Plum Buck

After I spent some time clearing up leaves at the bottom of the garden , I decided that we should have a wild animal . Nothing ferocious but wild all the same so I came up with the plum buck a little stag made out of a small plum log along with hazel legs and birch antlers .  Here he is foraging in his natural environment :)

Yew Box

I started a little box this morning using some yew that was to thin for stool tops, but so nice that it had to be made into something. I tend to just sand Yew as the grain often changes and it tends to tear a bit, so after a spell of sanding.
 I cut my components then put the box together dry, after a little more sanding I glued and plugged it .
Now for some wooden hinges I cut out some tapering wedge shapes out of some of the yew offcuts, then marked the hinges for the moving parts cut this away then bored them for the pins . Here's where I got to:)

That Time Again

I spent a little time out in the shed cutting out and carving some detail for a few hobby horse heads then boring the holes for some different coloured wood plugs that I use for their eyes, I trimmed up some leather for making the reins .  I enjoy making these little guy's, here they are so far .

 I also planed and sanded some applewood, maple and beech these will be used for chopping boards . This used up a few bits and pieces that were in need of being something other than dusty old wood. These hobby horses and chopping boards will end up wrapped in christmas paper and left under a tree as christmas gifts :)

 

Winter Coat

 A nice crisp weekend, so I headed out for a while this afternoon , as the cold air was returning for the night. Lots of little things caught my eye , with all the leaves nearly off  the trees the countryside is changing into its winter coat, take a look and see them :)

Shavings And Splinters

It was Matthews birthday yesterday so we all went to the cinema to watch the new Bond movie, Skyfall . It was brilliant . Today I headed into the shed to try and organise the chaos that that a few rapid projects can cause .  After an hour or so of tidying there was order once again . But then a chunk of sycamore caught my eye and I had to hack out a little spoon . Here's how it went, then I had to tidy up again but what's a few shavings and splinters   :)

A Bit Different

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to make two flower stands for either side of a door for a wedding ceremony . I asked what style, a uniform look or rustic, and she chose rustic! 2 column's each with an open front so that the flowers can cascade from the top to bottom .
 So armed with a lump of wood , 70 hazel stems of around 3' long and a roll of copper wire, that my dad gave me years ago that seems to never end.
  I cut some circles 9" and 6", then glued and nailed these together this gave me a good block to nail the hazel stems to. I drilled a hole for the first stem and wedged it in place I figured this would give a bit more strength then pre drilled and tacked on the other stems when I was happy with the opening . I then made a loop of hazel around 6" or so and wired all the stems to this, then more wire tied in to any close bigger gaps .  A little bit of trimming up and they were done.
 A bit different to what I normally make but I enjoyed the challenge I hope these add a little rustic charm to her big day:)

Paring Down The Kuska

I spent an hour this afternoon paring down the kuska that I started last week, so that the bowl will have good even thickness, its pretty much finished now. But it needs to dry out before any finishing is done . I drew blood only once so thats a bonus ! I suppose. Now take a look at how the kuska is coming along  :)