Green Woodwork

[hazel]

just wondering, out of curiousity I guess, if anyone is into green woodwork?


I am currently getting into it, in the process of making a drawknife and building a polelathe. At the moment mainly planning on making chairs/stools as my grandad does that meaning that I have someone to ask advice off if I get stuck lol, but wanting to expand from there. So ye, just being nosey and wondering if anyone here does any green work lol

 

[RossJarvis]

Sheffield Tony's into "bodging", if you look through this thread there's some top work and a brilliant pole lathe;

a-year-of-bodging-t74036.html

 

[Shrubby]

I've done some green woodwork - some things I found usefull;
A Froel for splitting stock for smaller parts
A small axe - I prefer a side axe which is flat on one side - a multitude of uses
A wooden scrub plane with a cambered blade and a wide throat - for thicknessing stock (switched from metal to wooden planes after the Oak and Iron gave me black hands)
Gloves
Matt

 

[hazel]

thanks for the replies. Can you tell me more about a Froel? I can't seem to find much information in my books or online. I have a few axes already, and a scrub plane is on the wish list. Considered making one but not sure I can be bothered or find the time lol so may have to be a bought item

 

[marcros]

typo- should be froe, i think.

Roy underhill is a good source of info online- i have seen a few woodwhisper episodes where he uses one.

 

[hazel]

oh, froe, ok makes sense now . That was my next planned item to make after the drawknife doing the drawknife first as think that a leaf spring will work well so all in all seemed easier and in my mind the drawknife seemed more useful for now.

 

[Shrubby]

Sorry !
the Froe was from Bristol Design - probably the axe and some wedges too
They had a small catalogue of new tools as well as the mailing list for second hand stuff
Matt

 

[Sheffield Tony]

Thanks for the kind comments Ross, I am still a relative beginner though - I started with green woodwork about 18 months ago with a weekend course with Mark Allery. I have since joined the Association of Pole-lathe Turners and Green Woodworkers (APTGW) and I'm a member of the Wimpole local group (l live in Bedfordshire though I am a Sheffield lad by birth). There is probably a local group near you, and if you haven't joined already I can heartily recommend it, worth it for their Bodger's Ball alone - if the idea of camping for a weekend with 400 other axe wielders in a field with a large beer tent is appealing ! If so I hope to see you there hazel.

Oddly enough, I spent this morning grinding and fitting a handle to a froe we re-forged last weekend from an agricultural flail blade. Much easier to make than a drawknife - it doesn't need to hold nearly such a good edge - but less important to get started.

 

[hazel]

Ooo sounds like fun, I shall have a look into that at some point.


a flail blade makes a lot of sense for a froe, not something I had concidered.

 

[AndyT]

I've mentioned it before but if anyone fancies having a go at green woodworking, the easiest way is to do a short course. I did a long weekend in Herefordshire with Gudrun Leitz. http://www.greenwoodwork.co.uk/index.html

You get the use of a full set of readymade tools, an idyllic setting and a skilled and patient instructor. I would thoroughly recommend it.

 

[hazel]

i've looked into that before, really not something I can afford though :/ looks good though

 

[Sheffield Tony]

I think that green woodwork, like many craft skills, is so much better learned from people and through practice, rather than reading. So, I largely agree with Andy that a course is good (it is what I did, though a shorter and simpler course). I'd recommend a look at the list of courses/tutors on the Bodger's website:

https://www.bodgers.org.uk/index.php

... but at the moment the courses list is giving me a 404. Hopefully someone will be along to fix it soon. [Edited to add- now fixed !]

If this is too much of a money or time commitment, then there is another way .... On the same site you'll find a list of local groups which are part of the APTGW (this bit is working !). Now, Yorkshire is a big place, but there are a couple of groups up there, and the list has contact details. I can only speak from experience of my local group (Wimpole lathers) and assume others are similar, but we meet monthly, have some lathes / shave horses / tools / pieces of tree which are group equipment, and that you can have a go on, and usually some at least semi-knowledgeable members to help and advise.

The Bodger's Ball - our local group hosted at Wimpole last year - this blog shows some of the goings on.

 

[hazel]

at the moment I am totally moneyless, I lost my job and today got senctioned for JSA... so... ye


I have had a go on a pole lathe a few times as I know a guy with one, and have met a few people through shows and events who have given me advice. Until I get a new job though there is little I can do other than trial and error and books to see what I can do. Just the basics for now I think

 

[Richard T]

I have a spare draw knife with nothing to do if you would like it.

I have read some very strange statements on this forum and here is another. "It was given to me by the bloke who played drums on 'Gordon is a Moron' by Jilted John." True.

Anyway it is old and pitted but smooth and sharp where it counts. Perfectly serviceable and with what must be nearly all its steel left. . If you drop me a PM with details of where to send it, I will do just that.

 

[hazel]

thanks for the offer. Would feel a bit odd accepting though lol, nothing personal I just have an issue with accepting items or anything that I don't feel I have earned in some way

 

[Peter Sefton]

Mike Abbott was demonstrating at our Open Day yesterday, He has been around a few years and taught chair making to Paul Hodgson who runs our chair making course. Both run green woodworking courses themselves.
http://www.living-wood.co.uk
http://www.greenmanworkshop.co.uk

 

[hazel]

I have one of Mike Abbotts books it's signed too lol. Once I can afford it I will probably look into these courses, but need to sort of income first. There are a few courses and things in North Yorkshire, a few not even that far from me, literally just need to find the money first lol. And until then thinking can probably work out some things, on the more simple end through trial and erorr and such

 

[Peter Sefton]

Mike left us a copy of his new book for our library, not sure if we were lucky enough to get it signed.

 

[Cottonwood]

thanks for the replies. Can you tell me more about a Froel? I can't seem to find much information in my books or online.

If you make a froe (or manage to buy one) my advice would be gat one where the eye is drawn down and then wrapped round to form a loop and is then fire welded back on itself, not the sort where a short bit of tubing is welded onto a length of bar. The latter sort looks a good cheap idea, but it will snap in time. Froes take one hell of a lot of stress. Another tip is get one which has a full wedge shaped cross section through the blade, not parallel sided with a small bevel edge. You will find it easier to enter the log, especially on wide ones. Some eyes are conically tapered, like a pick axe eye where the handle is driven in tight and held by the taper, and can be knocked back out again. Some are parallel sided. I picked up a useful tip from Drew Langsner to strengthen the handle on the froe. After carefully fettling the handle (a 26 inch piece of dry chestnut) to fit the eye, I drilled a pilot hole into the end. Then inserted a 8 inch long coach screw with a strong thick washer and pinched it up to the froe eye. It becomes relatively unbreakable....
My froe is hand forged and well over 100 years old. It was bought (after a long search and patient wait) fromm Tony Murland. It "only" cost about £22 (I was a regular customer at the time) but is worth much much more to me than that now....
The other thing is never strike the froe with a metal hammer. It will mushroom over and then it will not want to go into the log. Use a wood club or mallet. For splitting spoon blanks I use a rubber mallet like they use to set paving slabs

 

[dann]

Im in to green woodwork, making spoon and kuskas etc, i love it. Ray iles and also the woodsmithexperience.co.uk store are great for tools.