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Cankered Ash
Cankered Ash is a beautiful wood. Ash is so often beautiful anyway but Cankered Ash is wonderful. It has all the sorts of things I really enjoy with wood. It is unpredictable and moves after it has been turned – even if it is turned quite dry but especially if it is turned fresh. There must be a lot of stresses in it. It often has a particularly good colour and sheen to it, rich and deep. And, of course, it also has holes in it! Quite why they are appealing I don’t know but it isn’t only me. It seems that the more holes there are in a piece…
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Miniature chair
This miniature chair is made from Laburnum and commissioned by Cymdeithas Ceredigion to be given as a prize at their Eisteddfod. Deceptively simple but this chair was actually very tricky to make. The two sides had to match, the back had to be in proportion, the sapwood had to line up perfectly between them all and there could be no sapwood at the back of the seat or where the back and seat meet. I had sawn, planed and seasoned four to five times this amount of slices but these were the only four that would work together. They had been seasoning for a year as wood cut in this…
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Santes Dwynwen
Santes Dwynwen is the patron saint of lovers here in Wales and the day Santes Dwynwen is celebrated is the 25th of January so I thought I’d share her story. Santes Dwynwen was the beautiful daughter of a Welsh King Brychan Brycheiniog who lived in the fifth century. Brychan had lots of children it seems (possibly 24), many of whom became saints (bit of a popular pass-time back then, it seems). Dwynwen fell in love with Maelon and he with her but it was not to be. Exactly what the problem was is a little unclear and history becomes legend. Probably her father wasn’t willing or had already promised her…
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Ornamental Bowls.
Ornamental bowls show the individual character of each piece of wood. Ornamental bowls are a delight to turn and they can be turned from fresh (green) wood or seasoned wood. They offer the widest scope in showing the wood to its greatest advantage. Many ornamental bowls can easily be used as fruit bowls or trinket bowls. Each ornamental bowl is different even when using the same wood. Each species of tree, each part of the tree, whether branch, trunk, root or crotch wood (where the trunk branches out), all have different characteristics, different figuring – and different problems. I use only local wood. The furthest I have fetched a tree…
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Wood Turning – Phil’s First Wooden Bowls
A friend came to stay for a few days recently and expressed an interest in trying his hand at wood turning and making some wooden bowls. I was absolutely delighted. I am passionate about my work and if I can turn someone else on to the wonders of wood in general and making wooden bowls by wood turning in particular I am not going to pass up on the opportunity! It is a chance to have a captive audience and to bore someone to tears… I warned Phil that I am a terribly bad teacher. I have had very little practice at it which does not help and I do…
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Laburnum Tea Lights
Had a lovely morning in the workshop turning a couple of branches of Laburnum into Tea lights. Christmas is coming. I know, autumn is only just here but in business one needs to think ahead! This Laburnum came from trimming around the electricity wires. Keeping them clear is essential work. They are only branches so the trees will still be growing. I’ve had them for years so they are very dry which is important for the tea-lights because a large bulk of wood is still left. If it was turned green/fresh it could crack or shrink badly. The sapwood has a little spalting in it. Spalting is where fungus has…
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Using the Way a Tree Grows in My Work
Using the way a tree grows enables me to get the most out of the wood I have. Some wood is reliable and reasonably predictable in its behaviour but some wood is “wild” and very unpredictable. Some wood turners prefer to just stick to the predictable. The wild wood can make a bowl warp – something I prefer to celebrate when it happens. It is exactly what I would mean by “using the way a tree grows in my work”. Or in other words “letting the wood have the last say”. The normal way for a tree to grow is evenly around the pith. This ash tree shows the way…
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Paul Clarke, Sculptor, Woodcraft
Paul Clarke is equally skilled working with stone or wood and luckily for me he is also a friend of mine. It is through our common interest in wood that I know him. He has bought wood off me before or I have known of someone who could supply the right wood for a project. Paul has made pieces at my places before as I have ample space outdoors. Of course I jumped at the chance to see him in action. He is working on a big project at the moment – a huge chair to go outdoors at Cardigan Castle for when it opens to the public next year. The castle…
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Gŵyl Ceiau Teifi / Cardigan Quays Festival.
Gŵyl Ceiau Teifi / Cardigan Quays Festival has been held for several years on the banks of the river Teifi in Cardigan on August bank holiday Saturday. This year the organisers wanted to make a special effort to provide a space for local makers. One of the organisers, Nick Newland of www.swallowboats.com said “We would like to celebrate this talent by providing a place where makers can meet and demonstrate to our community and to visitors what a great place Cardigan is for creative careers, and incidentally, where makers can exchange ideas and discuss mutual problems.” I was very pleased to have a stand at Gŵyl Ceiau Teifi / Cardigan Quays…
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Yew Wood
Yew wood offers interesting and challenging work and it is possible to be rewarded by the most beautiful bowls. My last blog about Yew was more about the trees than the wood so here are just a few examples of how Yew wood bowls can look. The purple along one side of this bowl is where a nail had been in the Yew tree. This causes the beautiful colour. Often the metal causes too much of a problem to be able to continue to turn the piece since as soon as the turning tool (gouge) touches the metal it blunts it. I managed to get the nail out and continue…