Newsletters

People come to Sylva throughout the year to learn to work with wood, and my courses often start with the most basic of projects - a cross halving.

So why should we bother with all these hand tools? Many makers only use machines and power tools and get very good results. Are hand tools even worth it in 2024?

I am an early riser. I get up early to lay hold of that time before the world is awake. Before I am truly awake. A perfect time for writing. 

Next weekend, the Sylva Wood Centre opens for Oxfordshire Artweeks. In the lead up, I am considering my offerings, those items I am going to sell on my stall.

This week my work has been focused on smaller items: chopping boards, tea-light holders, door stops. This is a new venture for me. Previously I have just shown furniture. But I have realised the power of thinking small.

Saturday 27th April 2024 ~ At the end of last year, I said that I was taking a couple of weeks hiatus from writing this newsletter. And that was four months ago. Oops!

Saturday 16th December 2023 ~ It’s ten o’clock on Friday evening. Usually I have a routine - come back form the workshop, eat dinner, then write the newsletter. But I got a bit distracted. I was playing my guitar.

Saturday 9th December 2023 ~ Ateliers were communities of learning, where skills were passed from master-to-student, who then went on to become masters themselves. To learn to make furniture, I studied at Rowden Atelier. 

Saturday 2nd December 2023 ~ After the lofty heights of alchemy is last week’s newsletter, let’s ground ourselves again and get back to the toolkit.

Saturday 24th November 2023 ~ The magnum opus of the ancient alchemists was in seeking to create the ‘philosopher’s stone’. This stone would, as legend had it, turn base metals into gold, heal any wound, and serve as the elixir of life - bestowing immortality upon the possessor.

Saturday 18th November 2023 ~ Whenever a woodworker strays from the conventional square-and-straight pieces and into the realm of curved or shaped work, you’ll inevitably hear the cry, “Oh, well it’s not really furniture, is it. It’s more like art furniture”.

Saturday 11th November 2023 ~ I am not much of a fan of TV drama, and I don’t usually have the attention span for a feature-length film, but I love programmes about ancient tribes and lost civilisations. My current indulgence is an old BBC series called Tribe.

Saturday 4th November 2023 ~ When I was first starting out, I was at a complete loss as to what to buy. The toolmonger wanted to sell me so many tools that it was overwhelming. I mean - how many different bench planes, block planes, shoulder planes, scraper planes and moulding planes does a maker actually need?

Saturday 28th October 2023 ~ Autumn is by far my favourite season. Many of the days are still bright. The skies remain clear and the sun still shines. But the air has a sharpness to it. A certain bite that just catches the back of the neck. Perfect weather for walking.

Saturday 21st October 2023 ~ When I tell people I make furniture, the usual response is something along the lines of, "Oh, like...using dovetails?” Dovetails were once the method de-facto to join two pieces of wood at right angles, and indeed there are examples of their use stretching back as far as Ancient Egypt.

Saturday 14th October 2023 ~ I was listening to a maker talking about his journey. He made fine fitted furniture and worked for architects and designers to realise their designs. One of his architect clients asked him, “Should I be expecting handmade perfection from you?” To which his answer was, “No. You should expect handmade imperfection”.

Saturday 7th October 2023 ~ “What on earth are you doing?” is the more family-friendly version of the question that I was asked by various people walking past, as I stood there, headphones on (a high-tempo drum and bass playist), throwing paint at canvasses, cardboard, old pieces of sheet material - anything I could lay my hands on.

Saturday 30th September 2023 ~ In a world full of commodities, I seek a celebration. I seek a celebration of the natural beauty of wood. Grains might be subtle or strong, from gently meandering to truly haphazard. And then there is colour.

Saturday 23rd September 2023 ~ Woodwork was always a calling for me. Something I craved with my entire being - body, mind and soul.