A pictorial Diary of ongoing work at Sallerton Wood

Make a Shave Horse Course ~ 28 - 29 October 2017



Shaping billets for turning frame parts on the pole lathe.
 

Sycamore side panels with a useful natural curvature.
 

Drilling holes in the body for the legs to go in.
 

Turning components for the frame on the pole lathe.
 

Frame components turned on the pole lathe.
 

Frame panels drilled for fitting the turned components.
 

An assembled frame.
 

Frame fitted to horse.
 

Natural-style legs fitted to horse.
 

A completed shave horse.
 

Chair-making Course ~ 9 - 14 September 2017


The start of a course in chair-making.
 

Gerti.
 

Keith.
 

Michael.
 

Bending the rear legs after steaming
 

Work progresses.
 

Sweet Chestnut back laths.
 

Cutting mortises.
 

Assembling a chair frame.
 

Assembling a chair frame.
 

Tea-time!
 

A smoky haze in the kitchen shelter.
 

Weaving an Elm bark seat.
 

Weaving an Elm bark and Camba seat.
 

Three ladder-back chairs completed; a child's chair, and two arm chairs.
 

Avril returned to fit rockers to her chair.
 

Stool-making Course ~ 5 - 7 August 2017


The start of a course in stool-making.
 

Cleaving out the components.
 

Shaping the rungs.

Shaping the rungs.
 

Rungs nearly completed.
 

Using a tenon cutter.
 

Rungs drying in the box atop the clay oven, with kettle on the stove for a cuppa.
 

Shaping the stool legs.
 

Drilling a mortise.
 

Drilling a mortise.
 

Assembling a stool frame.
 

An assembled stool frame.
 

Weaving a seat.
 

Trimming the tops of the legs with a Japanese saw.
 

Two stools completed and frames for three tall stools completed.
 

An Elm bark seat completed.
 

An Elm bark and Sea-grass seat completed.
 

Two low stools completed, and a bonus spatula.
 

Two tall stools completed.
 

Introduction to Green Woodwork Course ~ 30 July 2017


Magnus and James with their final products.
 

Introduction to Green Woodwork Course ~ 8 July 2017


Marcus shaping a spatula.
 

Jane shaping a spatula.
 

Stephen working on a pole lathe.
 

At the end of the day.
 

Chair-making Course ~ 17 - 22 June 2017


Camping in the woods for some of the participants.
 

Crosscutting an Ash log to length for cleaving.
 

Shaping with a draw-knife.
 

Shaping with a draw-knife.
 

Checking the curve on the legs.
 

Setting the curve on the back splats.
 

Drilling a mortise.
 

Assembling a mortise and tenon.
 

Cutting a mortise for a back splat.
 

Coffee time!
 

Assembling a side.
 

Both sides assembled.
 

Spindle back assembled.
 

Lath back assembled.
 

Ladder-back chair assembled.
 

Spindle-back chair assembled.
 

Weaving the seat.
 

Weaving the seat.
 

The final stages.
 

The finished chairs - well, almost! A very fine variety of chair styles.
 

Stool-making Course ~ 27 - 29 May 2017


Cutting an Ash log to a size ready for cleaving with a traditional two-person cross-cut saw.
 

Shaping the stool legs and rungs with draw-knives.
 

Drilling the mortises.
 

Weaving a seat.
 

Finished stool with Elm bark seat.
 

Finished stool with
Kamba Plaited palm leaf
seat.
 

Finished stool with Kamba and Elm bark seat.
 

The course participants with their stools.
 

Bere Alston and Horrabridge Scout Groups Woodcraft Weekend ~ 20 - 21 May 2017


Local Scouts having a lesson in making stakes for fencing around coppice stools to protect from Deer.
 

Driving in a stake for a Deer fence.
 

Driving in a stake for a Deer fence.
 

Setting up a bivouac tent.
 

Cooking breakfast on Sunday morning.
 

Summer 2017


A new circular log-drying stack - setting out the base.
 

A new circular log-drying stack - partially constructed.
 

Stripping Elm bark for a chair seat.
 

Weaving an Elm bark seat.
 

An additional workbench for the workshop shelter.
 

The new gate with new bank and Chestnut fence.
 

A clearing with newly-planted Sweet Chestnut saplings.
 

Batchelor Bridge completed, named in honour of the maker of the bridge, Justin Batchelor.
 

Five stacks of completed Sweet Chestnut
shakes Shakes are produced by cleaving, whereas shingles are produced by sawing.
, about 100 shakes in each stack.
 

Easter Woodland Development Week ~ 15 March - 22 March 2017


Getting the equipment into place for the coming Week.
 

Camping in the woods for some participants.
 

Preparing timber for a footbridge.
 

The beginnings of a footbridge over the stream.
 

Working on the footbridge.
 

The completed footbridge over the stream.
 

A new gate, made in the woods.
 

Hanging the new gate.
 

First stage in splitting a log to make roofing
shakes Shakes are produced by cleaving, whereas shingles are produced by sawing.
.
 

Going for it!
 

Cleaving a Sweet Chestnut log to make roofing
shakes Shakes are produced by cleaving, whereas shingles are produced by sawing.
.
 

Further cleaving on a cleaving brake.
 

Trimming with a hand axe.
 

Trimming the shakes with draw-knives.
 

The shake factory!
 

Another view of the shake factory!
 

Trimming and checking.
 

A stack of completed roof shakes ready for the utility shelter.
 

Time for a tea break.
 

Spring 2017


Rear legs and back laths in their setting jigs for a commission of a set of dining chairs.
 

Four of the chair frames assembled.
 

Andy with an almost-completed seat.
 

Two of the chairs with completed seats.
 

The complete set of six dining chairs fully finished and ready for the customer.
Click this button for a slide-show of the complete process of making these chairs


Andy demonstrating green woodwork at the Mothers' Day Craft Fair, Morwellham Quay.
 

Items for sale at the Mothers' Day Craft Fair.
 

A fine crop of Wood Garlic at Sallerton Wood.
 

More progress with the surfaces of the entrance and parking area.
 

Further progress with the carpark ~ scalpings laid down.
 

A clearing made to accommodate some Sweet Chestnut saplings.
 

The first Wild Daffodils opening this spring.
 

Lesser Celandines.
 

Chestnut rounds ready for cleaving out shingles to roof the utility shelter.
 

Hazel coppice tied to encourage curved growth for future walking sticks.
 

A picking of Wood Garlic leaves to have with dinner.
 

More splitting... a good pile of Ash ready for another firewood stack.
 

Winter 2016/2017


Two drying stacks for firewood logs, one of them circular.
 

Entrance to the car parking area graded.
 

Car park area landscaped and graded.
 

Using the tractor to lift a Larch log onto trestles.
 

Milling Larch logs.
 

Brewing up on the rocket stove.
 

Wych Elm saplings planted in a coppiced area.
 

Bere Penisula Woodland Conservation Workshop - coppicing.
 

Coppicing.
 

Coppicing.
 

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