Teaching
I can now offer teaching services in many aspects of historical woodwork. My own workshop is not suitable for this but I can do teaching in small groups elsewhere. The format can be from classroom presentations to practical teaching. I can offer one day to short courses of a week or so. It’s possible to complete a piece for people to take home in just a day or community projects which take a week or so. In 2022 I supervised the erecting of a timber frame building most of which I had prefabricated and some was cut on site. A few weeks later I returned to teach some joinery skills and everyone went home with a stool they had made.
One item we have for schools groups is a miniature timber frame building. This is great for teaching kids about building. I start with a chat about the tools and techniques and then set the kids onto constructing the building with instruction as they go along. Even with larger groups everyone can have a go at some part.
Demonstrating
After studying early woodworking techniques for many years gathering the knowledge and authentic tools I can offer demonstrations to historical sites. I like to show that many items can be made with very few hand tools from a log to the finished piece and I can demonstrate all the methods required. Starting with splitting a log with wedges and a mallet, roughing out parts with an axe and a shaving horse I can produce stools, small tables, kitchenware, tool handles etc while the public watch. I discuss aspects of woodworking in the medieval period including the different trades, tools and techniques. To some extent we can let the public have a go.
