Steve Tomlin Crafts

What Joe Wright really thought of the scythers

Posted on January 25, 2013 by stevetomlin

It may have only got 12 seconds in the final movie but it’s nice to know that the time we spent on Salisbury Plain in 2011 filming the scythe scenes for Anna Karenina was appreciated. We certainly made an impression on director Joe Wright as evidenced in this interview. Are you one of the “4 or 5”?

Posted in Scythe Association, scythe festivals & events, Scytherspace | Tagged 2012, anna karenina, film, Joe Wright, movie, scrumpy, scythe | Leave a comment

Milk Paint Recipe

Posted on January 23, 2013 by stevetomlin

I’m a big fan of painted woodenware and have been experimenting for a while now with different recipes of homemade paint. The egg based tempera I used on my spindleback chair was lovely but takes several weeks to dry properly so I’ve been researching making milk paint. This is a soft paint that covers well and ages beautifully as the paint wears and develops a patina. Milk paint was traditionally made by souring the milk to separate out the curds which make the base for the paint however I’ve been looking for a simpler alternative which is easy to make up in small quantities. In the US powdered milk paint is available in various colours which are simply mixed up with water and this is what I want for my own work. I can then make up a dry batch with the colour I want and then mix up just the quantity needed knowing it will be the same shade each time.
The recipe I’ve been using is based on powdered milk paint which you buy in the supermarket along with bicarbonate of soda from the baking aisle. Lime is sometimes used but I prefer bicarbonate of soda as it’s safer, easy to buy in small quantities and some pigments are not compatible with lime. You can also use borax which is available in chemists and makes a good alternative to the bicarb.
Here’s my recipe:

4 parts milk powder
1 part bicarbonate of soda
1 part pigment
6 parts cold water

Simply mix the powders together then add the water and stir well. Leave the paint to sit for 1 hour then stir again and paint. Milk paint dries quickly so don’t hang around once you’ve started using it and be careful not go back over areas as you can wipe the paint back off making a mess. Despite it being touch dry in 15mins of so, if you’re painting on extra coats make sure you let the paint dry fully, ideally overnight, as again the paint will come off if it’s not properly cured. I’ve been using earth pigments as I like the colours and using natural pigments seems to fit better with milk paint though artist’s pigments will work and have some really vibrant colours which are appealing.
The sample in the photo is a piece of dry ash painted using red ochre pigment. You can see the difference between a single layer and two coats of paint. In the top corner I’ve painted over the red with black, a traditional combination for windsor chairs.
There’s still plenty more to learn about working with milk paints so if you’ve suggestions or advice, share them in the comments.

Posted in chair making, materials, SteveTomlinCrafts | Tagged chair, earth pigments, greenwood, homemade, milk paint, recipe, spindle back, traditional, windsor | 18 Comments

Windsor Chair Baluster Leg

Posted on January 22, 2013 by stevetomlin

This photo shows why I was so keen to get turning beads with the skew chisel under my belt. After years of making post and rung chairs I’ve finally set my sights on making some windsor chairs so I’m investing time into building skills and sourcing tools for the work.
It’s taken me this long to get around to making a windsor because, up to now I’d never found them that interesting until I discovered American style of windsor chairs. The shapes are so much bolder to my eye than on English windsors with graceful curves and dynamic angles; a woodworking friend says they look like ‘a faun, ready to spring up and run away’. It’s that kind of movement I’ll be trying to achieve with my own chairs and a lot of it comes from the dramatic turning on the legs along with their splay. I’ve been inspired to this project principally by the work of Curtis Buchanan and Peter Galbert whose work you should check out if you’re interested in windsor chairs, They’re a tough act to follow but really something to aim for.
This leg is turned from a piece of birch as a reference model to use when I’m turning the real sets of chair legs which will be from some good straight ash I have.

Posted in chair making, SteveTomlinCrafts | Tagged baluster, green wood, handmade, pole lathe, UK, windsor chair | Leave a comment

Anna Karenina filming photos

Posted on January 21, 2013 by stevetomlin

It may have been out for a while now but Christiane only just went to see Anna Karenina (2012) at her local cinema in Austria last week which brought back some great memories and reminded me that I’ve never posted up any of the photos here.
When we were all hired to work as extras for the mowing scenes we of course signed release forms which included a lengthy legal section on not disclosing details of the film before its release. Officially we weren’t supposed to have cameras on set but in reality the crew were fairly relaxed about it and, as you can see, even posed for a few shots. Unfortunately, since we were all mowing at the time, there’s no pictures of the line of mowers working their way across the plain which did look fantastic and was featured in the trailer. There’s pics of the amazing ‘snath-cam’, folk on set in their costumes, me making and fitting scythes for Dohmnall Gleeson, Conor McCarry and Steve Evets (Levin, Young Peasant & Theodore) and my friend Beth doing her ‘convincing Russian peasant’ audition.
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Posted in scythe festivals & events, Scytherspace | Tagged 2012, anna karenina, film, movie, scythe | Leave a comment

Oak Garden Bench

Posted on January 4, 2013 by stevetomlin

In Cumbria there’s a long tradition of harvesting oak bark for tanning leather and last spring I took part in a group day with the local Coppice Association to harvest bark from Moss & Height’s Spring Wood. The bark is sold to a tannery in Devon and the funds used to help finance the Coppice Associations work.
While we were there I was asked to build a bench from some of the peeled poles as part of a garden makeover. I spent a good while selecting the right pieces for a look which would be natural but not too wild and making the most of the curves in the wood. One thicker pole was cleft to make matching back legs with longer cleft pieces used to make a solid and comfortable seat. I like the texture of the peeled oak and the bench is looking good already in it’s new home, it’ll be even better as it weathers.

Posted in chair making, SteveTomlinCrafts | Tagged bark, bench, cumbria, garden, oak, tanning | Leave a comment

Mastering the skew chisel

Posted on December 31, 2012 by stevetomlin

Like lots of turners, whether on a pole-lathe or powered lathe, it’s the skew chisel that’s always caused me headaches. With a life of it’s own and seemingly no other intention than to mess up details at the last moment I’ve tended to shy away from it in the past or approach it with hesitation and caution.
Well, no more of that, I’ve decided to go into 2013 with with me and the skew as working partners so I spent an evening watching whatever videos I could find online into just how people manage to turn over smooth beads without digging in. I’ve not posted any links because, honestly, there wasn’t really one video that had it all. In lots the camera seemed so far away or at such an angle that you couldn’t see the action or there was a perfect bird’s-eye view of the spinning timber but no idea what the person holding it was doing. Watch enough of them though and, assuming everyone’s doing it the same, you can piece together enough of a theory to take to the lathe; it worked for me.
I’m not going to add my own video to the existing soup but I’ll add these tips that helped me:

Get the skew sharp first.
Make a good sized V notch before you roll the bead so you’re not trying to work through too much wood.
The heel of the tool leads but the action really takes place with at the end of the handle which you move up and out in a smooth arc, it’s a big movement here for the small sweep of the bead.

One of the many advantages of the pole-lathe is that the work is turning much more slowly so the whole thing is safer and it will stop instantly whenever I want, by thought control. Show me an electric lathe that can do that.

Posted in SteveTomlinCrafts, tools | Tagged greenwood, pole lathe, skew chisel, turning | Leave a comment

Winter break

Posted on December 29, 2012 by stevetomlin

Life is seasonal and happily so is my work schedule.
While the rest of the year are full with shows, courses and scythes, the winter period especially after Christmas is a time when I can make my plans for the year ahead but also try out some of the ideas I didn’t get round to during the rest of the year, experiment with things and inspire myself anew.
One of my plans involves quite a bit of pole-lathe turning, something I’ve always done but never mastered to my satisfaction. So I spent part of Christmas day grinding my turning tools on the Tormek figuring that having everything in tip-top condition would make the process go that bit easier and I’ve a nice soft birch log waiting in the workshop to work with them. And once the grinder’s out and working, you might as well do everything.

Posted in SteveTomlinCrafts, tools | Tagged pole lathe, Tormek | Leave a comment

Buying the right size scythe

Posted on December 17, 2012 by stevetomlin

A scythe is a very personal tool and should be sized and adjusted to fit your body and mowing style for the most comfort and efficiency. This was especially true with the older English and American pattern scythes when the saying was “You can no more lend someone your scythe than you can lend them your false teeth”. This is still the case, even with the modern adjustable scythes and is the reason we spend so much time working with the scythe on my courses so that I can observe you mowing, make adjustments and send you home with the best tool for you.
This was highlighted for me last week when I gave two sessions on setting-up the scythe for people buying them for Christmas presents. Heather & Annie came together wanting to also learn about mowing brambles and we spent some time outside while Pip just wanted to know how to fit all the parts together and is now eagerly awaiting the spring.
In both cases their height was 5ft8in which, based on the guidelines online, would suggest buying a #2 sized snath but as soon as we started to fit the handgrips I could see that this wouldn’t fit for them and they needed the #3. What’s important is not just your overall height but also the length of your legs, arm span and, of course, how you mow.
If you’re thinking of getting a scythe and learning to mow I always recommend that you get someone to set it up with you or even better, take a course and buy the scythe there. You’ll take home the right sized kit set to your height and, if you come on one of my courses, the wooden snath will be already oiled and the blade peened so it’s sharper than when it leaves the factory and a pleasure to use. You definitely won’t want to lend it out.

Posted in Scytherspace, scythes | Tagged course, learn to mow, learn to scythe, scythe, snath, UK | Leave a comment

Yew Tree Barn Christmas Market 2012

Posted on December 4, 2012 by stevetomlin

Another chance to pick up some Cumbrian handmade crafts for the perfect present at the Yew Tree Barn Christmas Market on 8 & 9 Dec from 10-5pm at Low Newton near Grange-over-Sands in the Lake District. Directions available on their website.

Posted in greenwood events, SteveTomlinCrafts | Tagged christmas, cumbria, gift, market, present, UK, xmas, Yew Tree Barn | Leave a comment

Pounding ash splints

Posted on November 23, 2012 by stevetomlin

Sometimes, you just want to take the piece of wood and beat the hell out of it. Thankfully, the other week when Phil, Frank and I did just that it was for good reason and not just to release some built-up frustration.
In the US there’s a whole branch of basketry based on ash splints, thin ribbons of wood created by separating the growth layers by pounding either the whole log or a prepared billet. I’d seen it done in some videos and when Jarrod was over for Spoonfest he brought some small samples with him to use in his bark sheath workshop. Jarrod’s wife, April makes beautiful splint baskets from ash, see them at Woodspirit in the gallery. Several UK makers were interested in the process and discussed trying pounding our native ash, spurred on by some old references to the technique.
It’s always easier to actually get on and try these ideas if there’s two of you so I mentioned it to my mate Phil Bradley who’s a basketmaker. He was immediately excited by the possibilities and the video links I sent so we met up on a damp day earlier this month for what we refer to as a ‘play day’ but should probably come under ‘continuing professional development’ or something.
Phil’s mate Frank came over too and we each took turns hammering the billets we’d cleaved and drawknifed out of a green 6″ diameter log. It was satisfyingly easy to do and didn’t need as much hammering as I’d expected, just a series of overlapping blows top and bottom (perpendicular to the growth rings) to break the bonds between layers and then angled strikes to separate them. This gave us splints about 1.5-2mm thick which we split further using a pocketknife to start a split and then pulling it apart. The inside has a gorgeous silky texture which seemed ready to use.

Phil kept the splints and plans to use them as highlights in his willow basketry, I just wanted to see if it would work and have a day out in good company.