These are some new porringers I turned a while ago and are now dry, oiled and ready to go. I photographed them with a new lens I treated myself to out of my Artisan of the year money. It’s a canon 85mm f1.8 for the technically minded but the beauty of it is that it takes great pictures in low…
Yesterday was quite a day. I went to Cliveden House for the Country Living Magazine and Balvenie whisky “Artisan of the Year” awards and was very pleased and more than a little surprised to be named their “Artisan of the Year”. Cliveden is very grand, I wished I had parked my van in the gap in the middle here. Susy…
Yesterday was one of those days when the wood just worked beautifully. I cut up a nice labrnum log specially to make a large mazer, the first we have done with a 7″ rim. Then I cut up part of a lovely burr maple to make mazers and quaiches. I think they came out really nicely. It was raining whilst…
I always wanted to find a job which combined working with body mind and soul, this week has got a pretty good balance. Yesterday I cut up part of a big beech tree, this is my raw material for making plates. Much of the day I was working in the rain which made me appreciate the afternoon sun all the…
On Tuesday I spent all day working with a photographer from Country Living magazine doing shots for an issue which will be out in the autumn. I am shortlisted for the Balvenie artisan of the year award along with a blacksmith, stonemason and boatbuilder. I have always admired the images in Country Living magazine but had no idea how much…
One of the things I love about my job is the variety. Yesterday I got the chance to have a look around the set of Ridley Scott’s new Robin Hood film “Nottingham”. I delivered my old lathe to Shepperton Studio’s and set up a bowlturners workshop for them. The lathe will be worked by an extra in the film, I…
On the 8th of June as a thank you to all my regular blog readers and folk that post comments and send emails keeping me inspired I offered a free bowl which I would send to someone randomly chosen from those replying to the blog post. I was astonished that 73 folk responded, the bowl is now dried and finished,…
I have finally sorted the pictures from my trip to Germany a couple of weeks ago. We stayed with Michail and Katy Schutte greenwoodworkers, spent time exchanging skills and touring local sites looking at arts and crafts and generally being inspired. Michail is an incredibly competent greenwoodworker with many skills only one of which is a growing competence at turning…
I have just been finishing off some mazers for English Heritage, they are for new displays at Dover Castle. They are turned quite thin from maple and when I oiled them and sat them on the table I noticed the sunlight shining through them as if they were glowing. The rims have been decorated with engraved patterns in Norman style…
Last weekend was spent camping at Cusworth Hall near Doncaster. It was the agm of the association of pole lathe turners and green woodworkers. At this annual event I run the workshop area where various people teach 40 minute taster sessions on green wood crafts, I also teach basic knife and axe carving sessions. All these workshops book up in…
