Posts

Early May

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Early May, and with the woodland looking so lovely I  thought I'd put aside the visual excitement of a nail sticking in a bit of oak and just show a few simple photos! The woodpile is particularly neat this year, which is simply the result of cutting to a standard length and splitting to a standard section ... Not sure why we didn't do this before? Masses of bluebells this spring, This is partially the result of thinning out some conifers, which being evergreens, shade out the bluebells in early spring. This is what happens when you overplant an old broadleaf woodland with a catch crop of conifers.  But, at least you can try to put things right again.  Interestingly, the bluebells have now colonised the centre of the main woodland ride.  And finally, some greenery on the hedge I laid some years ago.  I relaid a few stems this winter in an attempt to repair the deer damage. It's just started to green up again, but, with the tasty leaves back at a  convenient...
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Some Thoughts on Nails and Nailing

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Before I move on from the cleft-stave basket (it was, after all, intended to be a fairly brief project). I feel I must pay my respects to the humble nail.   Now in the past, I've not been the nail's greatest advocate, and I'm sure that's something to do with Mr Fairborn, my old woodwork teacher: 'Why use a nail when you can use a half-blind dovetail'!  But, I've come to deeply admire this humble little fastening; in particular the cleft and annular varieties that I've been using recently on the baskets. I was so impressed with the Herculean holding power of these two devices that I attempted to take a closer look.  And, in the tradition of so many investigative sciences, I started by making a 'section', attempting to slice through the middle of two nail-jointed examples. Not much to add really: the photos tell a pretty powerful story.  However, I perhaps should mention, that if you make a mistake - and I make quite a few -  they're the very d...
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Cleft-Stave Basket: Round-Up

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I've been trying different versions of the cleft-stave basket (pretty much making decisions as I go along). I'm not only using different woods - hoping to find the right balance of workability (easy to cleave) and durability - but also testing different configurations of fastening using clenched and annular-ring nailing and varied patterns of banding. I've also had a look at the ways I might simplify the construction with a view to running a day's workshop out in the woods (single band, straight sided). However, I'm still not so sure it could be covered in the time without making just too many compromises. I'll keep working on that one! I've now got eight different examples, which I've shown below.  I've also included a photo of an original Jack Rowsell basket, which although doesn't strictly use cleft staves, is still the favourite in my growing collection of European baskets. As I mentioned in an earlier post, there are still a couple of makers...
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Bramble Bindings

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There are a number of natural fibres which can be put to good use as a binding material, but perhaps the most useful, in terms of accessibility and strength, is the prolific bramble.  Bramble needs a good deal of processing, and in its wild state it's a bit of a beast to handle!  First the thorns are rubbed off with a leather glove or the back of a knife (colloquially known as 'shrieding'), then it's carefully spit in two and the pith removed. The resultant fibres are incredible strong and if used immediately are surprisingly supple. Here I have used it as a binding for a besom broom. We have hundreds of self-set birch where we cleared some conifers some seven years ago, so birch twigs are plentiful. The handle (or 'tail') is made from holly. Looking back at the 'brush-tailed bird' workshop I ran last year for the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, I'm wondering if I could adapt the bramble binding for a 2026 workshop.  As for a title: well perhaps Bramble ...
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Cleft-Stave Basket Mk III

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This version of the Cleft-Stave Basket is made from home-grown hazel and sweet chestnut. It's moved a fair way from the original pattern, which I derived from a J ack Rowsell made original, so I would not dare to call it a 'Devon style' stave basket.   It's quite a different shape - much more oval than the original, and the staves and baseboard are cleft from sweet chestnut rather than sawn softwood.  I think just 'Cleft-Stave Basket' will do nicely!
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Storm Amy and a Two Ton Winch.

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We got off relatively lightly here in Norfolk, as Amy wreaked havoc throughout the uk.   However, as she passed our way, she did manage to topple this 25 metre scots pine and deposit it in the top of a sweet chestnut.  Of course, it had to be suspended over the footpath and of course it had to be dealt with on a Sunday morning when foot traffic was at its hight.   A horrible job to be honest.  The only safe approach is from behind or well to the side.  It's definitely a winch rather than a chainsaw task.  So over a period of several hours we guided walkers along an alternative route while we winched!   We winched this way and that, backwards and to the side, pulling at the base and then up the trunk.  And little by little we eased the pine from the chestnut's snaggy grip, until finally, she fell to the ground with a resounding thump!  You work towards this moment for hours, but it's still a surprise!
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Faggots, Pimps and Throstles. The Cleft-Stave Basket MklI

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This is the MkIl Stave Basket, and here I've used 'riven' or 'cleft'  splints  (split and shaved) rather than sawn timber.  Is this a more  authentic technology? I'm not certain, but I would have thought that reliance on saw-milled timber for the staves would be a late nineteenth century development.  And nothing wrong with that!  An original Jack Rowsell basket which I have in my collection uses sawn timber staves and it's a beautiful example of the species. Also this week, I gave an evening talk to the local village society.  It was cryptically titled ' Faggots, Pimps and Throstles' ( don't ask!),  which seemed to draw quite a  crowd. So with the aid of forty-plus images, I meandered through the material ecology of a coppice ecosystem before eventually arriving at this little cleft--stave basket.  It was a pleasant little tour, and judging by the questions at the end, I think I took most of the villagers along with me.  ...
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