Carving a fen spade

[mr dazzler]

I started this yesterday. I decided to make a spade from a piece of crokked wilow which I got for free the other week.
First cut's

Notching the sides to make it easier to pop them off

Sides and bark removed, spade head roughed in

Axing finished. The other log is the pair to the one I am carving, split with the froe

Axe finish

Using the scorp to refine the spade head. The roughing was done with an adze

Refining the form

Some tools I used. I worked on some of the bowls too today.....

Itching to use it....

It needs to dry, then do some final thinning and finishing cuts, soak in oil and fit an edge made of rivetted on tin. Although I might try steaming the end of the handle after splitting it then form it into a D shape and add a cross piece handle?

 

[FGYT]

now thats a racing spoon

just needs a foot or 2 of the handle


Nice job

ATB

Duncan

 

[Tubbyfraser]

Looks excellent - very well done! Who made the scorp?

 

[mr dazzler]

Any blacksmith worth their salt will know of Mr Brian Russell of Little Newsham Forge, Staindrop, County Durham. He is one of the country's best smiths. He made the scorp in the pictures, 2 inshaves, and a draw knife for me in 1991. I was newly married then and we could barely aford the £160 or so they cost. But they are still being used..... He doesnt often do little hand hammered forged jobs (he makes big ornamental railings, and gates for Buckingham palace, those sort of jobs forging 2 and 3 inch bar on a power hammer) but was very keen to do them for me :You_Rock_

 

[redandshane]

Nicely done and also why I dont carry a spade or trowel
I can make one
Not as nice as yours but one which does ahem the job for me

 

[y0dsa]

Inspirational - thanks for posting!

 

[SOAR]

Nice work, I'm enjoying seeing your carvings keep them coming.

All the best.

 

[mr dazzler]

Thanks for looking guys . Another item I want to have a go at is making some steam bent hayforks from ash or oak, and also try making a slane (irish peat digging spade). Plus my chair parts which have been seaoning and weathering the last year or so are about ready for some assembly, I have a good feeling about those, after a lot of naff failures and also rans I think I am getting the hang of things a bit.....I love green woodworking

 

[launditch1]

Excellent wip pics.Very nice to see and a fine collection of tools too!
Have you ever seen those old forks made from a tree branch?the ones where the tines have been trained into shape...

 

[mr dazzler]

I never saw any trained ones, but have seen ones that are split 2, 3 or even 4 times (for a 3,4 or 5 pronged hay fork) then steamed and formed on a mould. Trained sounds good though. LOL I was looking at some slanes, they are like bill hooks IE every village town and county seems to have developed their own particular variation on the basic design principle. All essentially the same, yet beautifully and uniquely individual IE genuine cultural diversity...

 

[maddave]

now thats a racing spoon

just needs a foot or 2 of the handle


Nice job

ATB

Duncan

Hell yeah !!!

 

[Stanleythecat]

I never saw any trained ones, but have seen ones that are split 2, 3 or even 4 times (for a 3,4 or 5 pronged hay fork) then steamed and formed on a mould. Trained sounds good though. LOL I was looking at some slanes, they are like bill hooks IE every village town and county seems to have developed their own particular variation on the basic design principle. All essentially the same, yet beautifully and uniquely individual IE genuine cultural diversity...

Fantastic work. I noticed you on the bodger's forum too, I'm very much on the green woodworking side of the line, I was wondering do you use any other forums for green woodworking/traditional skills? Most of us practice and re-learn these skills in the privacy of our own lives and these forums offer a fantastic wealth of knowledge and a community of others on a similar path.

and there's always money for tools somewhere to be found!

Leo

 

[Gill]

That is a bit of work buddy, i bet the hands were sore after that!

 

[Eric_Methven]

Aw Bollox! You've just gone and re-kindled my passion for green woorworking. And I've just gone and sold all my tools.

Lovely work though.

 

[Ozhaggishead]

Nicely done mate.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Hoodoo]

Wonderful bit of carving! Very nicely done. Those bowls in the background look great too.

 

[mr dazzler]

Again, thank you everyone for looking and for your kind comments

Leo, I dont go on any forums much now apart from bodgers, BCUK and Bernie's berax. I used to go on woodwork uk, was banned forom UK workshop . Used to go on its not easy being green, but found its not easy understanding a lot of the conflicting stuff that gets posted there and gave up?

Launditch, I found a french site that has 3 pronged forks trained from some sort of elm shrub's. Are these the ones you mean?
http://fourchedesauve.free.fr/fabricationA.htm

 

[mochasidamo]

Time on forums? Too much...Gets in the way of doing stuff but as I'm still pretty much resting I don't mind and have been back to a few old haunts! As long as people talk sense...

...mind wouldn't have lasted a week here if I hadn't worked out how to turn the threads right way up!

I've seen those 3 pronged forks and more-pronged rakes for sale in France and other mountainous areas....cool: but plan ahead 6-8 years. Hmmm.....

Nice work Mr D . No shortage of willow here - another future project maybe.

 

[robin wood]

Nice job, shavings in the front room too, the best place for woodwork.

 

[g4ghb]

Aw Bollox! You've just gone and re-kindled my passion for green woorworking. And I've just gone and sold all my tools.

Lovely work though.

I wondered how long that would take you Eric