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These are the 6 draw-knives I would want to take if I were castaway on desert island.

Starting with the biggest:

 

I have made and finished off some half made ladles recently. The walnut one at the top is 9.5 inches long and the bowl is nearly 3 inches wide.

 And a detailed image

I saved the other part of the walnut log I split the ladle from.
I was given a small walnut tree that someone had cut down in their garden. Not being foresters, they had left 6 to 10 inch branches sticking out of the main trunk. Unfortunately all tree surgeons and foresters are taught to “sned” off all branches right next to the main trunk. This is why it is difficult to find forked or tripod branches or larger trunks of wood that us green woodworker so dearly love.

This is the position of the spoon in the walnut log

 Splitting wood out of a trunk/ branch can be a big unknown. I have yielded 2 ladles from a willow log before, but this is not common. With luck you will get one and if unlucky, nothing. Some woods are great and others like wild cherry, I have found, are impossible.

I started the split in the top of the branch coming off the trunk. It is common practice to start at the thin end of a log when splitting wood. I never had one split like this before, taking a V out of the trunk. Next step is to hit it with an axe, wave a knife at it and finish off by showing it a spoon knife, and hey presto, a ladle.

One last ladle made from sycamore with the branch coming out of the trunk at right angles.

The bowl is just under 2 inches across.

Why use a bent, forked or angular limb coming off a trunk? Because the the grain of the wood follows the shape of the spoon and is stronger than making a ladle from a straight log which will have lots of “short” or “cross grain” in it. These will break or get damaged more easily than spoons that follow the grain.

If you carve spoons and have not tried making a ladle like these, then find yourself some bent or forked wood and give it a go. Do gather a few bits, as failures can be common at first.

Making tools,

Tool making is empowering and is a step towards self sufficiency. I have had to make my own tools because there are none available to buy, e.g. long handle hook-knives and very small hook-knives for making salt spoons. Often, what is available is not quite right for the way we work, or is not designed for our needs so we can make copies to our own preferences or even re make existing tools.
Making tools also gives me immense satisfaction and pleasure, as I think it does for many others. The only problem is how far do we take it: will I have to dig my own ore and smelt it, and then make the tools to make the woodworking tool?. Of course I would also have to make my own files, dig my own natural sharpening stones.
These are things I would like to do one day: but back to what we can do here and now. Tool making is really simple and accessible to anyone, and for not much cost. I use a small gas forge that can be ready to work within seconds, and this is what we work with in my tool-making course. Next year I hope to have a small charcoal forge running as well. Tools can be made with a hammer, a pair of pliers, some sort of anvil which could be a sledge hammer and of course a forge.
We then make a small straight knife and then a hook knife for spoons, putting simple but functional handles on them and sharpening them to a razor edge. People often want to make other tools as well. Peter wanted some draw or dowel plates, and Jamie wanted to make a hook gouge for his bowl turning. He wanted it for a specific purpose. Aleric also wanted a very small hook knife for making salt spoons.

Not only did these guys go home with some useful tools but they also went home with the knowledge of how to make new tools or to reshape, harden and temper existing ones, which we do need to learn, especially with hook tools for the bowl lathe.

 

Dan has been telling me all about the drawknife he has been making in his spare evenings. But when I saw it I was gobsmacked! It was indeed impressive. To pile on the admiration for Dan, I was even more surprised when he said he made it in the 2-brick kiln he made in my forge and tool making workshop that I ran last year.

 It just happened by chance that I wrote about how to handle a draw-knife just after Dan showed me his un-tempered knife.

I gave the drawknife a go and it works like a dream. Dan learnt a lot from the process and will change a few things next time. The tangs are a bit big at the curve and the handles are to big for my liking. Small things really, that will get changed next time, but this is how we learn. I am so impressed, what an amazing first drawknife.

This is the 2-brick forge that Dan made in my workshop.

Some of the tools made on the workshop. I think this years workshop in Oct is full, but you can always come and do a 1 or 2 day one-to-one workshop with me.

I made this rocking chair for a lady I met on a spoon making workshop that I ran last year. I later met Marilyn again, at Rivenstone Festival, where she commission the chair.

The chair is made from ash split and shaved from the log. The seat is a plank of London plane. All other parts are made from oak. The plan was for me to have it made by this summer when she came back to Devon for a holiday. I had the it dry fitted but not glued up for a test fitting, but seven days later she collected the finished chair.

Chair making is something I rarely do; but this is a copy of a similar chair that Anton Coaker from English Hardwoods commission from me many years ago. Anton gave me a not quite dry slab of burr oak to make the seat from. Since making the chair, the seat has dried and moved, and although smooth to the touch it is bumpy and warped. This has not detracted from its function, feel or appearance. Every time I buy wood from Anton I see it in his kitchen and can see how well it has stood the test of time with 3 children growing up with it, and sometimes using it as a climbing frame.

Hi,

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I had a weekend at Lamer Tree Festival, courtesy  of Lucy who was performing her poetry there. We had a very enjoyable time.

I met Mace again who will be helping to organise the Bodgers Ball next year, in Devon. At last a Ball that I do not have to drive for hours to get to.

One of the finest eateries there, was a African Arabic food stall. They served cakes up on these lovely wooden disposable plates, made from a softwood veneer about 0.5mm thick. Great to see more people using wooden cutlery these days. I do like the simple but very effective design of the bowls, made from a rectangular sheet of veneer with 4 spots of glue to hold it together.

Got me thinking: disposable, even of the more sustainable utensils, is something to be avoided. It really is criminal that after 5 to 25 minutes use, that these are then just landfill. We should have to bring our own eating utensils. All vending stalls as a matter of  course should encourage the serving of  food and drink onto the customers own plates, bowls and cups. Or you could purchase a bowl, spoon or mug from a local green woodworker – you can usually find at least one at such events.

A client asked me to re-handle this axe so he could sell it on. It came very rusty, but luckily only newish surface rust and not the decades old deep rust. It went into my electrolysis barrel. By passing a small electric current from a battery charger through the rusty tool the rust is lifted off.

The axe is a C Whitehouse and Sons 3lb side axe, now weighing in at 2.5lb. The handle was made from a seasoned log of ash which has a bend in. The log was split and axed into shape.

You can just see the compression figure in the grain of the wood just above the eye. The wooden block with the black markings on is a measure in inches and centimetres. Please note: I have not sharpened the axe, I have just ground it down ready for the final sharpening and honing.

Below is the axe in use to show that there is plenty of room for the hand. The last thing you want is to graze your knuckles when swinging a heavy axe

This is a lovely side axe, one which I would like to use. The weight is just right for me, but alas I am already regretting not buying the head for £40 when my client offered to sell it to me.

This is from Jonathons Porrits blog

http://www.jonathonporritt.com/pages/2011/01/forest_selloff_new_wrapping_sa.html

Our government want to sell all woodland and forest, owned by us all, off to the highest bidder.

Need more info and facts then check out this website, http://saveourwoods.co.uk/