Chris Knight
Established Member
I went with LOML to Westonbirt yesterday for the Festival of the Tree. We were very lucky with the weather - like this all day
A goodly number of chainsaw carvers were to be seen but this chap was doing a much nicer job using only hand tools
Inside the Classic Handtools tent we found this bloke rabbiting on about dovetails... Here he is testing one of his bits of joinery to show that even his fine pins are quite strong enough! Actually Rob's spiel has ascended into the Living Treasure class in my estimation. I sat through two hours of it and whilst some here may understand that, what is really amazing is that LOML Mary also sat through it too and really enjoyed it - trust me, I would have known if she didn't!
His host was Mike Hancock who had a goodly selection of tools on offer plus a new catalogue that I snapped up. I take my hat off to Mike for bringing folk like Rob C over when Axminster failed us this year. As well as Rob, Mike had master craftsmen in carving and turning doing demonstrations for the folk that like those branches of woodworking. I reckon he deserves congratulations for bring these people together. MIke was looking pretty happy that it was all coming together finally.
There were one or two old tools to be had in his marquee - how about this one - must have weighed twenty pounds I think
Outside, there was plenty to see although much of it was typical craft fair tat, there were also a goodly number of interesting things to wonder at, like these chairs - a different take on the rocking chair theme..
There were the usual green woodworkers and quite a few Windsor chair makers. I picked up one of James Mursell's brochures with a view to taking myself off on one of his courses next year (that is NOT him in the picture)
Friends of Westonbirt had a space where they were selling wood - some of it quite droolworthy, like this spalted beech. Everything was sold at about £15 per cu ft. I got some lime for carving but could have had oak, ash, yew, various softwoods, cherry, birch, beech and some others I forget.
All in all a great day out and well worth the trip which we also combined with a visit to Betty Norbury's show at Cheltenham - another show definitely worth visiting for any aspiring woodworker.
A goodly number of chainsaw carvers were to be seen but this chap was doing a much nicer job using only hand tools
Inside the Classic Handtools tent we found this bloke rabbiting on about dovetails... Here he is testing one of his bits of joinery to show that even his fine pins are quite strong enough! Actually Rob's spiel has ascended into the Living Treasure class in my estimation. I sat through two hours of it and whilst some here may understand that, what is really amazing is that LOML Mary also sat through it too and really enjoyed it - trust me, I would have known if she didn't!
His host was Mike Hancock who had a goodly selection of tools on offer plus a new catalogue that I snapped up. I take my hat off to Mike for bringing folk like Rob C over when Axminster failed us this year. As well as Rob, Mike had master craftsmen in carving and turning doing demonstrations for the folk that like those branches of woodworking. I reckon he deserves congratulations for bring these people together. MIke was looking pretty happy that it was all coming together finally.
There were one or two old tools to be had in his marquee - how about this one - must have weighed twenty pounds I think
Outside, there was plenty to see although much of it was typical craft fair tat, there were also a goodly number of interesting things to wonder at, like these chairs - a different take on the rocking chair theme..
There were the usual green woodworkers and quite a few Windsor chair makers. I picked up one of James Mursell's brochures with a view to taking myself off on one of his courses next year (that is NOT him in the picture)
Friends of Westonbirt had a space where they were selling wood - some of it quite droolworthy, like this spalted beech. Everything was sold at about £15 per cu ft. I got some lime for carving but could have had oak, ash, yew, various softwoods, cherry, birch, beech and some others I forget.
All in all a great day out and well worth the trip which we also combined with a visit to Betty Norbury's show at Cheltenham - another show definitely worth visiting for any aspiring woodworker.
One of these years I'll go...
