News/ Events.
Tuesday 23/9/08
Louise and Phil arrived on Monday afternoon, after showing them around, Bill and Louise got down to plane making. She is going to make a small mitre plane under Bill's tuition for Phil to use on his flutes.
Phil makes North American Indian Flutes from hard woods and hopes to make 2 while he is here. We are very fortunate that the weather is warm and sunny as he will be working outside.
Louise's first job is to saw the strip of bronze to length.
Bill is making sure Louise has kept to the line.
Getting ready to mark the angles on the body.
Filing the holes to take the tenons for the bridge.
Sawing the dovetails for the bottom.
Chiseling out the waste to make the slots for the dovetails.
Filing the shoulders on the front.
Transfering the dovetails on the front of the plane to cut the sockets for the body.
Another convert to the blunt chisel, Phil was so impressed he is going to try it on his flutes.
Wednesday 17/9/08
Phil using one of Bill's small mitre planes to shape his flute. He has never used a plane like Bill's before and his comment was fantastic.
Louise has finished the body and the front.
Filing the bridge.
The bridge is finished, Louise asked Bill to polish it before she stamped it.
The body ready for bending, the bridge and front. Louise has stamped her name on the front with letter stamps
The body has been bent and the front put in place to try the fit.
Bill is forcing the body open so that Louise can put the bridge in place.
Bill is showing Louise how to use a piece of wood to tap the tenon into the hole.
Clamping the body.
Louise is thrilled to bits with her plane so far.
Her first go at peening.
What a fantastic job Louise has done so far.
Friday 19/9/08
We forgot to show the cutting out of the mouth and the tongue and groove joint, which is prior to the cutting out of the sockets. (We were to engrossed in working)
Trying the body into the sockets.
Louise decided she would attempt cupid bow dovetails in the sole.
Just filing the front end of the curved sole before assembly.
Practicing marking letters on a piece of scrap metal before marking the front of the sole.
Tapping the sole onto the body with a piece of boxwood.
Peening the sole onto the body and filling in the cupid bow dovetails. (Hopefully)
Checking for gaps after all the peening is done.
The peening appears to be all right.
Saturday 20/9/08
Sawing the boxwood for the front and rear infill.
Using the Stanley shute board and plane.
Planing the boxwood with one of Bill's small mitre planes.
Front infill fixed, rear infill wedged while the glue goes off.
Shaping the wedge.
Sunday 21/9/08
Draw filing the bottom before lapping.
Lapping the bottom.
The sole lapped showing the beautiful cupid bow dovetails.
This picture shows the iron we are using, cut out of a standard slotted iron.
Having ground the iron, Louise is now sharpening it.
Louise trying the plane on boxwood and then handing it over to Phil.
Louise holding her trophy after 41/2 days hard work. She listened to everything Bill had to say ------------ then she did it her way. End of story.
A lovely picture of Louise, now relaxed at the dining table. Bill sitting opposite exausted, but extremely proud of her achievement.
Phil has been a star all week and done all the washing up.
P.S.
Phil and Louise bought and fitted a new light in the gararge, Bill can now see what he is doing and Louise taught Bill how to file.
We all started the week barely knowing each other and ended it being great friends.
Monday 25/8/08
Pictures do not do justice to the wonderful Festival of the Tree at Westonbirt
, the National Arboretum.
If you get the chance, do not miss it next year as it was truly wonderful. The best gathering of talanted wood workers we have ever seen. We saw many unusual displays of craftmaship, quite mind boggling what some people can do with wood and other materials.
Surely this is the biggest and best show in Europe and what a wonderful venue with such beautiful trees as a background.
We were displaying in the Classic Hand Tool marquee naxt to Konrad Sauer and Philly Planes and what delightful young men they were. The first time we had met Philly and the second time we had met Konrad. Lots to talk about and lots of ideas to exchange.
Bill, Konrad and Phil.
Konrad was busy all day, people loved to try out his wonderful planes.
Phil makes wooden planes.
In Mike's marquee there were a wide selection of nationality's and tools from all over the world.
People could try out chisels, saws, rasps and files, axes, planes, sharpening systems, turning, carving and many more. It was wonderful to watch so many children having a go.
We met a charming young man called Mark Bennett from Yorkshire who was demonstrating woodworking. He makes wonderful furniture.
Just a few pictures from around the site.
Bill standing behind 2 conkers that had been carved out of wood.
From the Monday to the following Sunday, 12 chosen sculptors worked on their designs. Below are some pictures of their work in progress.
Just a few sights around the site
