TITLE: Spring woodworking in my spot
DATE: 2018-03-25
AUTHOR: John L. Godlee
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Yesterday I went to my special woodland spot for the first time
this year, as the snow has finally stopped and Spring is starting.
I walked through to my little hidden area that nobody else goes to
and had the whole place to myself. Most of the time I spent doing
some woodworking with wood I'd brought from home, a chunky piece of
very wet Beech from a friend in the borders, and a length of Ash
that had been chopped up during some hedge pruning in Edinburgh.
Both pieces of wood carved really different, the Beech ripped a lot
and because it was so wet was quite hard to split, the Ash was
lovely, smooth and straight grained.
In terms of things I brought with me I had my small hatchet, a Mora
utility knife, a spoon carving knife, a blanket and one of those
big orange survival bags to sit on and be cozy.
In lieu of a real chopping block, which is something I think I will
try to aquire over the coming weeks I found an old dried piece of
hawthorn that was split down the middle, which I managed to nestle
into the ground so it wouldn't move.
The only thing I wish I had brought was a small foldable saw. I
started two spoons which failed purely because I was too impatient
to cut through the end separate them from the rest of the ash
branch, and they snapped.
The other thing I'm trying to perfect at the moment and don't know
where to start is to get my carving as smooth as possible, like the
professionals do it. I think part of it may be the style of knife
and the sharpness of the blade. Maybe I need to invest in a little
sharpening stone which I can hone things on when I'm out and about.
Apart from woodworking I spent some time watching a pair of
buzzards harassing crows above my little patch of woodland, and on
my way back to the bus in the evening I took advantage of the
solitude to pick some Few-flowered leek and Ramsons. They are just
about coming into leaf, meaning they are as sweet as they'll ever
be; I intend to cover them in olive oil and salt and pepper and
have them as a salad next week.
