Its been a busy few weeks trying to fit work in with spending time with the children during school holidays and not much time for the computer. I have been doing some more work on the bridge I started way back in May. The new bridge is in an inacesible location and we are building it entirely from oak felled on site. Here I am sawing out the curved handrails.


My friends Andy and Mark digging out the abutments.


The new main timbers in place.


Bracing the main timbers together with steel bars and oak cross pieces.


Fitting the uprights, slightly splayed.

Fixing the boards and the first handrail.

The basic structure completed, just a few days sculpting and finishing to go but I am pleased with the way it is looking.

the perfect customer

This week I sent out a set of 8 plates to a lovely customer who uses my plates on his boat. This is the email he sent me.

"We bought a set of your plates 9 years ago for our sailing boat Alice we built and completed in 2000 ,they have been in use ever since and much admired, I bought another set of beech plates 6 years ago at Art In Action which are in daily use and also much admired. The currently ordered set is for a wedding present for the son of one of our boat group and I expect him to hand them on to his children as we will ours !

For your gallery a wee piccy of Alice who has carried your plates south to Spain, north round Britain and all round the western channel, if you visit Lymington in the New Forest you will be welcome to come for a sail !"




There is something really good about sailing boats and since my plates are replicas of ones from the Mary Rose its nice to see them in a nautical home, but mostly I just love to hear from folk who enjoy using them.

edit Stephen just sent me this rather nice picture of his 9 year old plates in use last year in Scrabster "being fed by local fishermen on fresh shellfish while we waited for bad weather to pass"

Ollies sculptures

This week I have been working in a nice woodland on a bridge project and Ollie my 11 year old has been coming out with me and making sculptures in a Richard Long/Golsworthy sort of style. This sort of play is all about interacting with the environment and the benefits are very deep for adults too.

my boy had his first go in the forge

The children are off school now and work and childcare have to be juggled over the next few weeks. One day this week Ollie and I spent the morning at the forge, he is very skilled at carving with a knife so I thought I would let him make his own knife. We started with an old car spring, heated it up and Ollie bashed it out thin at the forge.


Then did some rough grinding to get the shape.

On to the tormek grindstone to get a fine edge.


Looking good.

I glued it into a piece of yew and Ollie whittled the handle.

The finished knife, perfect for whittling with.