Summer Newsletter 2010

I am very sorry for having completely ignored the website for the last three months but 2010 has continued to be jam packed with distractions plus lots of good weather, all conspiring to keep me out of the office. Looking back through the March newsletter I mentioned the Folklore, Myths and Legends exhibition in Hexham. Tamsin is there at this moment collecting her exhibition stand after a resounding success having sold nearly everything she had on display. The other excitement was Caroline Lucas winning a Westminster seat for the greens. Well done all you folks in Brighton and I hope Caroline can inject a little common sense into the decisions that have to be made over the coming few years.
 
Back in the woods!!:. The Development Weeks were bursting with energy from a brilliant bunch of volunteers, despite some horribly cold, wet weather at times (hard to imagine it at the moment). ‘Douggie’s cabin’ now has a wooden floor and a sleeping platform, the rather dodgy track has been repaired (till the next storm washes it away) and thanks to Dietrich, the German journeyman, we have a glorious work-bench, a book-shelf and a magazine rack. However, the main achievement this year has been the upgraded shower which provides an unforgettable experience. Where else can you stand naked in the warm sunshine with a glorious view of the Malvern Hills immersing yourself in warm water heated by the power of the sun?
 
This year’s main assistant Josh, has settled in very well and has taken pole-lathe bowl turning to new heights with the help of a wonderful set of specialist tools made by former apprentice, Ben Orford. He has made some beautiful bowls out of alder grown on the farm and has just given his first demonstration at the Bromyard Gala where he sold several of his bowls to an appreciative public. After a winter on Brookhouse Farm, our 2009 assistant, Barn, set off in May to walk around the country making and selling spoons and was last seen in June heading to the scythe festival in Somerset. We hope to include some of his adventures in our forthcoming book which now has the working title ‘The Green Wood Scrapbook’ and is definitely coming out in May 2011 in time for my 60th birthday. We have been amassing lots of lovely colour photos of the cutting edge techniques of 21st Century chairmaking.
 
The courses have gone very well so far this year. As well as a good stash of 23 year old ash grown 100 yards from the workshop, we have also had the benefit of playing with some unusual timbers brought along by some of the course members. On the Intro courses we have made a range of produce such as lemon squeezers, baseball bats, candlesticks, hay rakes and of course, lots of lovely stools. On the chair courses, the lath-back design has developed further while we have also seen some very successful ladder-backs and spindle-backs.
 
Just when I thought we had settled down to a good range of seating patterns, Donna, one of the students came up with the idea of incorporating coloured braids, which opens up a whole new avenue for chair seating. But that’s the fun of it all – after 25 years running these courses, I have a fairly good idea of the techniques from the past but I always look to new ideas that get thrown up along the way. Some of them will be blind alleys but some will become the norm for the future. As Donna said on her feedback form ‘I really loved the fact that the teaching was a learning process too – which makes for an excellent teacher. I think you’ve got something quite extraordinary happening in that wood!’
 
This year’s (2010) courses are now all fully booked (apart from the odd last minute cancellation, so no harm in giving us a ring) and bookings are starting to come in for 2011. All being well, I have another six years of woodland courses in me, which makes about 500 chairs at the very most, so if you’ve been thinking of coming on a course, I wouldn’t leave it too much longer!
 
Enjoy the rest of the summer.
 
Mike & Tamsin