What you may ask is a shrink pot? Well it’s an old method of making wooden tubs by hollowing a log out then fitting a base. The ingenious thing is if you hollow the log out whilst it is green, cut a groove for the base to fit and put a loosely fitting dry base in then the pot shrinks…
SPOONFEST is one of the highlights of my year. It is a wonderful gathering of 250 people from 11 countries all sharing the love of carved wooden spoons. That is on the surface but underneath there is something deeper, a shared enjoyment of a slightly silly, simple, meaningful life with chatting and music round the campfire, communal food cooked in…
I am a man who owns too many axes, it must be around 100 or so including a dozen by Gransfors Bruks, many antique English ones from the heyday or the British tool industry and perhaps some of my favourites a dozen or so antique hand forged laminated Japanese axes. I use axes every day to carve wood, I have…
Well here is my new blog and website. Hopefully regular blog readers will have found your links brought you straight through to the new site. It has been live for a couple of weeks whilst we ironed out glitches before saying goodbye to the old blogger site. It has been a crazy few weeks completing the content and going live…
Here are a few pictures from Elvaston woodland festival, some of the best craftspeople in the country were there. Owen Jones swill basketmaker probably the craftsperson I most admire, everything about what he does is simply fantastic. website John Lord flint knapper I spent a day with John a few…
Well it’s all over now but SPOONFEST 2013 was a blast. If you’ve not heard of it SPOONFEST is a gathering of 230 or so wonderful people from 11 countries sharing the love of carving wooden spoons. We provide a huge marquee, some of the best teachers in the world, great wood, campfires, BBQs and lots of tools but the real…
I have long admired the work of photographer Nick Hand and I was thrilled when he agreed to come and take photographs of my work and workshop for me. You will see Nick’s work throughout the website but I feel they are worthy of a gallery showing all together on their own.
How time flies, it has been over 5 years since I started this blog and over 3 since my last minor website update. Big changes are coming next week, I hope regular blog readers will find your links just redirect through seamlessly to the all new integrated website and blog. The new site will be simple, clean, uncluttered and hopefully reflect…
This week is all about preparations for SPOONFEST. I have been out collecting timber, it is probably the worst time of the year to run a festival that needs lots of green timber, most folk stop cutting through the summer but I have one little woodland I go to where I can cut birch. The woodland was planted by my friend…
I love eating from wooden bowls, I love hearing from folk who eat from my wooden bowls and I love most of all seeing photos of those bowls in use. I tell folk that they get nicer as they are used more but pictures of well used bowls tell the story so much better. So please do send me pics…
