Have scythes, will travel

Posted on May 28, 2013 by stevetomlin

As the spring finally arrives and the grass suddenly starts to grow many people get the idea that they’d like to learn to scythe, and quite right too. Lightweight, efficient, quiet and fun I’ve extolled the virtues of the scythe here often enough.
Perhaps you’re thinking that Cumbria is a long way to go for a course to learn scything and, what you’d prefer is for a gang of mowers to turn up and help you cut your own meadow while you learn at the same time. Brilliant idea, I can help.
Throughout the summer as well as my own scythe courses here in Cumbria I teach people to scythe for groups and organisations around the country. They organise the students, either from their regular volunteer list or by advertising the course locally and I come to provide the tuition and kits for the course. As students aren’t paying to travel or for accomodation in Cumbria (though the Lake District is a lovely place to visit, even without any mowing) it often works out to be a very good deal for you all. In addition I can tailor the course to the mowing conditions of your own land and you get the work done!
This year I’m off to York, Bradwell in the Peak District, the Yorkshire Dales and Aberdeen to name a few; I’ve put the full list up on my events page. As you can see, there’s not many dates left so if you are interested in some scythe training for your group please email me to discuss it.
To get an idea of what’s involved you can read about the courses I ran for groups at Bradwell, Edale, and Forres last year.

Posted in Scytherspace, Uncategorized | Tagged course, learn, mowing, Scotland, scythe, scything, Steve Tomlin, Yorkshire | Leave a comment

Advanced Scythe Course in Somerset

Posted on May 24, 2013 by stevetomlin

It’s only a couple of weeks now until the 9th West Country Scythe Fair in Somerset. Prior to the festival as usual there will be a series of special training courses for people who either want to teach mowing, lead groups or simply get tuition and advice from four of the top scythe people in the country.
The course runs from Thursday 6 to Saturday 8 June at the West Country Scythe Fair, near Langport Somerset,
Cost of course, including lunch and entry to the Scythe Fair on Sunday: individuals £165; organizations £195.

Contact Simon at chapter7@tlio.org.uk ; 01297 561359

Advanced Course at the West Country Scythe Fair 6-8 June including teaching scythe use, and supervising teams of mowers

This three day course provides the most thorough and advanced tuition available in the UK today. The course is designed for people who want to to attain a high degree of proficiency, who want to teach other people or who supervise teams of volunteers.

The four tutors are:

Christiane Lechner who teaches scythe use and yoga in Austria
Phil Batten who teaches in Wales, the only person to score 10 out of 10 for quality in the West Country competition.
Steve Tomlin who teaches scythe use in Cumbria and runs the Sytherspace website http://scytherspace.wordpress.com/
Simon Fairlie organiser of the Scythe Festival and Scythe Shop

On 6 and 7 June we run you through all aspects of scythe use and maintenance in detail, with particular emphasis on how to identify faults and how to explain techniques to other people. We also cover matters such as health and safety, insurance, and organizing teams of mowers, scythe courses etc.

On 8 June in the morning you will be teaching beginners to mow, under the supervison of one of the tutors.
In the afternoon there are a number of workshops, including peening, grassland management, haymaking, mowing wheat and other grains, English scythes etc.

On 9 June is the Scythe Fair and competition, in which you should have a fair chance of reaching the finals.

People who come on this course are expected to have done a one-day beginner’s course, or else have gained some previous experience in using a scythe. Read about last years scythe teachers course

Posted in scythe festivals & events, Scytherspace | Tagged advanced, Christiane Lechner, course, festival, Phil Batten, scythe, Simon Fairlie, Steve Tomlin | Leave a comment

First mowing course of 2013

Posted on May 21, 2013 by stevetomlin

It seems like last weekend was the day that everyone in Europe started to mow. Christiane made the first cuts in her meadow in Austria, Beth Tilston was leading a gang of mowers on a tussocky field in SE England and I was teaching my first group of students on a Learn to Mow course in Cumbria.
The course was fully booked with 8 people including Martin who’d come up from Bristol specially to do the course with me and my friend Stefan who’s finally learned after being surrounded by scythes for the last few years.
As always we started out with setting up the scythes before going out to get cutting. Because of the weather the grass we had was all very short but that’s a great tool for learning. One of the most difficult things for beginners is to learn to keep the scythe blade on the ground but with only 4″ of grass you’re forced to do that or nothing gets cut!
After an introduction to the tai-chi mowing style and instruction on sharpening we had lunch then walked over the fields to Stefan’s place where he had the main scything for the day, a large lawn full of dandelions and a rougher patch in amongst fruit trees. This gave us a chance to try out the scythe in different situations and was useful for the folk who’d come to learn to mow in their own orchards.
You can see from the photos what a great job they did and, for me the nicest thing is to look at their posture. Everyone is upright and making use of their legs to do the work rather than their shoulders. This is success for me and hopefully those skills will stick when they continue mowing on their own.

It was so much fun that we kept going and finished the job which meant that, once we’d cleaned the scythes and I’d explained and demonstrated peening we were late finishing but everyone seemed happy and they all went home with a scythe kit to start the real job of learning.
I’ve two more courses planned in Cumbria this summer but the places are going fast. Alternatively I still have some dates available when I can come to you and teach your group on your own land. Email me if you’re interested in either of these.

Posted in scythe courses, Scytherspace | Tagged 2013, course, cumbria, learn, scythe, scything, UK | Leave a comment

Fan Bird Carving Course

Posted on May 18, 2013 by stevetomlin

I’ve had a brilliant day teaching a group how to make fan birds. This is the third time I’ve taught fan bird carving at my workshop in Cumbria and I’ve made some modifications to the way I teach which really paid off.
The course was full which meant stocking up on extra tools for everyone and gave me the opportunity to make some new knives for splitting the feathers which worked really well. Extra wide chisels also made cutting the notches easier while the piece of larch I bought for the course was a dream, splitting almost on its own into billets.

Half of the group were complete beginners to woodworking which I really like as they can learn to work wood without dust or the use of machine tools. Jim, a forester from Perth, came especially to get away from the usual noise of his work.
With this course we work through each of the stages together and I demonstrate the cuts along with the important features of the finished shape. By the afternoon we were splitting feathers and, once the body was carved it was time to spread the wings. After making so many fan birds, I’ve got a lot of confidence in how far the feathers will bend but for beginners it’s a nervous time as the culmination of their work. This is the magic of fan birds and the thing that made me want to make them myself so it’s a great reminder for me of that trepidation and wonder.

We ended up with some terrific birds, a testimony to good work from the group and I got some new ideas of ways to make the course even better for next time.

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

Spooncarving Course in Scotland

Posted on May 13, 2013 by stevetomlin

I have been invited teach a spoon carving course in Dalbeattie on 25 & 26 May 2013. With my recent trip to Sweden I’m full of ideas and inspiration on spoon carving and really enjoying my own carving as well as the recent teaching I’ve been doing. Whatever level you’re at, I can offer exercises and advice to stretch you and progress your carving. Hope to see you there.
The two-day workshop is offered at the special price of £100.
Only 6 places – call Gavin on 01556 611380 or gavin.phillips@virgin.net
To read about previous courses visit stevetomlincrafts.wordpress.com/courses

Spoon Carving

with Steve Tomlin

Spend the weekend with professional spooncarver Steve Tomlin and learn the techniques of carving with axe and knives on this fun and inspiring workshop.
All tools & materials supplied
You will learn
·         How to select wood for carving spoons
·         Splitting blanks from branches and larger timber
·         Using an axe for fast, efficient carving
· the 5 most important knife carving techniques
·         Hollowing the bowl with a hooked knife
·         Safe methods of working
The focus on this course is building skills so that you take home much more than just your completed spoon. You will learn a set of skills which are the foundation of any greenwood working and will enable you to go on carving on your own.
Steve Tomlin has been a professional greenwood worker for 10 years and is an internationally respected carver. In 2013 he was awarded a Queen Elizabeth Scholarship in recognition of his skills and spent 4 weeks working one-to-one with master spoon carver Fritiof Runhall in Sweden. As well as selling and demonstrating his craft at shows around the country, Steve has taught dozens of people how to carve on his lively and engaging courses.
Spoon carving is an engaging pastime which is accessible to all, requiring only a small toolkit and easily-found materials. It makes an ideal introduction to woodworking for beginners while the design elements and particular skills will engage more experienced woodworkers.
The two-day workshop is offered at the special price of £100.
Only 6 places – call Gavin on 01556 611380 or gavin.phillips@virgin.net

Posted in greenwood courses, spoon carving, SteveTomlinCrafts | Tagged carving, course, green wood, Scotland, spoon, UK | Leave a comment

Spoon carving in Wales

Posted on May 10, 2013 by stevetomlin

I arrived back from Sweden last thursday and was straight off to the Woodland Skills Centre in North Wales to teach a spoon carving course for the weekend.
They were a lovely bunch of folk and it’s always a pleasure to teach a group who are so keen to learn. As always we focused on developing and practising the different carving techniques using the axe and knives and made small projects along the way to the spoon carving on sunday. My skills with my left hand have been improving over the last year which came in useful for demonstrating as both Justin and Simon were working left-handed. It’s much easier for beginners to see and understand how the grips are used when it’s presented in the same orientation that they’re using.

Sunday afternoon is my favourite part when the group teaching ends and everyone has time to work on their own spoons. The silence was deafening as they all concentrated on the work and I kept an eye on things, offering advice or reminding them of a technique as required. We also looked at various sharpening equipment and methods specific to spoon carving tools.

Everyone did a great job and went home very proud of their new spoon.

Posted in greenwood courses, spoon carving, SteveTomlinCrafts | Tagged beginner, carving, course, green wood, greenwoodwork course, left hand, spoon, UK, Wales, Woodland Skills Centre, workshop | Leave a comment

Scythe Course 19 May Opening

Posted on April 30, 2013 by stevetomlin

I’ve had a cancellation on my Learn to Mow course on 19th May 2013 so there is now a space available for any of you who want to come and learn to use a scythe properly.
The venue is the beautiful smallholding Sprint Mill, Burneside just outside Kendal. We’ll spend the day setting up the scythe to fit your body and then get straight out to the field to learn and practise my gentle efficient mowing style. Lots of time and a small group means I am able to watch every person and offer individual guidance on developing your technique. I’ll also teach you to hone the blade safely in the field for a razor edge and show you how to peen and care for your scythe.
Scythes and all equipment are provided and scythe kits are available to buy on the day so you can take home your scythe already set up and sharp to continue your mowing.
I have taught over a hundred people the pleasures of mowing with a scythe including National Trust wardens, the garden team at Highgrove and John Craven for BBC tv’s Countryfile so you’re in the best hands to start your scythe adventure. Read about my previous courses: http://scytherspace.wordpress.com/category/courses/

Posted in scythe courses, Scytherspace | Tagged 2013, course, cumbria, learn to mow, learn to scythe, scything, UK | Leave a comment

Picard Peening Hammer

Posted on March 29, 2013 by stevetomlin

Having the right tools for the job make everything much easier. After a fair bit of searching I’m pleased to say I’ve now found a source of Picard peening hammers in the UK from Vaughans of Stourbridge. If you’re placing an order, please give me a mention.
I peen all the scythes for my Learn to Mow courses to ensure that students have the sharpest blade possible to learn with. Along with the various peening courses through the year and my own blades it means I peen about 50 or 60 blades each summer and having a good hammer and anvil setup makes all the difference.
These hammers are made by the same company which makes the familiar narrow and flat anvils so they’re specifically designed for the job of peening scythe blades. The faces of the hammer are hardened to match the anvils and slightly convex to avoid dinting the blade through contact with the hammer edges. The ash handle is comfortable and securely fitted with a steel wedge (the epoxied handle of my rivetters hammer came loose after only a few hours).

My only concern was with the finish of the hammer faces, particularly the flat face which still had the grinding marks on it. As your scythe edge will be squeezed between the hammer and anvil to thin it, the faces of the two tools must be polished in order not to leave corresponding marks along the blade which result in a serrated edge and are potential sites for cracks to start. I used wet and dry paper, elbow grease and my garryflex blocks to polish the face and also soften the edges. The team at Vaughans assure me that future hammers will arrive with the grinder marks polished out at the factory.

In use the hammer is well balanced and positive. At 500g it’s slightly lighter than I’d ideally like but this is more than made up for by the face geometry and hardness. Using the flat face I get lovely hammer marks on the scythe approx 5mm long so it’s easy to overlap the blows and ensure every part of the scythe is well peened.

Posted in peening & sharpening, Scytherspace | Tagged anvil, blade, learn to peen, peen, peening hammer, Picard, scythe, sharpen, UK | 2 Comments

Snapshots from the V&A

Posted on March 23, 2013 by stevetomlin

As a craftsman, I can’t go to London and not visit the V&A so I was pleased to have a couple of hours in there before my QEST interview, helped calm my nerves to see all that great work from over the ages. These are a few snaps I took, mostly through a glass case and with poor lighting which don’t do the works justice – if you can, get there yourself and enjoy it in real life but make sure you’ve plenty of time.
First, a visit to the Japan Room and delight at seeing the sword guards and handles for scabbbard knives. I’d enjoyed them before but was looking with new eyes since I’ve discovered the sublime work of classical metal artist Ford Hallam. The tiger handle, signed Masayuki from around 1750-1800, reminded me of his video ‘Utsushi – in search of Katsuhira’s tiger‘ which is transfixing. The sword guard, depicting Sailing boats and Mount Fuji is signed Toryu Hagen (1804-1876).

Next, spoons. If you want wooden spoons you’re better off visiting the Museum of English Rural Life in Reading, I couldn’t find any wooden spoons here but this display of metal spoons from the Koryo period of Korea caught my eye, particularly for the shadows they cast.

You have to find your way all the way to the top floor to get to the Furniture gallery and it’s only one room when you do, though of course there’s other furniture around the museum. The reward is a display, mostly of chairs, from a wide range of styles and materials. Favourite of mine were the Thonet display and Gio Ponti’s Superleggera chair.

Finally a few more contemporary pieces, including the classic ‘This Mortal Coil’ bookcase by Ron Arad and a single case intriguingly labelled ‘Handmade: Traditional Skills’ and featuring a basket by Jenny Crisp alongside one of David Pye’s bowls.

Posted in SteveTomlinCrafts, Uncategorized | Tagged chair, Ford Hallam, London, museum, Superleggera, Thonet, V&A | Leave a comment

International Peening Day 2013

Posted on March 20, 2013 by stevetomlin

Grab your hammers, it’s time for International Peening Day again! (cue fanfare)
Last year was great fun with group of us getting together in Cumbria to sharpen up our scythes and push-mowers while others took part across the UK, in Germany, Austria, the USA and more.
This year it will be on Sunday 7th April. I know a few of you think that I picked 1st April deliberately last year but in truth it was just conincidence that the first sunday fell on that date. It’s also an odd date for those of you who scythe in the southern hemisphere and are just coming to the end of your mowing season. Nevermind, that’s also a great time to peen, so your blades get put away sharp – just make sure you protect them from the rust.
For anyone who’s new to the scythe, peening is the process of hammering out the edge of the blade to make it thinner and give it the correct bevel angle as the first stage in sharpening. It’s the same part of the sharpening process as grinding a chisel except here the work is done with a hammer and anvil or a jig. This way, there’s no chance of burning the delicate edge and you aren’t grinding away steel, rather pulling it out from the body of the scythe blade.
This April I’ll be in Sweden so hopefully meeting up with some scythe experts over there. The real reason I’m there is to do with my woodworking, read about it on the Steve Tomlin Crafts blog.
Get together with friends, share tips and techniques or just use it as motivation to sort out your scythe blades and get in some practise. I look forward to seeing your photos from the day, happy peening!

Posted in peening & sharpening, Scytherspace | Tagged anvil, IPD, peen, peening, Peening Day, peening jig, scythe | Leave a comment

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