to Scythe courses and start transforming your environment.

Posted in Scytherspace | Tagged guerrilla, meadow, scythe, urban, wildflower | 4 Comments

Spoon carving workshop for Forest Schools

Posted on April 4, 2016 by stevetomlin

A couple of weeks ago I was in Manchester teaching a spoon carving workshop for a group of local Forest School leaders who were wanting to improve their carving skills. We were based at an inspiring primary school which is using greenwood work and Forest School activities as part of the school learning experience with brilliant results. I would have loved those opportunities as a child.

Having a full weekend meant we had lots of time to develop skills in working with carving axes and knives. Top priority was safety as always and also looking at ways to modify or teach the techniques for children which was interesting and I learned a lot too. I taught some specific exercises for stretching the arm and hand muscles and a session on sharpening tools.

They were a great group to teach; very lively, keen to learn and with lots of interesting conversations and ideas over the weekend, including making campfire pizzas for Sunday lunch. Shame noone wanted to get their spoon dirty while making them!
I am teaching more spoon carving courses across the UK in 2016, all suitable for beginners and improvers. If you’re interested to learn some new skills in good company then book your place through the organisers below:

23 & 24 April 2016 at Hillend Farmhouse, Dumfries. £130 Contact Steffi Schaffler phone 01387 740945
7 & 8 May 2016 at Woodland Skills Centre, Wales
9 & 10 August at Greenwood Days

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 2016, Forest School, greenwood, Manchester, spoon carving, workshop | Leave a comment

Scythe Peening Day 2016

Posted on March 31, 2016 by stevetomlin

I sold my first beginners scythe kit of the season today to Nick who has a 3 acre wildflower meadow near Ingleton in Yorkshire. Like the first wildflowers germinating and snow on the Cumbrian hills this is a sure sign that spring is here which can only mean one thing: it’s time to get your scythe ready and join in with International Peening Day on Sunday 3rd April 2016!
As always, Peening Day is a reminder to get your scythe out of it’s winter home to oil, clean and, most of all, sharpen it before the grass starts growing in earnest. Peening is the process of hammering the edge of the blade to reshape it before sharpening. It’s a special skill almost solely used for Austrian and other Continental style scythes.
Because (almost) every scyther in the world will be peening on that day it means that it’s easy to get together as a group and learn with someone more experienced there to help out although you’re just as involved if you’re peening alone.
This year the North West England event will be at Broadrake in Yorkshire – it’s free but please contact them directly to let them know you’re coming.
Will you be peening on International Peening Day? Let me know in the comments. If you do, please send me photos, whether you’re peening alone or with friends and if you’re posting on social media use the hashtags #LearntoScythe #PeeningDay

Posted in peening & sharpening, Scytherspace | Tagged 2016, IPD, peen, peening, scythe, sharpen | Leave a comment

Scythe Improvers' Course at Scythe Fair

Posted on March 27, 2016 by stevetomlin

I am once again pleased to be part of the Scythe Improvers’ course at the Scythe Festival 2016 in Somerset. This will be two days of expert tuition to hone your skills and take your mowing and peening to a new level. Stay on for the Festival itself on 12th June to see the British scything competition, or even enter yourself!
To book, email Simon at scythes@myphone.coop tel 01297 561359

Why Struggle?
Learn how to get your blades sharper and to scythe expertly
at the
IMPROVERS’ COURSE
at the
West Country Scythe Fair

Friday 10 and Saturday 11 June 2016
for
• mowers with some experience who want to develop their skills;
• team leaders managing volunteers or staff;
• people who want to teach scythe use to others.

Over two days, you will get personal attention from three of the most experienced teachers in the UK:
Christiane Laganda, scythe and yoga teacher from Austria;
Phil Batten master peener and scythe competition winner from Scythe Cymru;
and Steve Tomlin author of the definitive scythe manual Learn to Scythe.

The course covers: correct set up of the tool; your mowing stance and style; sharpening, peening and repairing blades; teaching and organizing volunteers and novices.

The venue is at Thorney Lakes. Muchelney, near Langport http://www.thorneylakes.co.uk/
The cost is £125 for individuals, £150 for organizations, £80 concession for unwaged. Meals are provided. Camping on site is available. Includes live Gypsy Jazz from the Gaulois Brothers on Saturday evening.

Nicole Clough of Bucks Berks and Oxon Wildlife Trust who did this course two years ago writes:
I came away with a far deeper understanding of the scythe and my technique, as well as the tools and course structure to teach others in a safe and efficient manner. It has revolutionised our team at BBOWT, and we now use scythes for a great many of our tasks. As a result our management is more wildlife sensitive and volunteer friendly. A number of my colleagues have now also done the course, with more booked on in the future. This has enabled us to train in the region of 50 staff and volunteers across our three counties in just 2 years. Great for wildlife, great for people.

To book, email Simon at scythes@myphone.coop tel 01297 561359

Posted in scythe festivals & events, Scytherspace | Tagged course, improvers, scythe, scythe festival, somerset | Leave a comment

Bowl carving workshop in Edinburgh

Posted on March 5, 2016 by stevetomlin

Teaching people to use tools and seeing them increase their confidence and skill is the highlight of running craft courses, whether people are learning spoon carving or scything.
Last weekend I spent two fantastic days teaching a bowl carving course at New Caledonian Woodlands in Edinburgh, Scotland for one of their re-skilling workshops.

The group were a good mix of abilities with some complete beginners, some with more experience of green wood working and my friend Rolf of Created Woodcrafts who has now been on all my courses! Everyone rose to the challenge and it was very fulfilling for me to be able to teach the skills and then watch them being developed. It’s amazing how even a few hours tuition can make a huge difference in how people use new tools.
Axes, adzes, knives, spokeshaves and gouges were all put to good use with each student creating unique and distinctive bowls while experimenting with shapes and techniques.

A terrific weekend where I also learned a lot as well as enjoying the lively atmosphere and good company.

Posted in carved bowls, greenwood courses, SteveTomlinCrafts | Tagged bowl carving, course, green wood, Scotland, workshop | Leave a comment

Learn to Scythe courses 2016

Posted on February 20, 2016 by stevetomlin

Dates are now set for my Learn to Scythe courses in 2016:
27th May & 16th July at Brigflatts nr Sedbergh, Cumbria – £80
Please email me stevetomlin8[at]gmail.com to book.
If you’re not already aware, the Austrian scythe is the ideal way to manage your land, whether it’s a meadow, orchard, allotment or garden. The scythe will cut and control grass, nettles, brambles, bracken, rushes, thistles and a whole lot more besides. It is quiet, relaxing, sustainable and fun – the students on my courses have to be forced to stop mowing at the end of the day!
My one-day Learn to Scythe course is a fully comprehensive training day for beginners or improvers. Scythe kits are provided which are also available to but on the day. During the course you will learn:

setting up the scythe to fit your body
ergonomic mowing technique
sharpening in the field
peening the edge
care and maintenance of your scythe.

I have been teaching since 2010 and have almost 15 years of mowing experience which combine to give you expert tuition in a fun, relaxed and safe atmosphere. Take a look at my blog to read about previous Learn to Scythe courses.
These dates have already begun to book to subscribers of my newsletter so if you would like to learn to scythe, don’t delay.

Posted in scythe courses, Scytherspace | Tagged 2016, Austrian, beginner, course, cumbria, learn scything, scythe | Leave a comment