Cleaving,
using the froe
Development Week at Clissett Wood
During this annual Development Week, now in its twenty-forth
year, we will wake the workshop up from its winter slumber.
The week will offer a number of tasks in small groups
- from woodland management to workshop repair.
The week will involve some hard work, in variable weather,
but should prove a fascinating experience and there will
be plenty of fun and good company.
The fee covers the cost of all food
and camping is free.
Turning
on a pole-lathe
Using
the drawknife on the shave-horse
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An ideal taster
for beginners to become familiar with the basic tools and
techniques of green
woodwork. Starting from the freshly felled tree you will
learn to cleave the wood with axes and wedges, and shape
it further with drawknives before turning it on the pole-lathe.
You will also learn what to look for when buying tools,
how to sharpen them, what woods are best to use, and more.
Expect to leave with a stool or several turned items such
as candlesticks, spoons, tool-handles, baby-rattles or
a
project of your choice.Courses are 2 1/2 days.
Using
the side axe
Childer Wood and Meephill Copice are a large diverse woodland
a mile below Clissett Wood and were managed by my late partner
Doug with much vision and horse power only.
I now offer half a dozen volunteer work weekends a year to
continue improving the bio diversity of the woods through
focused management of neglected areas, often with a local horse logger as part of the team.
This winter we will be planting and deer fencing over several long weekends until the end of March, then weed the young plantations, continue to deer fence, produce firewood, and hopefully create some additional shelters over the summer.
In June and July the weekends have
been timetabled to enable course students on
the Chair Making Workshops to contribute to
the management of these woods
- please do join in if it appeals !
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