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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Shrink pots are a simple project; a greenwood log is hollowed out and the inside smoothed using gouges before a shallow groove is cut on the inside at one end. A base is cut from a dry board which fits loosely inside the pot and is captured in the groove as the pot dries. I then shape the outside or leave it with a bark finish and fit lids once the pot has found it’s final shape. They look great for tea and coffee in the kitchen and have loads of uses around the rest of the house too.
I’m always surprised how physical weaving a chair seat is, I want the seat to feel full and tight so it supports the user so keeping the tension as you work round while anchoring the chair with your legs is something of a wrestling match. After weaving three-quarters of the seat on the first day I stuff the seat from underneath using more rushes to fill it out and then let it dry overnight before. By the next day the coils have dried and shrunk a bit and I can push them up tight before finishing off the weaving and stuffing again. It’s amazing how much stuffing a seat this size needs but the result is a seat that is firm but with the soft, natural rush texture.
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