It augers well.

I coiled this old rope last Autumn, and hung it on the wall. I had been working on the bench below for several days, when I looked up and behold!

Five wren chicks. Two days later, they fledged and were gone. My pole lathe was a staging post.

Some modern joinery, produced in a workshop which may contain power tools, quarter-sawn Douglas Fir.

Painted with Farrow and Ball, cooking apple oil-based paint (didn't smell like apples and not easy to get on the wood).

 And the other kind. Sharpening my crosscut to trim this big spruce slab for my new workbench.

A makeshift handle for this auger, to rough out out the mortices to take the leg tenons.

 I like that the new bench's first job is as a tool rest to make itself.

Spanish windlass to pull the legs tight before pegging.

With the new bench hook fine tuned and fitted.

And the wedge stop from my old bench.

We are all good to go to the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum Wood Show this coming Solstice weekend. Allez allez allez!

A piece of Totnes off to Thailand?

Driving through Totnes yesterday, I passed a sign "Garage Sale". I turned round and went back.

This\was covered up with a blanket, displaying things on top. Is it for sale? Sorry, I am emigrating to Thailand and taking Granny's hall chest with me. Unusually for me, I like its lack of decoration.

Sawn timber. Original wire hinges, replaced with straps. Till with missing lid. Panel grooves running out top of stiles. Lack of decoration. I would hazard a guess at original 17th century chest.

The chap was a bit worried about it coping with the Thailand climate. I reckon it has survived 350 years of the Devon climate, so it deserves a holiday. Shame it is going though.

I was on my way to Brixham, to check out the non-existent craft market, but I stumbled across the museum, which has a room devoted to shipbuilding (it being a fishing port).

Some slicks.

A large screwdown holdfast, a brace just like mine, and possibly the shortest chisel in the world.

Someone making a window

I just found this video again.

There and back to see how far it is

It was off for my first ever visit to the Bodgers' Ball in Walesby Forest, last week. It was in at the deep end, with a talk about joined furniture. I received some interesting feedback from the audience! Some hyper-critical ("shame you used a circular saw to cut those joints" guffaw) ("that Peter Follansbee, he just apes the way it was really made", what does that make me, a marmoset?), and some really positive ("seeing you have done it, inspires me to have a go"), ("I never thought I could, but now I definitely will"). I can't abide woodworking snobbery, so it's the second category I am mostly taking mind of.

I met some very interesting people and finally joined the settle.

Just in time, for these two gentlemen from the U.S. to rest their weary feet.

I had to leave on Sunday morning, to go see my mother near Scarborough, she had a fall a few weeks ago. So with eight strong bodgers, we lifted the settle back in the van, and I slept on her on Saturday night.

After an 800 mile round trip, the settle and I arrived back in Devon. No bodgers to help this time, just balance and my old trolley.

Now then, bonnie lass!

Don't change the name of your blog unless you want nobody to see it!

I have been working on the settle I started over a year ago recently. It is taking a long time to make, but then it is a huge piece of furniture. I had a piece of oak roughed out for the last seat board in the autumn, but I have been busy doing other things.

On with planing to size.

Unlike it's sister settle that I started making at the same time, this one is designed for inside. I have decided to tongue and groove the seat boards, as they do not need to shed rainfall. I bought this tongueing plane a while ago, not having used one before, so thought I would give it a go.

The side of the iron furthest from the wedge did not appear to be sitting flat, and I was concerned it would not present a cutting edge to the oak. My worries were unfounded, because it cut like a dream.

I was then left with a second 'tongue' because my seat boards are 1 5/8" wide. I used my jointer at an angle, with the tongue as a guide, and brought it flat to the shoulder as I removed the oak.

I might finish it one day soon. Then off to take it on it's progress to the Bodgers' Ball in May. The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum Wood Fair 20-21 June and Blackdown Wood Fair 3-4 July.

Getting on with it

I've been out in the oak woods, doing some thinning and processing of the timber, with the chainsaw mill.

Early spring sunshine, tagteam between me with the chainsaw and the woodpeckers, who are the real foresters round here!

I have had help from Arthur, my son, for a few days. We haven't really worked together for the past two years because he has been off cheffing.

I am doing the work in return for half the timber. The trees are not really big enough for riving, so most will be flatsawn with the mill. I am laying it all up for future projects.

I have also been making this bed from European oak for Stephen.

I was also seconded for the very important job of preparing the potato bed at the allotment.

 I can already taste them!

Many rivers to cross, but I'm not going on the ferry.

Before the round wheel was invented, did the square wheel have a brief period in vogue? Probably not, but it is surprising how well a square shape 'rolls'.

Probably better than a round one, when its rolling up a 6ft wall, along a passageway, up another 4ft wall, across a garden, over another wall and back along another garden. A good job really, when you come to install a project and you realise the planned access is just too tight. "Never mind", said Richard, "just remember when we built Stonehenge." Leverage, man. Leverage!

In with Wendy's new doors.

I've been doing a bit more 3-d carving recently with this lion corbel

and this flower.

I haven't been able to use my pole lathe since last winter because it has been buried under loads of other equipment while replacing the roof last summer. Someone asked me to make some cupboard handles last week, so I have been excavating down to the level of the lathe with eagerness this week.

I definitely need to invest in some more turning tools; a 2" gouge and skew are just not sufficient. I reckon I will just about make the handles though.

I went to Dartmouth yesterday, provisionally to take around some business cards, but also to eyeball some of the great buildings there.

Whoever carved this horse, must have been a bit keen, maybe they sold the spare ones to a merchant round the corner.

I live way up stream from here, but as the name suggests this is where the Dart heads out to open waters.

I've been trying to come up with a new logo for the furniture, with a view to having separate websites for that and another for the other stuff I do. I'm not sure people who want a door or a window made have any interest in the carved stuff.

Does this work? Can you even see JBF - Jon Bayes Furniture?