Westonbirt Woodworks 2022
With temperatures hitting 30° the day before the event, you just knew the weather wasn’t going to hold. After all, this was what we used to expect from an English summer, but rain didn’t appear to dampen the enthusiasm of both demonstrators and exhibitors at Westonbirt Woodworks’ celebration back in June.
One of the earliest outdoor woodworking events up and running since the pandemic eased, it was a pleasure to catch up with chairmaker Paul Hayden and his team once again. Having taught more than 2,000 students the basics of this specialised craft over a period of at least 25 years, his six-day courses understandably ground to a halt during lockdown, so, this weekend event was a chance to get back into gear and celebrate green woodworking in its various forms. Spoon carvers, pole-lathe turners, chairmakers and toolmakers alike were happy to chat with punters while demonstrating their skills, most of them relying solely on hand tools.
Carving a living
Lee Stoffer not only creates charming utensils from native hardwoods, but also makes many of the tools used to carve them. Watching him sculpt a willow spoon – initially with a Gransfors axe followed by a scorp and a couple of knives – he was clearly in his element creating functional items from material most people would consign to the firewood pile. Beautiful pieces, but my short visit sadly meant I forgot to buy one of these unique spoons.
With chairs on display in the gallery from seven individual makers, those by young craftsman Aghi Merrett particularly caught my eye. Having attended one of Paul’s chairmaking courses in 2021, he’s now working at Westonbirt Woodworks over several months, helping out on courses and taking commissions.
A pair of stylish contemporary stools with cherry seats and ash legs soon found a buyer, while a graceful, Scandinavian-inspired Windsor in blue milk paint and oiled finish was a real eye-catcher. Building an elegant ash chair with carved comb proved something of a challenge for Aghi, but was a definite triumph.
Meanwhile, I’m sure Paul’s more traditional, classic double-bow ash rocker would be pretty relaxing in front of the fire. With English pattern legs, this was one of several chairs typically for sale in the Woodworks shop. Simpler items made from Arboretum timber included chopping boards, trivets and tables, which are standard fare throughout the year.
A familiar face at many outdoor shows, woodturner Ralph Curtis from Yew Turn – aka The Mushroom Man – must’ve been the only demonstrator relying on the National Grid for power. Popular with punters, his effortless shavings appeared to rival his flowing locks!
Dutch courage
In conjunction with Classic Hand Tools, this was the first chance to take a closer look at some gorgeous products from Mappa Tools, based in the Netherlands. Picking them up, their exquisite mallets felt perfect, even though the style may be less traditional.
With wood options including cocobolo, African blackwood, cherry and kingwood, choosing a combination could take a while. Also on display were their unique poplar and rippled ash mallets, infused with acrylic resin. These superb tools cost from £120, depending on timber species.
Set up by Jaap Bosma and Bas Hemmen, Mappa has only been in existence for a few months, this being their first foray to a UK show. You can check out their range at Classic Hand Tools, which includes resin-infused curly maple and poplar burr blocks, intended for creating your own tool handles or pen barrels.
Westonbirt sawmill
If you were missing the whine of woodwork machinery, Josh Hayden was giving regular demos of the newly installed Trak-Met horizontal bandsaw mill. Built in Poland, this beast of a machine made fairly short work of some pretty hefty logs and was obviously a favourite toy. Previously, Paul had to source much of his chair timber from outside the Arboretum, but now the sawmill is operational, there’s no shortage of air-dried boards in a variety of species. If you’re planning a trip to Westonbirt, it’s worth checking their stock as timber is also for sale to customers.
With plans to expand the event for 2023, provisional dates are 17–18 June; ensure to keep an eye on the Classic Hand Tools website for further details and updates.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Westonbirt Woodworks: www.westonbirtwoodworks.co.uk
Classic Hand Tools: www.classichandtools.com
Mappa Tools: www.mappatools.com
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