Greenwood days public courses 2012

Sharpening Day

Due to many requests we’ve added a day to teach how to properly sharpen your tools. We’ll spend all day grinding, filing, sanding and sharpening all types of tools. We’ll have plenty of our tools to sharpen but we’d love you to bring your own tools out and learn how to get the right bevel, sharpen and hone your tools to razor sharpness.

As we all know, a sharp tool is safer to use, uses less effort and gives a better finish. In the wood we’ll have grinding wheels, files, oilstones, diamond stones, water stones, ceramic stones, sharpening guides, all to try out but bring along your own sharpening implements and learn how to get the best out of them.

Family Greenwood Day

A day in the woods with the family trying out different greenwood crafts. We’ll try some pole lathe turning, willow weaving, cooking over a hot fire, cleaving and working on a shave horse.

If there’s time we’ll try some carving and den making or have a simple guided walk around a working woodland. A fun and relaxed day for ages 5 and upwards. Activities will be suited to each age group.

We have some set family days but can also run full and half days to suit you. Just call and we’ll arrange a suitable time for your group, minimum 4 participants for these days.

Willow Plant Climbers

Spend a day with willow artist Tom Hare creating a series of stunning plant supports and other willow features for your garden.

Using Willow from Somerset you will produce some great plant supports while learning how to weave the willow around strong uprights producing a substantial piece for your garden.

Expect to leave with a number of items for your garden.

Pole Lathe turning/Stool making

This course is an introduction to Greenwood Working and Pole Lathe Turning. We start with the growing tree, learning how to select the best wood before we cut it down ready for shaping. We examine how the tree grows and how this affects its workability.

From there you are taught how to cleave, drawknife, axe and turn the freshly felled wood on the pole lathe. On this course you can, concentrate on your pole lathe turning skills, refining your techniques by making a variety of items over the two days, or use the pole lathe to make a three legged stool or combine this course with the 5 day chair course and make an elegant Windsor chair.

Longbow making

The construction of the long bow has changed little since the Middle Ages when the English and Welsh bowmen used their simple yet fearsome weapon to such devastating effect.

The course covers techniques required to shape an ash bow using simple tools (Axe, drawknife, spoke shave and scraper), persuading the wood to bend to a near semi-circle and platting a suitable bowstring. If all works well you will depart with your very own longbow. The course tutor is David Cotterill a bow maker of 20 years experience.

Introduction to Windsor Chair making

This course forms the basis and gives you a thorough grounding for Windsor Chair Making and all other chair courses at Greenwood Days. We focus on making a classic Windsor side chair which will become your ‘chair of choice’ when you get home. It’s comfortable at the dinner table and shaped just right as an office chair. You will learn how to turn ‘bamboo style’ legs on the pole lathe, perfecting the gouge and smoothing chisels.

We’ll learn how to cleave both short spindles and a longer piece for the steam bent bow and then join in the tension and excitement of steam bending the back of your chair. It’s a great course to come along too with a friend and gives a good opportunity to spend quality time together and leave with, happy shared memories, new lifelong skills and a chair completed with just your own hands using classic traditional tools.

Rustic Furniture

Making willow chairs is a traditional greenwood craft bought up to date using modern tools and fastenings. The course will take you through the stages of designing and creating a simple garden chair using willow and hazel in its unseasoned (green) state.

Course tutor Spencer Jenkins has been working with willow and other greenwoods for over ten years producing art, sculptures and furniture for corporate, private and public bodies and teaching all ages.

Basket Making

This course is great introduction to the art of willow weaving and basket making. Under the guidance of Tom Hare (see the Willow sculpture course) you will learn how to select, prepare and weave your willow.

You’ll examine different varieties and learn the basic skills of creative and technical weaving. At the end of the course you will have the satisfaction of taking home your very own masterpieces.

Steam Bending Day

An exciting day dedicated to all aspects of steam bending. We’ll look at wood selection, the steaming process and different types of jigs and bends.

You’ll cleave, shape and bend Ash or feel free to bring along your own blanks to bend during the day. Alternative dates can be booked as a 1-1 or group booking.

Continuous Arm Windsor Chair making

This course focuses on a complex steam bend. We’ll look at wood selection for steam bending, cleaving smaller/longer pieces and bending the wood in two planes. There’s scope for more complex turnings on the pole lathe, introducing the skew chisel and spindle gouge. You’ll finish with an elegant arm chair just right for the sitting room or kitchen.

This course is longer than the introduction to chair making and is suitable for people with limited experience as well as more advanced chair maker.

Coracle Making

Students will build an Ironbridge style coracle over two days using simple tools and techniques. You will be shown how to select suitable ash laths, how to bend the laths to shape, nailing, fixing and tailoring the calico cover ready for painting.

The students will then have the opportunity to try their hand at coracling on the lake at Staunton Harold Hall. A spare set of clothes is recommended!

Willow Sculpture

Tom Hare is an internationally respected willow sculptor. He created the fantastic seed walk at Kew Gardens and has been a medal winner at Chelsea Flower Show and his latest work graces the entrance to a casino in Las Vegas!

You will spend two days with Tom examining form, structure and materials while creating your own sculpture to take home. This course is open to all abilities but you will get more from the course if you have attended the basket making course or have some experience.

Welsh Windsor Armchair

A more advanced chair, we’ll look at fitting spindles through the arm bow, bending wood to produce tension within the design of the chair and fitting the ‘top comb’. The seat is substantially larger than the continuous arm Windsor, allowing you to really get to grips with the adze, travisher, inshave and other seat shaping tools.

You’ll finish with a comfortable sitting room/ reading chair with a large sculpted seat able to grace the best of rooms.

Advanced Chair Making

Traditional Windsor Double Bow Perhaps the pinnacle of Windsor Chair making, a complex chair joining two steam bent pieces of ash, long spindles fitting through the arm bow, through tenons and wedges and a large seat to adze out and saddle. This is a longer course where we have the time to look at chair design as well as produce two steam bends and more complex turnings.

For experienced chair makers there is the opportunity to add rockers to your chair.

1-1 days

Birthdays, family days and special occasions.

Please contact Peter for details.

We supply a wide range of books and tools related to all aspects of green woodworking and Windsor chair making