I wrote about Michael’s work last year so today about a year on I visited again and took some more photos of him at work making lovely pocket knives at his workshop at Portland Works. He now has a great website up where you can go and buy his knives. Check them out here This is his cutlers stool. As a…
Here’s a short film of Brian Alcock the last self employed grinder working in Sheffield. It’s a trade that dates back many centuries. The city is literally paved with worn out grindstones in places. Once every stream running through the area was dammed to power thousands of waterwheels. Brian grinds all of our axes along with work for many other…
I can’t remember when I first heard of pulled fibre birch brooms, it may have been in Sweden at Taljfest or may have been through my friend Jarrod Dahl in USA who now makes them ocassionally. Whatever they are a wonderful green woodworking craft. I wonder who first pulled a few birch fibres in this way and worked out that…
Sheffield has always been famous for high quality knives, now there is a new name to look out for and his work is very exciting. Regular blog readers will have been familiar with the work of Trevor Ablett and his death was a sad loss but I have great news. Michael May is a young knife maker who has served his…
Jeremy Atkinson is the last clogmaker in England making all his clog soles in the traditional way with three traditional clog knives, the blocker, hollower and gripper. The razor sharp knives have a handle nearly three feet long which generates huge leverage and control allowing him to carve the fresh wood into clog soles. Here is his website I have…
Here is a new film about Clive Bowen one of Britain’s greatest living potters, enjoy.
This film is an absolute gem. On the surface it is quite simply about the making of ballet shoes but it goes so much deeper. The deep and passionate relationship through an object that links a hard working maker to the ethereal world of the ballet.
Five years ago I blogged about ladder making. I had been contacted by Stanley Clarke who left school and became an apprentice ladder maker aged 14 in 1954. At the time I said “I am going to look into various sources to see if there is any way we can find some funding to spend time with Stanley, pay for…
At Taljfest all the top woodworkers from Scandinavia were gathered and for me there was one that stood out. The woodwork of Anja Sundberg is a complete breath of fresh air. Have a look at the pics and you’ll see great simple ideas but all executed with an eye for detail which just brings everything to life. How could any…
This festival was a packed 3 days and there was so much to see. These pics are just a few of my favourite things. This is Beth Moen bowlcarver, main teacher on the woodworking course at Saterglantan and with Jogge Sundqvist organiser of Taljfest. Her bowls are great. now here we have three grand masters of Swedish sloyd. Knut Östgård,…
