Consider the Fork (& Spoon) by Bee Wilson

Posted on April 12, 2015 by stevetomlin

Friends often send me links to articles, tv clips or websites related to my work, whether that’s Ross Poldark scything on the BBC or a video of traditional woodworking on YouTube. Some make me cringe, some amaze me, some make me wonder what my friends think I do all day…
Bee WilsonThis week I was sent a link for a recent edition of Woman’s Hour featuring the author Bee Wilson promoting her book, Consider the Fork. While making bechemal sauce with a wooden spoon in her kitchen, Bee talks about the history and importance of the wooden spoon, her “most trusty and lovable of kitchen implements”.
It was lovely to hear someone reminding us of the significance of the wooden spoon in our lives, it’s often underplayed importance in how we cook and the special pleasures in a handmade utensil:
“The thing that would have been magical about most pre-industrial spoons is that they would have just been hand whittled by somebody in the family or somebody in the local community and they might have been made specially for you; they were personal objects.”
Finally, she sums up what we all know already: “nothing does the job of the wooden spoon better than the wooden spoon.”
Well, the hand carved spoon is alive and well today and the feeling of personal connection people make with them is just the same.
Hand carved wooden spoon
Though she does resort in the end to using a whisk for her sauce she admits that this is partly due to being distracted by the interview and, in my mind, just another example of using the best tools for the job in hand.
Listen to the Woman’s Hour interview here, (wooden spoons start at 18:54).

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Scythes and haymaking in Transylvania

Posted on April 6, 2015 by stevetomlin

A few years ago, I travelled over to Romania for a haymaking festival at Gyimes in Transylvania. It was a fantastic experience in an absolutely beautiful area and the event has gone from strength to strength since then. The film below includes a slideshow of last years mowing along with footage of the farmers collecting the hay from mountain sheds in deep winter snow.
You can learn to scythe and make hay in the mountains of one of the most unspoilt parts of Europe at this years festival 9-16 August 2015. The memories will stay with you forever. More details at http://www.treasuresoftransylvania.org/haymeadow-biodiversity/hay-making-festival

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International Peening Day 2015

Posted on April 3, 2015 by stevetomlin

Sunday is International Peening Day, the global day for maintaining and sharpening your scythe so it’s in tip-top condition for mowing. Whether you peen using the jig or freehand peen on an anvil, it’s a day to connect with other mowers, share your experience and talk plans and tales of scything, haymaking and land management.
Please send me any photos you take of your peening and use #learntoscythe and #PeeningDay if you’re posting on social media.
scythe peening with jig scythe peening with jig freehand scythe peening on anvil
Here’s a few events being organised by friends of mine over the weekend. There’s sure to be more that I don’t know about and, if you can’t find one near you, call up some of the mowers in your own area and organise an event. I’ll be peening in Cumbria, getting ready some vintage blades I bought last summer.

  • Richard Brown  Saturday 4th  in Norfolk, PE34 4PL, UK. is offering free advice on mowing, peening or scythe set up. Lush sections of my wild flower meadow and lawns available to mow. richardjbrown556[at]gmail.com
  • Botan Anderson and Andy Greybeal of One Scythe Revolution are hosting events in Coolsville, Ohio and Hastings, Minnesota, USA. Details on the website
  • Sarah Robinson from the Forest of Bowland Hay Time project and friends are meeting at the beautiful Bell Sykes Farm, Slaidburn, Lancashire, UK at 2pm Contact Peter Blackwell on 01200 446609
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More Poldark

Posted on April 3, 2015 by stevetomlin

A good article today about scything on the BBC website following on from Aidan Turner’s scything debut on Poldark the other week. It’s great when this kind of thing sparks interest in a traditional skill and journalists make the effort to follow it up by researching the subject.
Pictured is Simon Damant, a National Trust ranger on the Wimpole Estate and current British scythe champion.
Simon Damant scythe

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Ross Poldark Scything

Posted on March 23, 2015 by stevetomlin

Ros Poldark scytheLast night, viewers in the UK were treated to episode 3 of Poldark, a BBC tv drama featuring a scene with the main character, Ross Poldark, hard at work with his scythe.
Working hard he certainly was but there seemed very little in the way of results all his effort, no wonder he looked exhausted.
Now, I’m fully aware that the programme is a fictional drama rather than farming documentary and I’m not criticising the actors, however it’s always disappointing when traditional skills are badly portrayed as being inefficient, ineffective or worse. I would have been happy to give the actors some instruction so as to make the scene more believable and show them the satisfaction and relaxing efficiency of scything, as I do on my Learn to Scythe courses.
You can see Ross Poldark at work on iplayer for the next month (skip to 52min for the scythes) or enjoy this short film of real mowing in Cumbria.

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Stained glass scythe

Posted on March 14, 2015 by stevetomlin

Scythe window scythe window
Two lovely photos sent to me of the scythesman featuring in the stained glass window at Two Temple Place in London.

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International Peening Day 2015

Posted on March 8, 2015 by stevetomlin

Can you feel the excitement and anticipation in the air? Though many parts of the world are still under snow or just heading into winter, the appearance of wild crocuses as I walk to work can only mean one thing: it’s almost time for International Peening Day on Sunday 5th April 2015!
This is the day to bring your scythe out of the shed, clean it off and sharpen it ready for the mowing season to come (or put it to bed following the summer, for our Southern Hemisphere friends – hi Marshall!) Peening is the process of hammering the blade to lower the angle of the cutting edge, a skill that is almost unique to scythes. If you’re new to scything, this can be a daunting proposition so International Peening Day is an opportunity to learn together, get help from more experienced mowers and connect with other scythespeople in your area. Feel free to organise your own local event or just peen on your own, if you prefer.
Scythe peening Scythe peening
Feel free to send me photos of youself with your hammer and blades.

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Spoon carving in Northumberland

Posted on February 28, 2015 by stevetomlin

Last weekend I was invited up to Northumberland to teach a group how to carve wooden spoons.
It’s always a busy couple of days, starting with practising efficient and accurate axework followed by learning how to use the straight sloyd knife in a variety of ways to make use of the biggest muscles and so reduce stress on the body. Some of these seem a bit awkward at first so I always make sure there’s time for individual help and it was very satisfying for me to see the students get the hang of them and start to use them naturally in their carving.
Axing a spoon Spoon carving tuition
On Saturday evening I was invited for dinner with Kate Jackson, who organised the course. Two of her kids who were on the course and had obviously been bitten by the wooden spoon bug.
Evening spoon discussions
We started Sunday morning with some specific exercises for spoon carvers, focusing on stretches for the hands, wrists and forearms then onto hollowing using the hook knife. I teach a variety of ways to use these so that even beginners can make quick progress and refine the shape they want.
hollowing the spoon Hollowing a spoon bowl
For David, who’s made spoons before and wanted to improve his skills, I brought some crooks to challenge him and he made a lot of progress on what will be a large birch serving spoon.
Splitting birch crook Carving a serving spoon
Then on Sunday afternoon there’s time for everyone to work on their own spoons at their own pace while I add little tips and advice. This is a time for people to relax and get in the zone; the silence was deafening.
Spoon carving Spoon carving
They made a load of great spoons!Spoons!
If you’d like to learn to carve, I will be teaching in Cumbria on 3rd & 4th October. If that’s too long to wait, why not book at individual day of tuition or a course for your group. Have a look at my Courses page and email me at stevetomlin8@gmail.com to book or discuss your course.

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#240 Spalted birch ladle

Posted on February 17, 2015 by stevetomlin

#240 Spalted birch ladleThis is a ladle with curves to die for. The bowl is deep and wide to give generous servings while the hook keeps the ladle safely up out of your pan.
A one of a kind item, hand carved from a selected curved birch trunk with natural spalting decoration in the handle.
Finished with pure, food-safe linseed oil.
270mm long x 75mm wide
£65      Small Buy Now Button
#240 Spalted birch ladle #240 Spalted birch ladle #240 Spalted birch ladle #240 Spalted birch ladle

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Carving & Scythe course dates 2015

Posted on February 14, 2015 by stevetomlin

Course dates for my greenwood carving and learn to scythe courses are now finalised. My courses are always popular and suitable for beginners and improvers alike. With over 10 years of teaching experience, you’ll learn new skills and how to safely work with sharp tools. Whether you’re interested in carving wood or managing your land with a scythe, my courses will give you skills and memories which last long after the course finishes.
Learn to scythe Spoon carving workshop

  • Fan bird Carving 30 May – £85
  • Spoon carving weekend 3-4 October – £145
  • Learn to Scythe 31 May, 5 Sept, 6 Sept  – £80

Courses are based at Sprint Mill, a beautiful and inspiring smallholding at Burneside near Kendal, Cumbria. To book any course, please email me: stevetomlin8@gmail.com
Last year was an amazing success with almost 200 people learning to scythe with me on courses across the northwest England and in Scotland. We had glorious weather and made some fantastic hay. My fan bird and spoon carving courses were huge fun and it was great to see people coming back to progress their skills. Have a read about a busy and exciting week of courses from last June.
The dates book up quickly so please book early to avoid disappointment. If you can’t find a date that suits, why not book a 1-to-1 or bespoke course for your group, details on my website.

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