Fantastic work on traditional crafts in Michigan

 I just came across a fantastic report on traditional crafts in Michigan USA. It is a tremendously positive look at how traditional crafts can be recognised and promoted as part of the heritage and tourism industry. Here are a few excerpts and the link to download the pdf report is at the bottom. Many state arts programs offer some form…

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The Woodlanders

The Woodlanders was a great book written by Thomas Hardy written in 1887, clearly Hardy’s best novel since one character is “the hollow turner” or bowl turner. Today I received a copy of “Woodlanders, New Life in Britain’s Forests” a new book by Ian Edwards. And here is the blurb“Across the UK, people are rediscovering the spellbinding magic of our…

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how to carve wooden bowls course

Just finished 3 enjoyable days teaching carving wooden bowls and here are some of the bowls folks made.   Dave hollowing the inside with a Hans Karlsson adze.   Tamsin smoothing the outside with a push knife.  Lots of axe work. I normally hope folk will make 2 bowls each during the course but Mick made 3 bowls and a…

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an oak bridge

I get to work in some of the most beautiful places and am currently building a new oak footbridge at Padley Gorge on the National Trust Longshaw Estate on the moors just outside Sheffield. The bridge was commissioned in memory of Arthur Haslam so Barn carved his initials. I have a real dislike for brass plaques on memorials, carved initials…

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barn the spoon turns a bowl

Barnaby Carder aka “Barn the spoon” is still with us and so over the weekend we played in the workshop. First we forged hook tools then ground hardened and tempered them.  Then Barn turned a rather nice beech bowl, this is starting the outside.  Hollowing the inside.  Nearly finished, just undercutting the core, the most difficult part.  And cleaning up…

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