Pole Lathe & Green Woodworking
Course
In Holditch
Description
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Type
Course
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Location
Holditch
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Duration
2 Days
Learn a complete 'tree-to-product' process - from selecting and cleaving green wood ready for turning to making a variety of small items for the kitchen and garden - spatulas, candlesticks, rolling pins, dibbers, string-lines and what-not. Suitable for everyone - all levels of experience are welcome, from complete and utter nervous novice to hardy seasoned wood worker.
Facilities
Location
Start date
Start date
About this course
Sturdy footwear should be worn and although we can all comfortably work under shelter should it rain, it is worth bringing suitable clothing for the short walk across the meadow to the woodland workshop, and this path can get muddy.
Reviews
Course programme
It's very satisfying to have made a whole bunch of different things and if you don't need them all, they make great gifts too. (Mind you, students say they find it hard to part with the fruits of their labours!)
Throughout the course guests are shown how to use pole lathes and shaving horses, along with green woodworking hand tools such as the side axe, froe and drawknife.
Working on a pole lathe is always particularly popular. Everybody seems to respond positively to the combination of treadling and shaping with the turning tools. It's a gently rhythmical way of working that uses both sides of the brain as you have to look, listen, feel, design and smell all at the same time. The experts say it's been shown to have therapeutic effects but, science aside, at the very least it's just a really relaxing and enjoyable thing to do.
Day one is spent learning the techniques, with us overseeing completion of your first kitchen or garden implement. On day two you are able to put your newly-learned skills to work, selecting from a range of projects that you'd like to work on. By the end you should expect to feel confident enough to work on a pole lathe on your own.
Tools are also supplied for your use during the course within this price.
The days run from 9.00 (tea and coffee) for a 9.30 start and finish at approximately 5.00pm. As well as stopping for lunch, we break for tea, coffee, biscuits and cake during the morning and afternoon. We promise not to work you too hard! It's a really good, simultaneously relaxing and productive time.
We aim to down tools at approximately 5.00 p.m. on both days. If you are arranging to be collected then any time after 5.15 is good. However, at the end of day two we like to sit down for a glass of something ... so rather than miss out, it's best to plan for 5.30 onwards on the second day. Of course, whoever is collecting you is welcome to come down to the woods, any time after 5.00.
Full directions are supplied on booking.
The green wood we supply is locally and personally sourced from sustainable supplies and the finished items should give many decades of service and pleasure.
Additional information
Pole Lathe & Green Woodworking