Woodland Pioneers Week 2017
A really great week again in September, 2017.

Click a workshop to scroll down the page to it:
1 day workshop: Stools with Rachael Jepson and Jack Holden
Stick legs, stick rungs and rope or seat belt seating. Very nice! Thick Hazel rods were cut to length for rungs and tennon joints made on the ends with a draw knife, clamped in a shave horse. Mortices were drilled into thicker lengths of hazel for the legs, and the stools assembled. The seats were woven using either sizal or reclaimed seat belts.

 
1 day workshop: Coppicing with Sam Ansell and James Benson
Students were taken off-site to a working coppice, that's why we don't have any photos! But everyone worked hard at cutting hazel stools to allow for regrowth and another harvest in about 7 years. The rods were processed into hedging stakes, pea sticks, hurdles rods and fascines using a billhook.

 
1 day workshop: Riven Oak Panels with Owen Jones
Boiled lengths of split oak can be riven (split) into thinner and thinner pieces until they become very pliable when kept damp. Rectangular frames were then made in groups and the riven oak woven onto the frame to make a panel. This method of riving oak is also used by Owen during the process of making oak swill baskets.

 
1 day workshop: Treen with Twiggy
Twiggy guided everyone through the making of spatulas, clothes pegs, gypsy flowers and more. Lots of shave horse action for clamping the wood and safe use of a carving knife, axe and drawknife.

 
2 day workshop: Kuksa
New to Woodland Pioneers, carving scandinavian cups, called Kuksa, with apprentice Tim Davies.

 
2 day workshop: Frame Baskets with Lorna Singleton
In this advanced workshop for returning students Lorna showed us a rediscovered method of splitting thin ribbons of hazel from a rod and then weaving them into a frame basket.students how to prepare strips of wood to make beautiful framed baskets.

 
Friday workshops:
On Friday students could take part in a range of 2-hour workshops, one in the morning, the other in the afternoon. The choices were spoon making, chip carving, egg cups, besom brooms, tool sharpening and willow weaving.

 
Out and About
Here are a few more photos of around and about the woods and hall.