Try your hand at the ancient craft of the pole lathe
Working
with natural materials in a peaceful, rural setting is incredibly
therapeutic and very fulfilling; a whole gear change and a world away
from busy modern life. We’ll be using the trees that grow naturally
around us in ways that our ancestors once did. You’ll find out how to
work with wood still green and fresh from the tree; you’ll split it,
shape it on a shave horse and then turn it on a traditional pole lathe.
This is how chairs, stools, bowls, rolling pins and a host of other
household objects used to be made. We'll cover:
- Properties
of greenwood and different tree species
- Cleaving
greenwood
- The
shave horse and use of the draw knife
- Introduction
to the pole lathe and basic turning
- The
roughing-out gouge and the flat chisel
- An
introduction to the spindle gouge and skew chisel
- Make
a “priest” or a rolling pin
Duration: 7 to 8 hours
Cost: £100 for two people (£50 each); £20 per additional group member.
Individual one-to-one booking available at £100.
Further information: Minimum
group size two; maximum 10. Participants should be 16 or over. Although
not too strenuous an activity you will need to be able to stand at the
lathe for several hours pushing the treadle with your foot. Bring a
packed lunch.
All activity leaders are CRB checked Location: North Pennines - Weardale
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