One of the hand-carved bowls I enjoy making from time to time, influenced by the Scandinavian style of 'sloyd' woodcarving.
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Carved bowl
Making a chair
I love this picture - it captures the concentration that descends when you're reaching the home straights of making your very first chair.
Welsh stick chair
The Welsh stick chair is a vernacular form of windsor chair that originated in Wales. As you might have guessed. I love making these chairs.
Steam bent arm bows
I use the process of steam bending to fashion certain parts of my chairs. These are bows bent for the arms of Welsh stick or Windsor chairs. They're made of quick-grown ash, which is tough and particularly well suited to this process.
Bluebells
A gratuitous shot of bluebells, just because they're pretty. And this is what the woodland workshop will be surrounded by come late April.
Under construction
A lovely big workbench takes shape as part of the construction of the new course facilities at the Redwood Valley site in Wales.
Cherry spoon
This serving spoon was hand carved from some fresh cherry wood. The timber had a lovely streak of heartwood running the paler sapwood that looked like a lick of fire.
Black and white chair
An elegant rocker made to commission. The seat and paler components (rockers, stretchers, spindles etc) are made of ash, the black elements from pickled oak. Pickling involves dissolving some wire wool in vinegar, then applying the solution to the oak. The tannic acid in the oak react with the iron in the solution, turning the timber a wonderful inky black.
A giant's chair
Actually, it's the angle of the photo that makes this chair look especially large, but it was still quite a hefty piece. The seat and comb are made from a chunky slab of yew, the rest from ash, including the steam-bent arm bow. This piece set me off on my occasional desire to make very large chairs (see link above right).
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Double-bow Windsor
A lovely bit of field maple
I'd never used field maple for anything other the odd bit of spoon carving. But I was lucky enough to acquire a piece from my friend Oli Weight, who'd harvested some from the woods he manages down near Bath and planked it up. I chose the a plank from the crotch, where the trunk divides. It screamed out to be made into a big, fat chair - hence the scale of the piece that eventually ensued...
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Double-bow Windsor
Adzing stool seats in the woods
Using an adze to rough-shape a stool seat on a woodland stool-making workshop in Wales.
Pole lathe
One of my pole lathes ready for action. I'm addicted to pole lathing.
Tool sharpening
Pole lathe-turning and other tools awaiting sharpening in the the Stoney Lane Studios workshop, south London.
Stools in the woods
Recently completed stools made of spalted Welsh beech and coppiced ash, awaiting final oiling.
Elm
Detail of elm arm from comb-back windsor arm chair.
Blog article
Bidding farewell to a friend
Redwood Valley
Spoon carving beneath the ancient oaks and ash trees of Redwood Valley, the site of our woodworking courses.
Making a stool
Stool-making course at Redwood Valley eco retreat, Wales.
