Week 2: The tools of the trade

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!

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.

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