sutton046

I've got about 8 shaving horses, which I use for running public workshops. I had previously made a batch of shaving horses from packing crate material and other recycled wood, which I did a post about  in July 2014. Since then I have made another version, like a super-modified saw horse. Let's call it the Mk II - a multifunctional shaving horse and bowl carving horse combo. My favourite horse, it is about 7 feet long, has fixed legs, and a heavy vise built into the tail of the bench. All this limits its portability. Some of the original shaving horses, English Bodger style on the left and Dumbhead style on the right. The Mk II Shaving Horse / Carving bench combo. A beautiful beast - with a tail vise! The Mk II has fixed legs, as it is a supermodified saw horse at it's core. Being all jarrah, it is heavy. It is very versatile in its holding capacity, but there are times when it is too big or tricky to transport.  I was invited by Timbecon to demonstrate Green W...

It all started when I did the Woodcraft Week with Roy Underhill in North Carolina in November 2013. I saw and tried Roy's Double Spring Pole Lathe.  Roy Underhill at work on his Spring Pole Lathe. Roy's lathe knocks down and all fits into a golf bag! It was the first time I had seen a pole lathe in action, and I knew I would have to make one when I returned to Australia. Of course I had seen many pics of the English style with the massive long poles, but this version, which Roy says he found in a 17th Century German Technical manual, is more compact. Nice one... So I made two of the Roy-type double spring pole lathes at the same time - all made from recycled timber. I made them in time for a green woodworking workshop I was running in September 2014. Sometimes a deadline helps to ensure things get done! Over a period of about 3 weeks, doing a little bit each day, I managed had complete the two lathes  - just in time for the workshop. Doing a demo on the new lathes, Sept ...

It was always expecting I would have to make some replacement Bolection Moulds for the beautiful old antique door which I had been restoring. The story continues to unfold... The starting point... a century old door in need of some attention. Firstly, in Part One , I assessed the door to work out what needed to be done. Then in Part Two , I pulled the door's frame and panels apart and then re-built it. Now, in this third part of the saga, the bolection moulds will be repaired and affixed to the face of the door as the top panels are prepared for the addition of leadlight windows, replacing the arched timber panels. Such a challenge and privilege to have the responsibility of breathing new life into this door! Matching the profile to make more mouldings. Below thick layers of old paint, the bolection moulds have a complicated profile. My task was to make new mouldings to replace the missing or damaged sections. The starting point was to work out the geometry of t...