The Binaural Diaries visit the woodyard - field recording the sounds of woodworking

The Binaural Diaries is a project run by Ollie Hall. He records sounds and publishes them online. It started as a way of collecting interesting samples for music but has developed into more of a sound diary: 'binaural' refers to two microphones recording sounds which are transmitted separately to the two ears of the listener.

I chose a few sounds that woodworkers might know but those who don't work with wood may not be aware of. The recordings are of: a sharp woodcarving gouge cutting through seasoned lime wood, detail carving in oak, a side axe cutting larch wood, a drawknife in use on larch and wood being cleaved using a froe and mallet. There was also the chance to talk very briefly about what I was doing in each recording.

It's interesting to think about what you do from a completely different viewpoint. I realised that many of the sounds made in woodworking were things that had previously been taken for granted but which added to the whole process. There is a real satisfaction gained from hearing a tool cut cleanly and some sounds indicate when a change needs to be made (for example, cutting from a different direction as the grain pattern changes). 

Meeting Hans-Joachim Seitfudem, master woodcarver from Bavaria, at my studio

Yesterday, my friend Jo Seitfudem brought his father Hans-Joachim to visit me at my studio. It was great to meet him. Hans-Joachim is a master carver in Bavaria, with clients who have previously included the Vatican.

Although Hans-Joachim speaks very little English and my German is very poor, Jo could translate and his father was keen to look around the workshops at Bower Ashton and to see my woodcarving tools. It was easy to see that the wood dust and tools were getting him itching to do some carving himself! He also noted how he likes older British-made carving tools such as Addis and Herring Bros.

My Opinel carving knife felt too large in his hands though; Hans-Joachim said it felt 'dangerous' to him when he used it after his own, smaller carving knife. He also likes to have the cutting edges of his V-tools swept back from the tip, whereas Jo and I prefer them to be square to the tip. Carvers generally do seem to develop a strong preference for how their tools should be shaped. Many experienced carvers that I've met don't lend out their personal carving tools for this reason - breakages and bad resharpening can ruin friendships (although I don't know if Hans-Joachim feels that way).

Hans Joachim said some very kind things about the carvings on the bench for the Bristol Downs that I've been working on recently. He also liked the 'Predator bird' sculpture that he saw in my portfolio.

It was a very enjoyable afternoon and it was very interesting to hear what Hans-Joachim had to say thanks to Jo's translating. I just wish that my German language skills were better!

Bristol's mayor visits my studio

A couple of days ago George Ferguson, the mayor of Bristol, visited our workshops to have a look at the work being produced there. He seemed very interested and took quite a few photos. Also in the group were representatives of the local Neighbourhood Partnerships and Tess Green of the local Green Party.

It was great having visitors and we got to briefly discuss the future of the woodworking cooperative that we are all members of with the mayor.

We hope that when our lease on these workshops expires in two years time, we can renew it. That would mean that we could continue renovating the nearby derelict council-owned listed buildings, so expanding available workshop spaces in them with the aim of continuing to promote local, sustainable timber use and making Bristol a national and international hub of woodworking expertise.

Without the workshops, it will be difficult for the Forest of Avon Cooperative, which has been in existence for over twelve years, to continue operating. It would also make life very tough for the twelve successful small businesses operating from them. We shall wait and see...

New Forest of Avon Products Cooperative website!

After a long process of designing, the new Forest of Avon Products Coop website is online! I've been a member of the coop for about 7 years. It aims to encourage the use of locally grown and sustainably sourced wood products wherever possible. There are about 35 members at the moment, who range from bespoke furniture makers and fine carvers to roundwood framers and timber growers.

Why not check out the site? It's at:
http://www.forestofavonproducts.co.uk/

Talking about the Forest of Avon Wood Products Cooperative at 'Bristopia', part of the Bristol Big Green Week

I was invited to give a talk today at 'at-Bristol' as part of an exhibition called 'Bristopia', which looks at the future of Bristol as a centre for sustainable development.This is especially relevant as the city has just been declared European Green Capital for 2015.

My talk was about the not-for-profit marketing cooperative that I'm a member of: the Forest of Avon Products. We try to promote local, sustainable wood use and recycling of timber and have been part of the woodworking scene in Bristol for 14 years.

The co-op is based around the Bower Ashton Woodyard in Bristol and we are currently trying to secure an extension of our lease from the council. This would allow expansion of the companies who are already tenants (including renovating the derelict historic buildings in the courtyard around us) and would also open more workshop space for other designers and makers. Eventually, the woodyard could easily become a national or international hub of expertise in supplying and processing local timbers.

If you would like to see more about the Forest of Avon Products Cooperative, follow this link:
http://www.forestofavonproducts.co.uk/

You can also see more at this previous post:
http://carvingswithstories.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/the-forest-of-avon-products-cooperative.html

The Forest of Avon Products Cooperative at Bower Ashton Woodyard, Bristol

We had a bit of a get together last Friday at the yard where I have my studio. The purpose was to raise the profile of the Forest of Avon Products Cooperative and let more people know about what we do.

There was homemade cider and axe throwing (but not at the same time!) and all the tenants at the yard got to show off some of our work. Bob Slade also demonstrated timber milling using a chainsaw mill.

Joe Cooper, who owns Touchwood Enterprises, also delivered a presentation about the Cooperative to a group of invited guests.

All of the tenants of the Woodyard are members of the FOAP Coop, which promotes sustainable, local timber use.

'Bristol: Ambitious City' at the Architecture Centre on Bristol Waterfront

A self-portrait carved by me is in this exhibition at the moment. The show is about different ways that Bristol might develop as a city and also provides a space for relevant local organisations to show what they do as well.

The Forest of Avon Wood Products Cooperative, of which I'm a member, are showing what we are doing as tenants to maintain and improve the Bower Ashton woodyard.

The FOAWP Coop is a not-for-profit marketing cooperative which has existed for twelve years and promotes using local, sustainably sourced timbers as much as possible. It also seeks to develop networks to help local timber growers and users. You can see more at:
http://www.forestofavonproducts.co.uk/

The woodyard consists of the original estate buildings for Ashton Court, including the old sawmill and granary. Currently there are eight woodworking businesses based in workshops there, all of whom are members of the FOAWP Cooperative. The courtyard is shared with the Bristol Council estates department and the Ashton Court rangers.

The Coop sees the potential to turn these buildings into a creative hub promoting local timber use in everything from large scale play constructions to fine carving. Ideally, it could become a recognised centre that would develop national and international connections in the woodworking, artistic, crafts and architectural worlds. Whether this can happen depends on the cooperative getting a further tenancy lease from the council when the current term is up in three years time.

If you are in Bristol, why not drop by and read more about it? The exhibition ends on the 23rd July and the Cooperative's contribution will be there for the next two weeks.