Week 2 here at Coppicewood College and the new experiences
and learning are coming thick and fast. Yet the pace does not feel pressurised
or unmanageable.
David has arrived so we are a full compliment of 6. A really
interesting group with varied backgrounds, experiences and expertise as well as
age.
On Wednesday we pulled some more wood out of the overgrown
plot generally tidying up the piles we had already uncovered. Then onto last
years plot to find pieces suitable for making wedges and beetles in the afternoon.
After the lunch break we were all shown how to use a hatchet
to shape wood (without removing any of our fingers) by Martin. Nick showed us
again how to flex our hands so as to stretch the tendons before we started and
minimise the risk of tendonitis (a.k.a. tennis elbow or golfers elbow depending
on which tendons in the elbow are inflamed).
Martin shows us how to
remove wood , not fingers, with a hatchet.
We chose our pole, sawed it to length and started chopping.
In a surprisingly short time we had tired arms and hands but reasonably decent
wedges. My length of Ash proved to have a twisted grain and one end split as I
was working on it – a tendency of Ash apparently. However they would do the job
and on Thursday I chose to make another pair from Hazel which went better. I
really appreciate the encouragement to ‘have another go’ and to actively learn
as much as being taught.
Wedge making in
progress – I am not sure why Nick felt the need to practice!?
Barbara showed us how to make a beetle. It did not go
entirely according to plan which was very reassuring – even the experts cannot
get it right all the time with a material which has its own quirks. I shall use
that as my excuse! Andrew and I made ours from pieces cut from the same length
of willow and discovered that they were softer than our wedges – mine were from
Ash, his from Oak. More learning! Luckily any real disasters can be obliterated
on the fire!
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Andrew and I finishing
our wedges
Thursday brought a new challenge – charcoal burning. I had
helped with this several times as a volunteer but for some of the group it was
entirely new. We loaded the drums and got them lit but the monitoring and
closing down was done by Martin and Barbara, partly because the weather turned
extremely wet. We will have to wait until next week to find out how well the
burn went. Hopefully we will make more charcoal during the course to become
familiar with the later stages. I gather that if possible Barbara will do a
burn with each of us individually which would be good.
Martin and Barbara
loading the drums whilst Andrew trims an
oversized piece to length.
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everyone helps
And the drums are lit.
Nick was running a one day workshop on spoon carving and as
it was raining ‘stair rods’ we all had lunch together in the shelter with the
logburner lit and the kettle steaming gently on its top.
Despite the rain we made legs in the afternoon and were
introduced to yet more skills – splitting with the froe and shaping with the
drawknife on the shavehorse. And in between more practice at using an axe.
Whilst volunteering I had tried using an axe but never really got the hang of
it. This last two days the knack has ‘clicked’ and it is becoming much easier.
I have done a fair bit of work with the
drawknife and really enjoy it. I hope that the froe will become easier too with
practice. Sorry – no pictures of this because it was just too wet to take any!
Words and photos by Sue Laverack
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