I am feeling slightly embarrassed at how pleased I am feeling with myself after this week!
On Wednesday it was bitterly cold but crisp and clear so we went on the plot as planned. Nothing like a bit of axe work to warm you up! Four of the team who manage the woods at the Centre for Alternative technology had come to volunteer for the day. A ‘busman’s holiday’ but a chance to have a change of scene and meet another group. Adam, their leader, trained at Coppicewood and Rob had been on short courses so were old friends.
I was looking around for another tree to fell and asked Nick whether I could try working on a multi-stemmed one as these predominate in my woods. He had shown us how to go about it last week and demonstrated that an axe was the only way to work as the stems were too close together to get a saw in between. Sawing from the outside would result in the saw getting trapped as the weight of the stem closed the cut. He had also stressed the importance of cutting low so that new growth is from the root. He and Jill had been working on neighbouring stools and there were a couple of stems left on each which I could have finished but I opted to start on a large stool with many tangled stems as this meant I had to think carefully about the order of work. We had a discussion about the best place to begin and he left me to it.
On Wednesday it was bitterly cold but crisp and clear so we went on the plot as planned. Nothing like a bit of axe work to warm you up! Four of the team who manage the woods at the Centre for Alternative technology had come to volunteer for the day. A ‘busman’s holiday’ but a chance to have a change of scene and meet another group. Adam, their leader, trained at Coppicewood and Rob had been on short courses so were old friends.
I was looking around for another tree to fell and asked Nick whether I could try working on a multi-stemmed one as these predominate in my woods. He had shown us how to go about it last week and demonstrated that an axe was the only way to work as the stems were too close together to get a saw in between. Sawing from the outside would result in the saw getting trapped as the weight of the stem closed the cut. He had also stressed the importance of cutting low so that new growth is from the root. He and Jill had been working on neighbouring stools and there were a couple of stems left on each which I could have finished but I opted to start on a large stool with many tangled stems as this meant I had to think carefully about the order of work. We had a discussion about the best place to begin and he left me to it.
I got the first one down fairly easily and began on the second which proved to be thicker than I had realised. Two stems had grown close together and fused. Martin came across and suggested that by adjusting my swing a bit I could work more efficiently. It is the kind of thing I do not realise I am doing wrong until someone points it out to me. He offered to work on the stool with me but made me tell him which stem to do next. That way I learnt how to order the cutting but had company, help and advice if I needed it, and the job got done more quickly so was less daunting. Then Rob came across and did a lot of the snedding for us which was a great help.
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| Martin offering advice on tackling this gnarled hazel. |
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| Hazel under coppice |
By the end of the day about two thirds of the stems were down and cleared. When I looked at the stumps they were much less rough than last week’s so I was pleased with my progress. I also noticed that as my technique improved with advice and feedback from the tutors I used less energy to get the same result.
Thursday was another freezing cold day and we got on with our shavehorses. First I turned the knob on the end of the hinge pin and really enjoyed seeing the shape emerge under my chisel. Then I whittled pegs to secure the top rail of the vice and drilled the holes for them. I kept trying to put off drilling right across the seat plank for the pin to go through but eventually ran out of excuses! With Martin saying ‘left a bit, back a bit, too much…’ to keep my drill bit in line in one plane and a guide mark for the other I got through without too much difficulty and came out within half an inch of where I wanted to be. Not bad over about 10 inches. The pin proved to be too thick for the hole – a very snug fit would not swivel properly – so Nick helped me centre it on the lathe to turn it down a bit more. My first attempt went wrong as I was using the chisel with the bevel up not down but Nick soon sorted me out and I ended up with a smooth pin which went through the hole nicely.
Thursday was another freezing cold day and we got on with our shavehorses. First I turned the knob on the end of the hinge pin and really enjoyed seeing the shape emerge under my chisel. Then I whittled pegs to secure the top rail of the vice and drilled the holes for them. I kept trying to put off drilling right across the seat plank for the pin to go through but eventually ran out of excuses! With Martin saying ‘left a bit, back a bit, too much…’ to keep my drill bit in line in one plane and a guide mark for the other I got through without too much difficulty and came out within half an inch of where I wanted to be. Not bad over about 10 inches. The pin proved to be too thick for the hole – a very snug fit would not swivel properly – so Nick helped me centre it on the lathe to turn it down a bit more. My first attempt went wrong as I was using the chisel with the bevel up not down but Nick soon sorted me out and I ended up with a smooth pin which went through the hole nicely.
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| Sue sitting proudly upon her finished product |
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| Andrew working on some of the final parts |
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| Kieron nervously making the final drill... |
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| ... and a sigh of relief as it all comes off |
Before I adjusted the length of the legs so it sits level on the ground Martin realised that by turning the front one it would be more stable so we knocked it out and repositioned it. A couple of saw cuts and it was level and firm with the vice just clearing the ground. Then all I had to do was saw of a length of sawn timber and bolt it to the front and the job was done.
I realised that although I had had help and advice at every stage, I had tackled every part of the process and the result was a respectable object which will do the job it is intended for. I felt ridiculously proud of what I had achieved!
David, Kieron and Stef also finished their horses and as all 3 drive vans they were able to take them home. Andrew will use his Landrover to move mine for me next week. He and Penny are on the finishing straight and should have theirs done by Christmas.
Words by Sue Laverack
Photos by Sue Laverack and David Hunter
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