Greenwood Carving
Willow sculptures for hire
Greenwood carving is carried out when your piece of wood is first chopped down, the wood is wet and you will quite often see the wood oxidize and become a slightly different colour especially one of my favorite woods, Hawthorn. My next favorite wood is Silver Birch because it is smooth like butter when carving.
The main thing to remember about working with greenwood is that it shrinks slightly during its drying process. The aromatic nature of the wood becomes very much a part of the process leaving you with a great sense of achievement weather you’ve created a spoon or a knife.
Knives & hand carved bowls
The blade is ready made, I make the handles, using sustainable and ethically collected horn and brass. The handle is hand carved, the design of the grip will depend on the use of the knife.
Wooden bowls can be made in any shape, I have a soft cornered square bowl pictured in this picture.
All the green wood knives, spoons an bowls are hand crafted using traditional hand tools. Yes it takes time, but each piece has individuality and a uniqueness that you don’t see in machine made items.
Pole lathing
Another fun and physical traditional craft. Using your leg to power the spindle instead of a motor you hand craft an item of furniture, decoration of tool.
Traditionally called bodging and in history people would set up in a woodland and make chair legs, today it is just as hard work but even if you make a three legged milking stool in a day you will have cleaved (struck with an axe) a billet of wood (a smaller section of wood) that will then transfer to the shave Horse where you use a draw knife to give your billet a rough cigar shape before transferring it to the Pole Lathe giving the billet its final shape.